HomeBack to homepage
PeopleActors & creators
Wendell Pierce

Wendell Pierce

Department: Acting

Biography

Wendell Edward Pierce (born December 8, 1963) is an American actor and businessman. Having trained at Juilliard School, Pierce rose to prominence as a character actor portraying roles on both stage and screen. He first gained recognition portraying the role of Detective Bunk Moreland in the acclaimed HBO drama series The Wire from 2002 to 2008. His other notable television roles include the trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme (2010–2013), James Greer in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018–2023), the attorney Robert Zane in Suits (2013–2019), and Clarence Thomas in Confirmation (2016). He earned Independent Spirit Awards nominations for his film roles in Four (2012) and Burning Cane (2019), on which he also served as a producer. Other notable film roles include Malcolm X (1992), Waiting to Exhale (1995), Ray (2004), Selma (2014), The Gift (2015), and Clemency (2019). Pierce made his Broadway debut in John Pielmeier's 1985 play The Boys of Winter, followed by Caryl Churchill's Serious Money in 1988. As a theatrical producer, he earned a Tony Award for Best Play nomination for August Wilson's Radio Golf (2007), then won for Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park (2012). He performed the lead role of Willy Loman in the revival of Death of a Salesman on the West End in London in 2019 and on Broadway in New York in 2022, for which he earned Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award nominations. Description above from the Wikipedia article Wendell Pierce, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Land of Plenty

Land of Plenty

2004

Ray

Ray

2004

Stay Alive

Stay Alive

2006

It Could Happen to You

It Could Happen to You

1994

Hackers

Hackers

1995

Becoming Frederick Douglass

Becoming Frederick Douglass

2022

The Fighting Temptations

The Fighting Temptations

2003

Night Catches Us

Night Catches Us

2010

New Orleans: A Living Museum of Music

New Orleans: A Living Museum of Music

2010

The Gilded Six Bits

The Gilded Six Bits

2001

Pariah

Pariah

2007

Unnatural Pursuits

Unnatural Pursuits

1992

The Mortician

The Mortician

2011

The 24 Hour Woman

The 24 Hour Woman

1999

Don't Hang Up

Don't Hang Up

2022

Four

Four

2013

Parker

Parker

2013

Möbius

Möbius

2013

The Wire Odyssey

The Wire Odyssey

2007

Elsa & Fred

Elsa & Fred

2014

The Runner

The Runner

2015

A Hole in One

A Hole in One

2004

Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band

Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band

2015

Get on the Bus

Get on the Bus

1996

Foreclosure

Foreclosure

2014

The Advocate's Devil

The Advocate's Devil

1997

A Matter of Degrees

A Matter of Degrees

1991

Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story

Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story

1996

Tapping the Wire

Tapping the Wire

2007

Selma

Selma

2014

The Gift

The Gift

2015

27 Years: The Exoneration of Valentino Dixon

27 Years: The Exoneration of Valentino Dixon

2018

Superman

Superman

2025

Strapped

Strapped

1993

Bulworth

Bulworth

1998

Manhattan Murder Mystery

Manhattan Murder Mystery

1993

Grease Live

Grease Live

2016

The Money Pit

The Money Pit

1986

Confirmation

Confirmation

2016

Malcolm X

Malcolm X

1992

Bad Moms

Bad Moms

2016

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

2012

Piercing

Piercing

2019

Family Business

Family Business

1989

The 10 Million Dollar Getaway

The 10 Million Dollar Getaway

1991

Life Support

Life Support

2007

Brown Sugar

Brown Sugar

2002

Sleepers

Sleepers

1996

Waiting to Exhale

Waiting to Exhale

1995

Rodents of Unusual Size

Rodents of Unusual Size

2017

Bye Bye Love

Bye Bye Love

1995

Love Ranch

Love Ranch

2010

Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses

2011

I Think I Love My Wife

I Think I Love My Wife

2007

Clemency

Clemency

2019

Beyond All Boundaries

Beyond All Boundaries

2009

One Last Thing

One Last Thing

2018

Burning Cane

Burning Cane

2019

King of the South

King of the South

Runaway Hearts

Runaway Hearts

2015

Abilene

Abilene

1999

Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me

2020

The Forever Tree

The Forever Tree

2017

The Thrill Is On

The Thrill Is On

The Wire: The Last Word

The Wire: The Last Word

2007

A Rage in Harlem

A Rage in Harlem

1991

Lay the Favorite

Lay the Favorite

2012

Casualties of War

Casualties of War

1989

A Plea for Modernism

A Plea for Modernism

2011

Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts*

2025

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War

2026

2000: Bunk and McNulty

2000: Bunk and McNulty

2007

Highest 2 Lowest

Highest 2 Lowest

2025

They Fight

They Fight

Third Watch

Third Watch

1999

Law & Order

Law & Order

1990

Numb3rs

Numb3rs

2005

The Wire

The Wire

2002

Judging Amy

Judging Amy

1999

Capital News

Capital News

1990

Girlfriends

Girlfriends

2000

My Wife and Kids

My Wife and Kids

2001

Law & Order: Trial by Jury

Law & Order: Trial by Jury

2005

Women's Murder Club

Women's Murder Club

2007

New York Undercover

New York Undercover

1994

The Equalizer

The Equalizer

1985

Close to Home

Close to Home

2005

Fear Itself

Fear Itself

2008

In Plain Sight

In Plain Sight

2008

New York News

New York News

1995

Moloney

Moloney

1996

Drop Dead Diva

Drop Dead Diva

2009

The Weber Show

The Weber Show

2000

Treme

Treme

2010

The Brian Benben Show

The Brian Benben Show

1998

The Gregory Hines Show

The Gregory Hines Show

1997

The Michael J. Fox Show

The Michael J. Fox Show

2013

Elsbeth

Elsbeth

2024

The Odd Couple

The Odd Couple

2015

Ray Donovan

Ray Donovan

2013

Suits

Suits

2011

Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G.

Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G.

2018

Great Museums

Great Museums

Archer

Archer

2009

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

2007

Tamron Hall

Tamron Hall

2019

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan

2018

Law & Order

Law & Order

1990

Law & Order

Law & Order

1990

Law & Order

Law & Order

1990

Chicago P.D.

Chicago P.D.

2014

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015

Late Night with Seth Meyers

Late Night with Seth Meyers

2014

The Watch

The Watch

2021

God, the Devil and Bob

God, the Devil and Bob

2000

Real Time with Bill Maher

Real Time with Bill Maher

2003

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts

2006

Hawthorne

Hawthorne

2009

The Night Shift

The Night Shift

2014

Be My Guest with Ina Garten

Be My Guest with Ina Garten

2022

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015

Sherri

Sherri

2022

Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn

2019

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

1988

The American Revolution

The American Revolution

2025