Wendell Pierce
A fluid and protean character actor of the first order, Wendell Pierce brought palpable charm and presence to his vast array of film and television roles, which were capped by his five seasons as the cagey Detective Bunk Moreland on "The Wire" (HBO, 2002-07). A powerfully built man who could generate laughs and tension with equal ease, Pierce began his career in theater before moving into features and television in the late 1980s. His versatility earned him roles in films by such significant directors as Spike Lee with "Get on the Bus" (1996), Woody Allen with "Manhattan Murder Mystery" (1993) and Barry Levinson with "Sleepers" (1997), but it was his turn as a sweet if inept lover in Forest Whitaker's "Waiting to Exhale" (1995) that put him on the map. "The Wire" became one of his greatest showcases, with Bunk becoming an audience favorite by virtue of his old-school police principles and profane quips. The critically acclaimed series led to greater exposure for Pierce, who used some of his newfound fame to bring attention to his hometown of New Orleans after its devastation by Hurricane Katrina. In 2010, Pierce finally earned top billing in "Treme" (HBO, 2010- ), a drama series set in New Orleans that showed a new audience what Pierce's fans had been saying for over two decades: that he was among the best actors in the business, bar none.
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Wendell Pierce
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Ellis | Self | - | 2022 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Don't Hang Up | Chris Daniels (Character) | - | 2022 |
92% |
|
Clemency | Jonathan Williams (Character) | $361.7K | 2019 |
91% |
|
Burning Cane |
Reverend Tillman (Character), Producer |
- | 2019 |
71% |
|
Piercing | Doctor (Character) | $14.2K | 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | One Last Thing | Dylan Derringer (Character) | - | 2018 |
98% |
|
Rodents of Unusual Size | Narrator | - | 2017 |
84% |
|
Confirmation | Clarence Thomas (Character) | - | 2016 |
24% |
|
The Runner | Frank Legrand (Character) | - | 2015 |
91% |
|
The Gift | Detective Mills (Character) | $43.8M | 2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Foreclosure | Unknown (Character) | - | 2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band | Andy Kirk (Voice) | - | 2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Runaway Hearts | Paul (Character) | - | 2014 |
33% |
|
Elsa & Fred | Armande (Character) | - | 2014 |
No Score Yet |
|
Möbius | Bob (Character) | - | 2013 |
41% |
|
Parker | Carlson (Character) | $17.6M | 2013 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Four | Joe (Character) | - | 2012 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Mortician | Clinger (Character) | - | 2011 |
80% |
|
Night Catches Us | David Gordon (Character) | $75.8K | 2010 |
12% |
|
Love Ranch | Naasih Mohammed (Character) | $134.9K | 2010 |
No Score Yet |
|
Life Support | Slick (Character) | - | 2007 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mitchellville | Unknown (Character) | - | 2004 |
63% |
|
Land of Plenty | Henry (Character) | - | 2004 |
17% | No Score Yet | A Hole in One | Dan (Character) | - | 2004 |
79% |
|
Ray | Wilbur Brassfield (Character) | $75.3M | 2004 |
66% |
|
Brown Sugar | Simon (Character) | $27.4M | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Gilded Six Bits | Unknown (Character) | - | 2001 |
50% |
|
The 24-Hour Woman | Roy Labelle (Character) | $109.1K | 1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Abilene | Reverend Tillis (Character) | - | 1999 |
76% |
|
Bulworth | Fred (Character) | $26.4M | 1998 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Advocate's Devil | Justin (Character) | - | 1997 |
89% |
|
Get on the Bus | Wendell (Character) | $5.7M | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story | John Saunders (Character) | - | 1996 |
33% |
|
Hackers | S.S. Agent Richard Gill (Character) | $6.9M | 1995 |
56% |
|
Waiting to Exhale | Michael Davenport (Character) | $64.2M | 1995 |
73% |
|
It Could Happen to You | Bo Williams (Character) | $37.8M | 1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Matter of Degrees | Wells Dennard (Character) | - | 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Vietnam War Story | French (Character) | - | 1987 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
91% | 70% | Elsbeth | Captain C.W. Wagner (Character) | 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Talk | Guest | 2014 2024 |
No Score Yet | 61% | Late Night With Seth Meyers | Guest | 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? | Guest | 2024 |
78% | 73% | Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan | James Greer (Character) | 2018-2019 2022-2023 |
61% | 62% | Accused | Detective Trent Douglas (Guest Star) | 2023 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Inside the Black Box | Self | 2022 |
No Score Yet | 50% | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Guest | 2022 |
No Score Yet | 88% | Chicago P.D. | Ray Price (Guest Star) | 2017 2019-2020 |
91% | 87% | Suits | Robert Zane (Guest Star) | 2013-2019 |
No Score Yet | 100% | Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Harry | Guest | 2018 |
91% | 84% | Archer | Verl (Guest Voice) | 2017 |
No Score Yet | 63% | The Odd Couple | Teddy (Character) | 2015-2017 |
100% | 29% | The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore | Guest | 2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tavis Smiley | Guest | 2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Real Time With Bill Maher | Guest | 2013-2015 |
72% | 85% | Ray Donovan | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2014-2015 |
No Score Yet | 77% | The Night Shift | Walt (Guest Star) | 2015 |
70% | 62% | The Michael J. Fox Show | Harris Green (Character) | 2013-2014 |
97% | 87% | Treme | Antoine Batiste (Character) | 2010-2013 |
78% | 60% | Drop Dead Diva | Neal David (Guest Star) | 2009 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | HawthoRNe | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2009 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fear Itself | Wiilbur Orwell (Character) | 2009 |
No Score Yet | 93% | Numb3ers | William Bradford (Guest Star) | 2007-2008 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | In Plain Sight |
Dr. Warren McBride / |
2008 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Women's Murder Club | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2008 |
95% | 96% | The Wire | Det. William "Bunk" Moreland (Character) | 2002-2004 2006 2008 |
65% | No Score Yet | Close to Home | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2006 |
No Score Yet | 83% | Law & Order | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1992 1995 1999 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Judging Amy | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Girlfriends | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002 |
8% | No Score Yet | The Weber Show | Wendell Simms (Character) | 2000-2001 |
No Score Yet | 72% | My Wife and Kids | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2001 |
20% | No Score Yet | City of Angels | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Brian Benben Show | Unknown (Character) | 1998 2000 |
No Score Yet | 72% | Third Watch | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
55% | No Score Yet | God, the Devil and Bob | Unknown (Guest Voice) | 2000 |
93% | No Score Yet | The Gregory Hines Show | Carl Stevenson (Character) | 1991 1997-1999 |
17% | No Score Yet | 413 Hope St. | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Moloney | Asst. D.A. Calvin Patterson (Character) | 1996-1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | New York Undercover | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Equalizer | Dr. Wolff (Guest Star) | 1988-1989 |