Michael Joseph Pierce is an American actor, Producer, Writer and Award Winning Filmmaker. He is a second generation native San Diegan who has lived his entire life in Southern California. Recent credits include the Showtime pilot Coercion, based on Rebecca Benders' book "In Pursuit of Love" about her personal experiences with sex trafficking, directed by Susannah Grant. His recent films include playing the iconic General Mills in the upcoming comedy Unfrosted, co-starring Melissa McCarthy and Amy Schumer, and directed by Jerry Seinfeld; Dognapped - Hound for the Holidays directed by Fred Olen Ray; A Lions Game, directed by Travis Brown and Road to Terzetto directed by Brian Shakti. Michael's streaming debut was a major role on Amazon Prime's Confessions-the Series; followed by the LGBTQ crime thriller Wicked Enigma where producers wrote a repeating role specifically for him. Michael is proudest of his ambitious pandemic project A Barman's Aperitif, which he wrote, acted in, produced and directed- now available online, with Season Two in pre-production. His local roots go deep - as a youth, he studied and worked with local legend Marie Hitchcock, for whom the Puppet Theater in Balboa Park was named; studied magic and performed shows locally. Taking classes in jazz dance, tap and disco dancing led to competing in the California State High School Dance Championships. At Santana High School, he studied theater, performed in school productions, and competed in speech and debate tournaments. Intense training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles followed. His television debut came on "General Hospital" in the 1980's as a club disco dancer, and his legit break in San Diego Repertory Theater's legendary production of Mother Courage with Whoopi Goldberg; and he continues to appear in local stage productions to this day. For over twenty-five years Michael also worked in a management capacity in the retail industry; holding Global Operations, Vice President, and Director positions; and worked for Rand McNally, No Fear and LEGO toy stores, among others.