Wendell Edward Pierce (born December 8, 1963) is an American actor. He
is known for his roles in HBO dramas such as Detective Bunk Moreland
in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme, as well as
portraying James Greer in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, as high-powered
attorney Robert Zane in Suits, and additionally as Michael Davenport
in Waiting to Exhale. Pierce also had roles in the films Malcolm X,
Ray, and Selma. Pierce performed the lead role of Willy Loman in the
2019 production of Death of a Salesman on the West End in London at
the Piccadilly Theatre.Pierce was born in New Orleans one of three
sons of a teacher and a decorated World War II veteran who worked as a
maintenance engineer. His father's segregated Army unit helped Marines
win the Battle of Saipan in 1944. Pierce has said of his father's
experience: "When the country wasn't loving my father, my father was
loving his country. It's the ultimate act of patriotism."Pierce was
raised in the black middle-class community of Pontchartrain Park, the
first African-American post-war suburb. His father, along with many
black veterans moved into the neighborhood after returning home from
the war. The neighborhood was wiped out during Hurricane Katrina in
2005, including Pierce's family home which was flooded by 14 feet of
water.
is known for his roles in HBO dramas such as Detective Bunk Moreland
in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme, as well as
portraying James Greer in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, as high-powered
attorney Robert Zane in Suits, and additionally as Michael Davenport
in Waiting to Exhale. Pierce also had roles in the films Malcolm X,
Ray, and Selma. Pierce performed the lead role of Willy Loman in the
2019 production of Death of a Salesman on the West End in London at
the Piccadilly Theatre.Pierce was born in New Orleans one of three
sons of a teacher and a decorated World War II veteran who worked as a
maintenance engineer. His father's segregated Army unit helped Marines
win the Battle of Saipan in 1944. Pierce has said of his father's
experience: "When the country wasn't loving my father, my father was
loving his country. It's the ultimate act of patriotism."Pierce was
raised in the black middle-class community of Pontchartrain Park, the
first African-American post-war suburb. His father, along with many
black veterans moved into the neighborhood after returning home from
the war. The neighborhood was wiped out during Hurricane Katrina in
2005, including Pierce's family home which was flooded by 14 feet of
water.
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