Stack Pierce

Robert Stack Pierce (June 15, 1933 – March 1, 2016) was a Hollywood actor who was previously a boxer and professional baseball player.[1] 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.

Stack Pierce
Born(1933-06-15)June 15, 1933
DiedMarch 1, 2016(2016-03-01) (aged 82)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesRobert Pierce
Occupation(s)Athlete, Actor
Years active1970–2005

Background

Pierce was a state boxing champion. Later he played professional baseball, beginning with the Cleveland Indians organization and later the Milwaukee Braves organization.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3]

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.[2]

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;[4][5] played the role of Jon Sampson in the Jonathan Kaplan directed Night Call Nurses;[6] and appeared in Hammer, his first of five films, over his career, that starred Fred Williamson.[7]

1980s

In 1980, Pierce played Frank Washington in The Last Reunion, his first of seven films, over his career, that starred Leo Fong.[8][9] 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..[1][10]

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.[11][12] In 1983, he appeared as Captain Jake, the alien commander in the science fiction television series V.[13] In 1984, he was in another Leo Fong film, Killpoint, appearing as Nighthawk, the stone faced henchman for a weapons dealer.[14][15] 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.[16][17]

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.[18][19]

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.[1]

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.[1]

In August 2011, he was involved in the Lenny Wilkens Foundation fundraiser for the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic.[20] In December 2011, Pierce was one of the celebrity golfers in the Dennis James Golf Classic's 16th annual tournament.[21]

Pierce had to step back from coaching baseball after he suffered a stroke in 2012.[22][2] 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.[23]

Death

Pierce died on March 1, 2016 in the USA.[24]

Filmography

References
  1. Speakers International Stack Pierce Archived September 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Deseret Health News, November/December 2013 - Medical News, A Second Act By Nicky Vallee
  3. Michaeldanteway.com - Radio Show Guest List
  4. The A to Z of African American Cinema, By S. Torriano Berry, Venise T. Berry - Page 70 COOL BREEZE. 1972.
  5. Black Action Films: Plots, Critiques, Cast and Credits for 235 Theatrical and Made-For-Television Releases, James Robert Parish, George H. Hill - Page 103, 104
  6. American Film Institute - Night Call Nurses (1972), Full Page view +, Cast
  7. TV Guide - Hammer, Cast & Crew
  8. World Film Geek, February 15, 2017 - REVIEW: Revenge of the Bushido Blade (1978)
  9. Comeuppance Reviews - Revenge Of The Bushido Blade (1980)
  10. The Carolina Times Sat, December 13, 1980 - Page 5 NBC Stars and Shows Nominated for NAACP Awards
  11. The great cop pictures, James Robert Parish - Page 630, 631
  12. Letterboxd - Vice Squad 1982 Directed by Gary Sherman, Cast
  13. Rotten Tomatoes - V: The Original Miniseries (1983 - 1983), Cast
  14. Grindhousefilm.com - Killpoint (1984) - MichaeL Wood
  15. Turner Classic Movies - Killpoint(1984), Cast & Crew
  16. TV Guide - Low Blow
  17. Rotten Tomatoes - Low Blow (1986), Movie info
  18. Turner Classic Movies - Moonbase(1997), OVERVIEW, Full synopsis, Cast & Crew
  19. Letterboxd - Moonbase 1997 Directed by Paolo Mazzucato
  20. Puget Sound Business Journal, Aug 12, 2011 - "Lenny Wilkens draws big stars for charity" By Patti Payne
  21. .Desert Sun - "Celebrity players keep Dennis James Golf Classic, gala going stronger than ever".
  22. Variety, August 28, 1998 - Scene > People News, Marion Pierce Archived January 5, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
  23. Billboard, July 22, 1978 - Page 78 Soul Sauce, Los Angeles Aretha Fete A Puzzler By JEAN WILLIAMS
  24. SASAG-AFTRA, Spring 2017 - Page 58 In Memoriam honors the memory of members whose deaths were reported to SAG-AFTRA between Nov. 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017.*
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