Robert Stack Pierce (June 15, 1933 – March 1, 2016) was an American actor, boxer and professional baseball player.Speakers International Stack Pierce 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 - 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 - 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.

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 - 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 - Page 103, 104 played the role of Jon Sampson in the Jonathan Kaplan directed Night Call Nurses;American Film Institute - 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 - 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 - REVIEW: Revenge of the Bushido Blade (1978)Comeuppance Reviews - 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 - 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 - Page 630, 631Letterboxd - 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 - 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 - Killpoint (1984) - MichaeL WoodTurner Classic Movies - 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 - Low BlowRotten Tomatoes - 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 - Moonbase(1997), OVERVIEW, Full synopsis, Cast & CrewLetterboxd - 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 - "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 - "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 - Scene > People News, Marion Pierce 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 - 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 - Page 58 In Memoriam honors the memory of members whose deaths were reported to SAG-AFTRA between Nov. 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017.*

Filmography

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)

References

External links

Stack Pierce at Aveleyman

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 - Article Page 5 NBC Stars and Shows Nominated for NAACP Awards