WENDELL PIERCE
Catching Up With The Actor
Wendell Edward Pierce is an American actor and businessman best known for his roles in HBO dramas such as Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme. He’s also portraying James Greer in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Not too long ago, we saw him as high-powered attorney Robert Zane in Suits and Michael Davenport in Waiting to Exhale. Pierce also had roles in the films Malcolm X, Ray, and Selma. He performed the lead role of Willy Loman in the 2019 revival of a play Death of a Salesman on the West End in London at the Piccadilly Theatre, which earned him a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play. In addition, he has been nominated thrice for Independent Spirit Awards. His role as Willy Loman on Broadway was a success!
The actor has received the distinguished NAACP Image Award Nomination for his starring role in the No Equal Entertainment production of Don’t Hang Up, produced and directed by J.B. Sugar for Scripps Network’s BounceTV. Globally recognized as one of the most distinguished multicultural awards shows, the 54th NAACP Image Awards will continue a tradition of excellence, uplifting values that inspire equality, justice, and progressive change, and highlighting artists committed to that purpose.
A NOD TO THE ACTOR
Wendell’s nomination is for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series, and Dramatic Special, along with fellow nominees Morris Chestnut for The Best Man: The Final Chapters (Peacock); Samuel L. Jackson for The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (Apple TV+); Terrence Howard for The Best Man: The Final Chapters (Peacock); and Trevante Rhodes for Mike (Hulu).
“This year’s nominees have conveyed a wide range of authentic stories and diverse experiences resonating with many in our community. We’re proud to recognize their outstanding achievements and performances,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, in a statement.
“We could not be more pleased with Wendell and his Image Award nomination for Don’t Hang Up. Working with him was one of my best experiences with an actor to date. He is a genuine talent, a generous collaborator, and a true joy to work with,” said J.B. Sugar, president of No Equal Entertainment and the director/producer of Don’t Hang Up. In the production, Wendell Pierce plays Chris Daniels, a man who receives a call that his daughter has been kidnapped. The kidnappers demand that he completes a series of different missions to get her back, including one crucial direction not to hang up the phone.
No Equal Entertainment was founded in 1998 and is owned and operated by J.B. Sugar. Based in Canada, No Equal develops, produces, and distributes feature films, television movies, television series, and mini-series for the domestic and international marketplace. No Equal has produced over 300 episodes for U.S. and International broadcasts. Most recently, No Equal made the comedy film Faith Heist: A Christmas Caper and Don’t Hang Up, a true crime thriller with Wendell Pierce and Lauren Holly. No Equal has also produced The Guardians, a feature-length investigative documentary for CBC’s documentary Channel and 33 episodes of Bitten, a one-hour drama for Bell Media’s Space channel, Syfy, and Netflix. Past television productions include JPOD, based on the novel by Douglas Coupland (CBC), The Collector (Space and Chiller), Dead Man’s Gun (Showtime and MGM), First Wave (Space and Syfy), So Weird (Disney Channel), Romeo (Nickelodeon), Just Deal (NBC), Secret Central (Hasbro), and The Troop (Nickelodeon).
In addition to producing proprietary content, No Equal offers service production expertise to foreign studios, networks, and broadcasters, enabling them to leverage Canada’s talented crew, renowned locations, and attractive tax incentives. These characteristics also position No Equal as an international co-production partner of choice.
Watch the trailer for Don’t Hang Up go to
vimeo.com/67723543; for information on No Equal Entertainment, visit noequalent.com