Wendell Pierce

Wendell Pierce has established himself as a prolific award-winning actor with a body of work on stage, television, and film for more than three decades. Universally hailed for his portrayal of Det. Bunk Moreland on HBO’s groundbreaking series “The Wire”, Mr. Pierce was also praised for his starring role of “Antoine Baptiste” on David Simon’s critically acclaimed series, “Treme”. He currently stars as James Greer in Amazon’s international hit series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”, alongside John Krasinski. 

Mr. Pierce returns to Broadway in Fall 2022 to reprise his portrayal of Willy Loman in Death Of A Salesman after receiving a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play in London for the West End production. Wendell made his Broadway debut as Boy Willie in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. His other Broadway credits include Carol Churchill’s Serious Money, and John Pielmeier’s The Boys of Winter. Other theater credits include Cost of Living (Williamstown, 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), Brokeology (Lincoln Center), ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore, Cymbeline, Two Gentlemen of Verona. Tartuffe (New York Shakespeare Festival), Waiting For Godot, The Cherry Orchard (Classical Theater of Harlem), and The Oedipus Cycle (Theater Herod Atticus, Athens).

In film, Wendell’s wide-ranging work includes Ava Duvernay’s Selma, Taylor Hackford’s Ray, Spike Lee’s Malcolm X and Get on the Bus, Forest Whittaker’s Waiting to Exhale, and Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner Clemency, to name a few.

On television, Wendell is recognized as Robert Zane on USA Network’s Suits, and had recurring roles on Showtime’s Ray Donovan and NBC’s Chicago PD. He appeared in HBO’s award-winning Confirmation as Clarence Thomas and Between the World and Me, based on the #1 New Times bestseller by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

A Juilliard alum and a 1981 White House Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Wendell is the recipient of several awards, including the Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in the Theater, the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Rev. Tillman in the drama, Burning Cane, for which he also received Independent Spirit and Gotham award nominations; a Tony Award as a producer of Clybourne Park; and Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Image Award for his role of Slick in the HBO drama, Life Support, opposite Queen Latifah.

Wendell is co-owner of Equity Media, the new ownership group of WBOK 1230AM, a 70-year-old legacy Black talk radio station in New Orleans and the oldest Black-owned radio station in Louisiana. Wendell is the author of his memoir titled The Wind in the Reeds.