(Logo kindly borrowed)
Pearce Services, a Telecom & Renewable Energy Co. Paso Robles, CA
by
Larry Pearce
2/11/24
The content of this Pearce piece began late last year when my surname began to pop up in the books and movies my wife and I were reading and watching. I started to research the authors, characters, and actors, when the task became too much. I couldn’t possibly post all that I discovered. There were so many; some who were there all along but were unnoticed, even to my friends and family. Then a logical idea emerged.
All this seemed like a logical follow-up to the three-part “Upon this Rock” series, which was begun over two decades ago. I had started the whole collection by researching the name “Pearce,” literally “son of Saint Peter,” whom Christ called “The Rock.” Part II then explores the heraldry of our family from Great Britain. I ended that series about a decade ago by mentioning some famous Pearces from various endeavors of the past 500 years.
What follows, then, in no exact order, are persons with the Pearce name of recent times from stage, which includes London and Broadway, screen, which includes film and television, and some other callings. These accomplished individuals are all different ages, education, spellings, and even race. The reader can easily explore further by Googling the names and situations. I’m sure that more discoveries will be made – new names and future accomplishments of the old. Do check back often, and by all means, make suggestions in the comment section below:
LITERATURE: Books, Plays, and Journalism
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) first introduced us to Mrs. Pearce in his play, Pygmalion.
Lerner & Loewe turned Pygmalion into the musical My Fair Lady for Broadway and film.
AJ Pearce (b.1964) writes about the effects of World War II in London.
Joseph Pearce (b.1961) has become famous for his theological work.
Lawana Blackwell (b.1952) has the Pearce family as the main characters in her romance novels.
Nicholas Pearce is a pastor, teacher, and author at the Kellogg School, Northwestern U.
Edward Pearce (1939-2018) was a well-known journalist in Great Britain.
Mark Guy Pearse (1842-1930), a Wesleyan preacher, lecturer, and author from Cornwall became a household name in Britain and beyond.
DRAMA: Stage, Screen, and Broadcasting
Eric Pearce (1905-1997) was an English-born broadcaster famous in Australia.
Guy Pearce (1967) is an Australian star of modern action films.
Al Pearce (1898-1961) was a world famous star of radio and TV. He also wrote books.
Ashley Pearce is an illustrator and director best known currently for Downton Abbey.
Alice Pearce (1917-1966) was first brought to Hollywood to star in On the Town.
Carly Pearce (1990) is a beautiful singer of Country music.
Debra Pearce first appeared on The Partridge Family as a very young drummer.
Ashlyn Pearce (b.1994) is a model and actress seen on The Bold and Beautiful.
Wendell Pierce (b.1963) is a actor on stage and screen, having trained at Julliard.
NOTE: I haven’t included famous persons using variations of our surname as a first name:
Pierce Brosnan (b.1953), Piers Morgan (b.1965), and so on. What can you come up with?
RETURN TO PART I (Origins of our name)
RETURN TO PART II (Heraldry)
RETURN TO PART III (500 years of famous Pearces)
Last revised 3/4/24