{{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 = Stack Pierce in ''V'' | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{Birth date|1933|06|15}} | birth_place = | death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|03|01|1933|06|15}} | death_place = | 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 an American actor, boxer and professional baseball player.<ref name="SI">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 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="SI"/> Having left high school, he joined the army where he was an Airborne Engineer.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} 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.<ref name="deserthealthnews.com">''Deseret Health News'', November/December 2013 - [https://deserthealthnews.com/stories/second-act/ Medical News, A Second Act ''By Nicky Vallee'']</ref>
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''.<ref>Michaeldanteway.com - [https://www.michaeldanteway.com/talk-show/ Radio Show Guest List]</ref>
==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.<ref name="deserthealthnews.com"/>{{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'';<ref>''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.]</ref><ref>''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]</ref> played the role of Jon Sampson in the Jonathan Kaplan directed ''Night Call Nurses'';<ref>American Film Institute - [https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/54663 Night Call Nurses (1972), Full Page view +, Cast]</ref> and appeared in ''Hammer'', his first of five films, over his career, that starred Fred Williamson.<ref>TV Guide - [https://www.tvguide.com/movies/hammer/cast/125511/ Hammer, Cast & Crew]</ref>
===1980s=== In 1980, Pierce played Frank Washington in ''The Last Reunion'', his first of seven films, over his career, that starred Leo Fong.<ref>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)]</ref><ref>Comeuppance Reviews - [http://www.comeuppancereviews.net/2010/10/revenge-of-bushido-blade-1980.html Revenge Of The Bushido Blade (1980)]</ref> 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.''.<ref name="SI"/><ref>''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]</ref>
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.<ref>''The great cop pictures'', James Robert Parish - [https://books.google.com/books?id=on9ZAAAAMAAJ&q=stack+pierce%22Vice+Squad%22 Page 630, 631]</ref><ref>Letterboxd - [https://letterboxd.com/film/vice-squad/ Vice Squad 1982 Directed by Gary Sherman, Cast]</ref> In 1983, he appeared as Captain Jake, the alien commander in the science fiction television series ''V''.<ref>Rotten Tomatoes - [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/v_1983 V: The Original Miniseries (1983 - 1983), Cast]</ref> In 1984, he was in another Leo Fong film, ''Killpoint'', appearing as Nighthawk, the stone faced henchman for a weapons dealer.<ref>Grindhousefilm.com - [http://www.grindhousefilm.com/film-reviews/2018/5/6/killpoint-1984 Killpoint (1984) - MichaeL Wood]</ref><ref>Turner Classic Movies - [https://web.archive.org/web/20190106074817/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/80294/Killpoint/ Killpoint(1984), Cast & Crew]</ref> 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.<ref>''TV Guide'' - [http://www.tvguide.com/movies/low-blow/cast/104917/ Low Blow]</ref><ref>Rotten Tomatoes - [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/low_blow Low Blow (1986), Movie info]</ref>
===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.<ref>Turner Classic Movies - [https://web.archive.org/web/20190105201055/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/474084/Moonbase/ Moonbase(1997), OVERVIEW, Full synopsis, Cast & Crew]</ref><ref>Letterboxd - [https://letterboxd.com/film/moonbase/ Moonbase 1997 Directed by Paolo Mazzucato]</ref>
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''.<ref name="SI"/>
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.<ref name="SI"/>
In August 2011, he was involved in the Lenny Wilkens Foundation fundraiser for the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic.<ref>''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]</ref> In December 2011, Pierce was one of the celebrity golfers in the Dennis James Golf Classic's 16th annual tournament.<ref>.''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"].</ref>
Pierce had to step back from coaching baseball after he suffered a stroke in 2012.<ref>''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 }}</ref><ref name="deserthealthnews.com"/> 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.<ref>''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]</ref>
==Death== Pierce died on March 1, 2016, in the US.<ref>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.*]</ref>
==Filmography== {{Div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''Cool Breeze'' (1972) .... Tinker * ''Night Call Nurses'' (1972) .... Jon Sampson * ''Hammer'' (1972) .... Roughhouse * ''Trouble Man'' (1972) .... Collie * ''Jarrett'' (1973, TV Movie) .... Prison guard * ''Trader Horn'' (1973) .... Malugi * ''Cleopatra Jones'' (1973) .... Minor Role (uncredited) * ''The Healers'' (1974, TV Movie) * ''Newman's Law'' (1974) .... Baines * ''The Law'' (1974, TV Movie) .... Bright's Guard, County Jail * ''A Cry for Help'' (1975, TV Movie) .... Sgt. Mike Reese * ''The Prisoner of Second Avenue'' (1975) .... Detective * ''Cornbread, Earl and Me'' (1975) .... Sam Hamilton * ''Killer Force'' (1975) .... Emilio * ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' (1976, TV Series) .... Officer Randolph * ''Kiss Me, Kill Me'' (1976, TV Movie) .... Sergent * ''No Way Back'' (1976) .... Bernie * ''The Greatest'' (1977) .... Johnson * ''Lucy Calls the President'' (1977, TV Movie) .... Secret Service Agent Stockley * ''Good Guys Wear Black'' (1978) .... Holly Washington – The Black Tigers * ''Flesh & Blood'' (1979, TV Movie) .... Big Moony * ''The Last Reunion'' (1980) .... Frank Washington * ''The Incredible Hulk'' (1977-1982) .... Cop / Sgt. Nicholson * ''Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story'' (1980, TV Movie) .... Presser * ''Charlie and the Great Balloon Chase'' (1981, TV Movie) .... Lucas * ''Vice Squad'' (1982) .... Roscoe * ''V'' (1983, TV Mini-Series) .... Visitor Captain Jake * ''WarGames'' (1983) .... Airman * ''The Big Score'' (1983) .... New * ''Sawyer and Finn'' (1983, TV Movie) .... Jim * ''The Fall Guy'' (1983, TV Series) (''To the Finish'' S03E11) .... Policeman * ''Killpoint'' (1984) .... Nighthawk * ''V: The Final Battle'' (1984, TV Mini-Series) .... Visitor Captain Jake * ''24 Hours to Midnight'' (1985) .... White Powder Chan * ''Born American'' (1986) .... The Admiral (voice, uncredited) * ''Low Blow'' (1986) .... Corky * ''The Patriot'' (1986) .... Atkins * ''The Messenger'' (1986) .... Leroy * ''I Saw What You Did'' (1988, TV Movie) .... Policeman * ''It's Murphy's Fault'' (1988) .... Spider Jackson * ''Blood Street'' (1988) .... Solomon * ''Enemy Unseen'' (1989) .... Josh * ''No witnesses'' (1990) * ''A Rage in Harlem'' (1991) .... Coffin Ed * ''Weekend at Bernie's II'' (1993) .... Claudia's Dad * ''Out of Darkness'' (1994, TV Movie) .... Dr Brook * ''Human Desires'' (1997) .... Smokey * ''Moonbase'' (1997) .... Will * ''Transformed'' (2005) .... The mayor (final film role) {{div col end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==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"<br>''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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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Stack}} 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