Geoff Pierson
Geoff Pierson is an American actor known for his starring television roles on Dexter, Unhappily Ever After, Grace Under Fire, 24, Ryan's Hope, and Designated Survivor. He has guest-starred in dozens of other TV shows.
Geoff Pierson | |
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Born | Geoffrey Pierson |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1980–present |
Career
Pierson appeared with George C. Scott on Broadway in Tricks Of The Trade, before continuing on to do several New York soap operas and many regional theatre plays. Some notable theatrical roles include Angelo in Measure For Measure at the Yale Rep, Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Penn Ctr. Stage, Bobby in Speed The Plough at the Philadelphia Theatre Company, and Ricky in Glengarry Glen Ross and Teach in American Buffalo at the Virginia Stage Company.[1] His most prominent daytime role was as Frank Ryan on Ryan's Hope, a role he played from February 1983 through September 1985.
Pierson's first high-profile prime-time television role was as Jack Malloy, the head of a dysfunctional family, in the WB sitcom Unhappily Ever After, which was created by Ron Leavitt, one of the creators of FOX's Married... with Children. Other TV roles include a leading role as R.T. Howard on That 80's Show, and recurring roles on Grace Under Fire, In Plain Sight (USA) and The Firm (NBC). He also had a recurring role as Rodney's long lost dad on the ABC comedy Rodney.
In 2005 and 2006 he appeared in two episodes of Veronica Mars as Stewart Manning, the father of Meg Manning.[2] In 2006, he guest-starred in Criminal Minds, playing Max Ryan, a former FBI agent-turned-author and Jason Gideon's mentor who comes out of his retirement to capture a serial killer known as the Keystone Killer in the episode, "Unfinished Business". From 2006 to 2013, he portrayed Miami-Dade Police Captain Tom Matthews on the Showtime series Dexter.
He appeared in the 2008 Clint Eastwood-directed film Changeling as the flamboyant defense attorney Sammy "S.S." Hahn. In 2011 he portrayed Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer in Eastwood's J. Edgar.[3] He appeared in Touched by an Angel, Season 9, Episode 16.
Beginning in 2010, he had a recurring role in Boardwalk Empire as Senator Walter Edge. In 2011, Pierson played Midas Mulligan in Atlas Shrugged, based on Ayn Rand's novel of the same name. He played Russell Dunbar's wealthy father in Rules of Engagement and he had a recurring role as the mysterious Mr. Smith on Castle. In 2014 he appeared in an episode of Suburgatory.[4] In 2015 he co-starred as Defense Secretary Pierce Grey on HBO's The Brink. Currently, he stars in the former ABC and now, Netflix political thriller Designated Survivor, where he portrays Former President of United States and Secretary of State Cornelius Moss alongside Kiefer Sutherland.[5]
Filmography
Film | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1995 | Two Bits | Dr. Wilson | |
1997 | Leave It to Beaver | Coach Gordon | |
1998 | The Right Way | Michael Peretti | |
2001 | Behind Enemy Lines | Admiral Donnelly | |
2004 | Spartan | Pearce | |
2006 | Stay | Dad | |
2007 | D-War | Secretary of Defense | |
2007 | Already Dead | Pierce | |
2008 | A Line in the Sand | The Mayor | |
2008 | Changeling | S.S. Hahn | |
2008 | Get Smart | Vice President | |
2009 | World's Greatest Dad | Principal Anderson | |
2011 | Atlas Shrugged: Part I | Michael 'Midas' Mulligan | |
2011 | Something Borrowed | Dexter Thaler Sr. | |
2011 | God Bless America | Frank's Boss | |
2011 | J. Edgar | Mitchell Palmer | |
2011 | Jack and Jill | Carter Simmons | |
2014 | Revenge of the Green Dragons | FBI Director Sam Higgins | |
2014 | You're Not You | Kate's Father | |
2016 | Rules Don't Apply | Merrill Lynch Executive | |
2020 | The Wrong Missy | Jack Winstone |
References
- "Obituary for Helen Pierson - SKOKIE, IL".
- Li, Shirley (2014-09-17). "A Definitive Ranking of Every Notable Guest Star On 'Veronica Mars'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
- Foundas, Scott (December 19, 2007). "Clint Eastwood: The Set Whisperer - Shooting quietly on the Changeling set". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
- Geoff Pierson on IMDb
- Petski, Denise (February 17, 2017). "'Zoo' Casts Sophina Brown; 'Designated Survivor' Adds Geoff Pierson". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 29, 2019.