01 Jul Wendell Pierce
Speaker: Wendell Pierce
TV and film actor, Small businessman, Entrepreneur and humanitarian
Topics:
- A Conversation with Wendell Pierce (A Customized talk Developed with the Client)
- African American in the U.S.A.
- Ponchartrain Park a Story of Renewal
Wendell Pierce is New Orleans through and through. Like his “Treme” character trombonist Antoine Batiste, Pierce has witnessed firsthand his hometown’s slow recovery following Hurricane Katrina. With true Big Easy spirit and determination, Pierce worked following the storm to help rebuild the neighborhood in which he was raised, Pontchartrain Park. Taking matters into his own hands, he formed the non-profit Ponchartrain Park Community Development Corporation, an organization created to rebuilding affordable and environmentally friendly homes, while preserving the community’s character. Most importantly, the organization was committed to assisting long-time residents in returning home to their neighborhood.
His television and film resume reads like a who’s who list of Hollywood. Pierce is recognized by audiences for his extensive work for directors including Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Brian De Palma, Barry Levinson, Sidney Lumet and Paul Schrader. Pierce appeared on five critically acclaimed seasons of “The Wire,” and also starred in “Life Support” opposite Queen Latifah.
He appeared as himself in Spike Lee’s documentary “When the Levees Broke,” telling his family’s story of loss. Pierce’s filmography also includes Disney’s “Stay Alive,” the award-winning “Ray,” “Fighting Temptations,” “Sleepers,” “Waiting to Exhale,” “Hackers,” “Malcolm X,” “Bonfire of the Vanities,” “A Rage in Harlem,” and “The Money Pit,” among many others. Pierce has had recurring roles on television shows including “Numb3rs,” “Law and Order,” “Third Watch,” “New York Undercover,” and “I’ll Fly Away.” His Broadway stage credits include roles in “Queenie Pie,” “The Piano Lesson,” “Serious Money,” and “The Boys of Winter.”
In 2010, Pierce won an Obie Award for his work in off-Broadway theater and the 2008 NAACP Image Award for best actor in a television movie for HBO’s “Life Support,” which also garnered him a Women’s Image Network Award.
A Conversation with Wendell Pierce (A Customized talk Developed with the Client)
African American in the U.S.A.
Ponchartrain Park a Story of Renewal
