Age, Biography, and Wiki
- Born: December 8, 1963, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Age: 61 years old as of 2025.
- Wendell Pierce grew up in the historic Pontchartrain Park neighborhood, which was severely affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This event influenced his role in Treme, where he portrayed a struggling musician dealing with life after the hurricane.
| Occupation | Business |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 8 December 1962 |
| Age | 62 Years |
| Birth Place | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Sagittarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is no publicly available information on Wendell Pierce's exact height and weight. However, his performances often require him to portray characters with a strong presence, which complements his acting skills.
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Wendell Pierce has been in a relationship with actress Erika Woods since 2018.
His father's segregated Army unit helped Marines win the Battle of Saipan in 1944. Pierce has said of his father's experience: "My father fought in World War II, loved this country when this country wasn't loving him back. My father fought in Saipan, came back, was awarded medals and were denied them by a white officer who said, 'no, not you, not your unit.' There was nothing that this country was doing for him or to him that would make him love this country. And in spite of all of that, he gave us a love for country because of the values that we are aspiring to as a nation."Pierce was raised in the black middle-class community of Pontchartrain Park, the first African-American postwar suburb. His father, along with many other black veterans, moved there after returning 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.
In 2012, inspired in part by Michelle Obama's initiative to bring more supermarkets to food deserts where residents lack easy access to fresh produce, Pierce, along with partners Troy Henry and James Hatchett, started Sterling Farms, a chain of grocery stores in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The chain closed 13 months later. Sterling Farms also had a convenience store division, Sterling Express. The stores were named after Sterling Henry, Troy Henry's father, who ran a pharmacy for about 40 years in the Lower Ninth Ward.
| Parents | |
| Husband | |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
As of April 2025, Wendell Pierce's net worth is estimated at $8 million, primarily accumulated from his extensive work in television and film, including roles in The Wire, Suits, and Jack Ryan. His salary for specific projects is not publicly disclosed, but his net worth reflects his success across multiple industries.
Career, Business, and Investments
- Career Highlights:
- The Wire: Pierce gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland, a performance that solidified his status as a talented actor.
- Treme: He played a struggling musician in this HBO series, which explored life after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
- Suits: Pierce played Robert Zane, a prominent attorney and father of Rachel Zane, in this legal drama series.
- Jack Ryan: He portrayed James Greer, a mentor and former CIA station chief, in this thriller series.
- Film Roles: Notable appearances include Malcolm X, Ray, and Selma.
- Business and Investments: While Pierce's business ventures are not highly publicized, his diverse acting career suggests a focus on creative investments and projects.
In 2019, Pierce starred in the acclaimed Arthur Miller play Death of a Salesman at the Young Vic Theatre in London and its successful transfer to the West End. For this performance, he received a nomination for the Olivier Award for Best Actor. The show made its Broadway transfer in 2022, returning with Pierce, Sharon D. Clarke, and Andre De Shields. In December 2022, on one of the nights of its production run, a woman disrupted the beginning of Act 2, shouting at the stage. Pierce tried to calm her down from the stage. She was eventually escorted out of the building by authorities and the play's producers issued a statement saying, "We're grateful to the entire team at the Hudson Theatre for working together to resolve the situation and resume the performance as quickly as possible." Videos of the event and Pierce's attempts to reason with the patron went viral online. Pierce received a Tony Award nomination for the production.
Social Network
Wendell Pierce is active on social media platforms, where he engages with his audience and shares updates about his projects. However, specific details about his following or engagement metrics are not available.
Pierce made his television debut on the HBO anthology series Vietnam War Story in the third episode, "The Pass", along with Ching Valdes-Aran, Tony Becker, and Merritt Butrick. His second television role was Dr. Wolff in two episodes of The Equalizer (1988, 1989).
When Mike Henry stepped down as the voice of Cleveland Brown on Family Guy in June 2020, in light of the George Floyd protests, Pierce launched a campaign to become Henry's replacement. He lost the role to YouTube personality Arif Zahir.
Pierce has been in numerous stage productions. He was lauded for his performance as Holt Fay in Queenie at the John F. Kennedy Center. He has performed on Broadway in staged productions of The Piano Lesson, Serious Money, and The Boys of Winter. He has performed off-Broadway in The Cherry Orchard (for which he was nominated for a VIV Award for Lead Actor), Waiting for Godot (which was set on a New Orleans rooftop post-Hurricane Katrina), and Broke-ology performed at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Other performances include Cymbeline (at The Public Theater), The Good Times Are Killing Me, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Tis Pity She's a Whore, and Ms. Ever's Boys performed at the ACT Theatre.
Education
Pierce attended the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City, where he honed his acting skills and laid the foundation for his successful career in the performing arts.
Wendell Edward Pierce (born December 8, 1962) is an American actor and businessman. Having trained at Juilliard School, Pierce rose to prominence as a character actor of stage and screen. He first gained recognition portraying Detective Bunk Moreland in the HBO drama series The Wire from 2002 to 2008.
Pierce graduated in 1981 from both Benjamin Franklin High School and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (most NOCCA students attend traditional secondary school in the mornings and the arts school in the afternoons). In 1981, he was named a Presidential Scholar of the Arts. As a young actor, he appeared in The Winter's Tale at the Tulane Shakespeare Festival. He produced and hosted Think About It, a youth-themed talk show, for the local NBC affiliate station, and also hosted a weekly jazz show on WYLD-FM Radio called Extensions from Congo Square.
Pierce then attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division from 1981 to 1985, graduating as a member of Group 14 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. In May 2023, Pierce received an honorary doctorate from the Juilliard School.
