Wendell Pierce Biography

Fast Facts

• Grew up in New Orleans and was very active in rebuilding the Ninth Ward following its destruction by Hurricane Katrina
• Lived with Wynton and Branford Marsalis while attending the Juilliard School in New York
• Wesley Snipes was the DJ for his 22nd birthday party
• Successful actor since 1985, but his big break came when cast in The Wire as Det
• William "Bunk" Moreland in 2002
• Became the host of the nationally syndicated radio program Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2009
• Learned to play the trombone for his role on Treme
• Launched, with two business partners, the grocery-store chain Sterling Farms, which is designed to serve low-income areas of New Orleans