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Stack Pierce

{{short description|American actor (1933–2016)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2013}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Stack Pierce

| image = Cropped_Photo_of_Stack_Pierce.jpg

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1933|06|15}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|03|01|1933|06|15}}

| death_place =

| nationality = American

| other_names = Robert Pierce

| occupation = Athlete, Actor

| years_active = 1970–2005

| known_for =

| notable_works =

}}

Robert Stack Pierce (June 15, 1933 – March 1, 2016) was a Hollywood actor who was previously a boxer and professional baseball player.Speakers International [http://www.speakersinternational.com/celebrities/pierce_stack/index.html Stack Pierce] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908040355/http://www.speakersinternational.com/celebrities/pierce_stack/index.html |date=September 8, 2008 }} His acting career began in the early 1970s with television roles in the series Arnie, Room 222, Mannix, Mission Impossible and later as Jake, the alien commander in the 1980s science fiction series V. His film roles include Night Call Nurses, Hammer, Cool Breeze, Low Blow and Weekend at Bernie's II.

Background

Pierce was a state boxing champion. Later he played professional baseball, beginning with the Cleveland Indians organization and later the Milwaukee Braves organization.

Having left high school, he joined the army where he was an Airborne Engineer. While in the army he played baseball in the Special Services. He came up on the radar of the Cleveland Indians and was signed to a Major League contract. Not long after the Milwaukee Braves bought his contract and was with them for six years until his retirement in 1960. Later he moved to Los Angeles with his wife.Deseret Health News, November/December 2013 - [https://deserthealthnews.com/stories/second-act/ Medical News, A Second Act By Nicky Vallee]

He has had prominent and recurring roles in a number of Leo Fong exploitation films as well as a few Fred Williamson films. Among the films in which he appeared with Williamson are Hammer (1972), No way Back (1976, in the part of Bernie). Others included, The Big Score (1983), The Messenger (1986) and Transformed (2005).

He has appeared on Michael Dante's radio show, On Deck.Michaeldanteway.com - [http://www.michaeldanteway.com/talk-show/ Radio Show Guest List]

Acting career

=1960s to 1970s=

Pierce's entry into acting came about as a result of his wife's encouragement. She pushed him to audition for his first play, Ebonites. He was diligent in studying acting and did a lot of work with a repertory company.{{When|date=June 2022}}

Pierce first appeared on television in a 1970 episode of Arnie. He moved into film roles in 1972, appearing in three films that year: he played the henchman, Tinker, in Cool Breeze;The A to Z of African American Cinema, By S. Torriano Berry, Venise T. Berry - [https://books.google.com/books?id=W28vCHtlJyUC&dq=Stack+Pierce+Cool+Breeze&pg=PA70 Page 70 COOL BREEZE. 1972.]Black Action Films: Plots, Critiques, Cast and Credits for 235 Theatrical and Made-For-Television Releases, James Robert Parish, George H. Hill - [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHtZAAAAMAAJ&q=Stack+Pierce+Tinker Page 103, 104] played the role of Jon Sampson in the Jonathan Kaplan directed Night Call Nurses;American Film Institute - [http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/54663 Night Call Nurses (1972), Full Page view +, Cast] and appeared in Hammer, his first of five films, over his career, that starred Fred Williamson.TV Guide - [https://www.tvguide.com/movies/hammer/cast/125511/ Hammer, Cast & Crew]

=1980s=

In 1980, Pierce played Frank Washington in The Last Reunion, his first of seven films, over his career, that starred Leo Fong.World Film Geek, February 15, 2017 - [https://worldfilmgeek.com/2017/02/15/review-revenge-of-the-bushido-blade-1978/ REVIEW: Revenge of the Bushido Blade (1978)]Comeuppance Reviews - [http://www.comeuppancereviews.net/2010/10/revenge-of-bushido-blade-1980.html Revenge Of The Bushido Blade (1980)] In 1980, Pierce was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his role in the "Sweet Land of Liberty" episode of the television series Quincy, M.E..The Carolina Times Sat, December 13, 1980 - [http://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn83045120/1980-12-13/ed-1/seq-17/#index=1&rows=20&proxtext=Stack+Pierce&searchType=basic&sequence=0&words=Pierce+Stack&page=1 Page 5 NBC Stars and Shows Nominated for NAACP Awards]

He also appeared with Wings Hauser and Beverly Todd in the 1982 cult classic grindhouse film Vice Squad, playing a garage owner who Hauser heads for after escaping from the police.The great cop pictures, James Robert Parish - [https://books.google.com/books?id=on9ZAAAAMAAJ&q=stack+pierce%22Vice+Squad%22 Page 630, 631]Letterboxd - [https://letterboxd.com/film/vice-squad/ Vice Squad 1982 Directed by Gary Sherman, Cast] In 1983, he appeared as Captain Jake, the alien commander in the science fiction television series V.Rotten Tomatoes - [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/v_1983 V: The Original Miniseries (1983 - 1983), Cast] In 1984, he was in another Leo Fong film, Killpoint, appearing as Nighthawk, the stone faced henchman for a weapons dealer.Grindhousefilm.com - [http://www.grindhousefilm.com/film-reviews/2018/5/6/killpoint-1984 Killpoint (1984) - MichaeL Wood]Turner Classic Movies - [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/80294/killpoint Killpoint(1984), Cast & Crew] In 1986, he was in another Fong film, Low Blow as Duke, in a story about the daughter of a wealthy businessman who was kidnapped by a religious cult and a detective who was hired to get her back.TV Guide - [http://www.tvguide.com/movies/low-blow/cast/104917/ Low Blow]Rotten Tomatoes - [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/low_blow Low Blow (1986), Movie info]

=1990s to 2000s=

In 1997, Pierce appeared as Will in Paolo Mazzucato's Moonbase, a film about a crew running a garbage dump on the moon and having to ward off deranged escaped inmates from an orbiting prison satellite who are after nuclear weapons buried in the rubbish.Turner Classic Movies - [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/474084/moonbase Moonbase(1997), OVERVIEW, Full synopsis, Cast & Crew]Letterboxd - [https://letterboxd.com/film/moonbase/ Moonbase 1997 Directed by Paolo Mazzucato]

Pierce then stepped away from acting, caring for his wife, Marion, until she died of cancer in June, 1998. In the years after her death, he became a stage director, including productions of A Raisin in the Sun, My Brothers' Blood, In My Father's House and One Last Look.

Pierce made a brief return to acting for the 2005 direct-to-video release Transformed, reuniting with Leo Fong.

Later activities

As he scaled down his acting career, Pierce became involved with youth and charity work.

He revisited baseball, becoming a youth coach in 2006. He booked speaking engagements through Speakers International.

In August 2011, he was involved in the Lenny Wilkens Foundation fundraiser for the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic.Puget Sound Business Journal, Aug 12, 2011 - [http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2011/08/slideshowlenny-wilkens-draws-big.html?page=all "Lenny Wilkens draws big stars for charity" By Patti Payne] In December 2011, Pierce was one of the celebrity golfers in the Dennis James Golf Classic's 16th annual tournament..Desert Sun - [http://www.mydesert.com/article/20111218/LIFESTYLES09/112170341/Dennis-James-Golf-Classic-stronger-than-ever-celebrity-players "Celebrity players keep Dennis James Golf Classic, gala going stronger than ever"].

Pierce had to step back from coaching baseball after he suffered a stroke in 2012.Variety, August 28, 1998 - [https://variety.com/1998/scene/people-news/marion-pierce-1117882443/ Scene > People News, Marion Pierce] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105200930/https://variety.com/1998/scene/people-news/marion-pierce-1117882443/ |date=January 5, 2019 }} Despite this, he was able to continue his involvement in charity work. On August 28, 2014, Pierce participated in the 13th annual Jim "Mudcat" Grant golf tournament in Binghamton, New York. Amongst the other celebrities participating in 2014 was Fred Williamson, whom Pierce had worked with in a number of films.

Awards

In July 1978, Pierce, along with musicians Side Effect and D. J. Rogers, was at Reve Gibson's annual Youth On Parade program to pick up an award.Billboard, July 22, 1978 - [https://books.google.com/books?id=kyQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Stack+Pierce%22Billboard&pg=PT73 Page 78 Soul Sauce, Los Angeles Aretha Fete A Puzzler By JEAN WILLIAMS]

Death

Pierce died on March 1, 2016, in the US.SASAG-AFTRA, Spring 2017 - [https://www.sagaftra.org/files/saspring17_public.pdf Page 58 In Memoriam honors the memory of members whose deaths were reported to SAG-AFTRA between Nov. 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017.*]

Filmography

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References

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External links

  • {{IMDb name|0682474}}
  • {{Rotten Tomatoes person|stack_pierce}}
  • [http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=13848 Stack Pierce] at Aveleyman
  • {{TCMDb person|152368}}
  • NAACP Image Awards in the category Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Dramatic Series for Quincy: "Sweet Land of Liberty"
    The Carolina Times Sat, December 13, 1980 - [http://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn83045120/1980-12-13/ed-1/seq-17/#index=1&rows=20&proxtext=Stack+Pierce&searchType=basic&sequence=0&words=Pierce+Stack&page=1 Article Page 5 NBC Stars and Shows Nominated for NAACP Awards]

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Category:American male film actors

Category:American male soap opera actors

Category:American male television actors

Category:1933 births

Category:2016 deaths

Category:American male stage actors

Category:20th-century African-American male actors

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:21st-century African-American male actors

Category:21st-century American male actors