The Winston-Salem Journal reports that Grier will receive a master of cinema award during the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem. The festival runs April 23-28.

Grier is a Winston-Salem native who appears in the Showtime series "The L Word." She's best known for starring in blaxploitation movies in the 1970s.

Grier was born in Winston-Salem in 1949. Her family later settled in Colorado, where Grier graduated from high school.