# Eric Pierpoint
**Eric Pierpoint** (born 1950 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor and writer best known for playing the alien Detective George Francisco on the Fox series *Alien Nation* (1989) and its subsequent television movies, and for guest roles across the modern *Star Trek* series.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eric_pierpoint) He is also the author of the children's historical novel *The Last Ride of Caleb O'Toole*, which won the 2013 Reading the West Book Award.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950, Los Angeles, California[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) |
| Signature role | Detective George Francisco on *Alien Nation* (1989–1990, 22 episodes) and five television movies through 1997[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eric_pierpoint) |
| Star Trek | Five characters on four series: Voval (*Next Generation*), Captain Sanders (*Deep Space Nine*), Kortar (*Voyager*), and Shiraht and the recurring Section 31 operative Harris (*Enterprise*)[3](https://www.startrek.com/news/exclusive-interview-frequent-trek-guest-eric-pierpoint) |
| Family | Son of CBS White House correspondent Robert Pierpoint; his mother Patricia married Pierpoint when Eric was 8[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) • [4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1990/02/11/eric-pierpoints-alien-paternity/6a87b4bd-7726-406d-b2e8-1bc7060d7886/) |
| Education | Walt Whitman High School (1969); B.A., University of Redlands (1973); MFA, The Catholic University of America[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) |
| Writing | *The Last Ride of Caleb O'Toole*, 2013 Reading the West Book Award[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) |
| Recent work | Chief Bowman on *9-1-1: Lone Star* (2022–2025) and Jason Davis in the 2024 Lifetime movie *The Bad Guardian*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) |
## Early life and training
Pierpoint was born in California and grew up in Washington, D.C., and [Bethesda, Maryland](https://www.edgepedia.org/bethesda-maryland), attending the Landon School and Walt Whitman High School, where he excelled at soccer and tennis.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1984/10/27/eric-pierpointworking-in-movies-and-tv-and-beating-the-odds/45cb70cd-b083-4baa-95f6-64a9e91bfcf9/) By the end of his college days at the University of Redlands he concluded that an athletic career was not in his future and "shifted to theater as a means of expression," first beginning to act as a senior there.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1984/10/27/eric-pierpointworking-in-movies-and-tv-and-beating-the-odds/45cb70cd-b083-4baa-95f6-64a9e91bfcf9/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eric_pierpoint)
His father, the veteran CBS White House correspondent Robert Pierpoint, offered no encouragement when Eric announced his ambition. "He said it was a ridiculous business and the chances of making it are extraordinarily slim," Eric recalled.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1984/10/27/eric-pierpointworking-in-movies-and-tv-and-beating-the-odds/45cb70cd-b083-4baa-95f6-64a9e91bfcf9/) Back in Washington, Pierpoint worked as an evening tour guide at the [Lincoln Memorial](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-memorial) and taught drama, dance, and pottery to children at a Glen Echo Park workshop before enrolling in the graduate acting program at Catholic University, attending classes by day and washing dishes or managing a bar at night.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1984/10/27/eric-pierpointworking-in-movies-and-tv-and-beating-the-odds/45cb70cd-b083-4baa-95f6-64a9e91bfcf9/) He spent a year touring with the school's National Players, taking classical theater to towns around the country, a year he later called the biggest influence on his career.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1984/10/27/eric-pierpointworking-in-movies-and-tv-and-beating-the-odds/45cb70cd-b083-4baa-95f6-64a9e91bfcf9/) • [6](https://archive.cantonpl.org/observer/1990/10_Oct%201990/10-01-1990.pdf) After moving to New York in 1979, he logged hundreds of auditions before landing a bank commercial and a lead in the off-Broadway play *Dangerous Corner*.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1984/10/27/eric-pierpointworking-in-movies-and-tv-and-beating-the-odds/45cb70cd-b083-4baa-95f6-64a9e91bfcf9/)
## Alien Nation
In 1989, producer Kenneth Johnson cast Pierpoint as Detective George Francisco, one of the Tenctonese "Newcomers" in the Fox series *Alien Nation*, playing opposite [Gary Graham](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-graham).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eric_pierpoint) Though the series ran only one season, fan and critical support produced five television movies through 1997, all with Pierpoint as George Francisco.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eric_pierpoint)
The role produced a television first. In a two-part 1990 episode, George takes over his pregnant wife's pregnancy, and the *Los Angeles Times* reported that his character became the first male in the history of television to give birth.[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-02-07-ca-403-story.html) Pierpoint described the physical comedy of the alien birth, arching his back and waving his legs during the contractions, and later called George Francisco his all-time favorite character, saying the prosthetic makeup was liberating rather than limiting because it dispensed with an actor's vanity.[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-02-07-ca-403-story.html) • [8](https://littlereview.com/getcritical/interviews/pierpont.htm)
## Star Trek and genre television
Science fiction became a signature of his career. Between 1993 and 2005 he appeared on all four modern *Star Trek* series: Voval in the *Next Generation* episode "Liaisons," Captain Sanders in *Deep Space Nine*'s "For the Uniform," Kortar, the Klingon ferryman of the dead, in *Voyager*'s "Barge of the Dead," and, on *Enterprise*, Shiraht in "Rogue Planet" and a recurring four-episode turn as the Section 31 operative Harris.[3](https://www.startrek.com/news/exclusive-interview-frequent-trek-guest-eric-pierpoint) He has said he auditioned for series-regular roles, including captains, on each new Trek show without success, and that being on one science fiction series acted as a calling card for others, leading to parts on *Sliders*, *Babylon 5*, and *Time Trax*, often in prosthetic makeup.[3](https://www.startrek.com/news/exclusive-interview-frequent-trek-guest-eric-pierpoint) • [8](https://littlereview.com/getcritical/interviews/pierpont.htm)
## Screen and stage career
His first on-screen appearance was the 1984 film *Windy City*, and in the same year he starred in the NBC action series *Hot Pursuit* and had a recurring role on *Hill Street Blues*; he had earlier been a series regular on *Fame* as Paul Seeger.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1984/10/27/eric-pierpointworking-in-movies-and-tv-and-beating-the-odds/45cb70cd-b083-4baa-95f6-64a9e91bfcf9/) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/person/eric-pierpoint/) Feature credits include *Liar Liar* (1997), *Holes* (2003), *[The World's Fastest Indian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-worlds-fastest-indian)* (2005), and *Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen* (2009).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) On television he later recurred on *Parks and Recreation* as Chief Hugh Trumple, *Big Love*, *Hart of Dixie* as Harold Tucker (2011–2015), and played Chief Bowman on *9-1-1: Lone Star* from 2022 to 2025.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/)
Classical stage work has run throughout his career, including *Macbeth*, *A Streetcar Named Desire*, *A Man for All Seasons*, *Richard III*, and *The Lion in Winter*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) • [10](https://ericpierpoint.com/actor)
## Writing and other work
Pierpoint writes historical fiction for young readers. His novel *The Last Ride of Caleb O'Toole* won the 2013 Reading the West Book Award, and he toured schools in many states presenting it.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/) • [11](https://kidsneedtoread.org/reading-writing-and-risk-a-discussion-with-actorauthor-eric-pierpoint/) In 2014 he teamed with the nonprofit Kids Need to Read to create the Eric Pierpoint Book Express, an ongoing fundraiser bringing new books to underserved children.[11](https://kidsneedtoread.org/reading-writing-and-risk-a-discussion-with-actorauthor-eric-pierpoint/) He has also given his time as a Big Brother in Los Angeles and leads weekend acting workshops.[12](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/eric-pierpoint/bio/3030058753/) • [8](https://littlereview.com/getcritical/interviews/pierpont.htm)
## References
1. [Eric Pierpoint, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682597/)
2. [Eric Pierpoint, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eric_pierpoint)
3. [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Frequent Trek Guest Eric Pierpoint, StarTrek.com (2013)](https://www.startrek.com/news/exclusive-interview-frequent-trek-guest-eric-pierpoint)
4. [Eric Pierpoint's "Alien" Paternity, The Washington Post (1990)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1990/02/11/eric-pierpoints-alien-paternity/6a87b4bd-7726-406d-b2e8-1bc7060d7886/)
5. [ERIC PIERPOINT/Working in Movies and TV, and Beating the Odds, The Washington Post (1984)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1984/10/27/eric-pierpointworking-in-movies-and-tv-and-beating-the-odds/45cb70cd-b083-4baa-95f6-64a9e91bfcf9/)
6. [Crossword Puzzle column, Canton Public Library archive (1990)](https://archive.cantonpl.org/observer/1990/10_Oct%201990/10-01-1990.pdf)
7. [Male Actor Enters Alien World of Childbirth, Los Angeles Times (1990)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-02-07-ca-403-story.html)
8. [Eric Pierpoint: Voyager from Alien Nation, The Little Review interview](https://littlereview.com/getcritical/interviews/pierpont.htm)
9. [Eric Pierpoint, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/eric-pierpoint/)
10. [Eric Pierpoint, Actor, official site](https://ericpierpoint.com/actor)
11. [Reading, Writing, and Risking: A Discussion with Actor/Author Eric Pierpoint, Kids Need to Read (2015)](https://kidsneedtoread.org/reading-writing-and-risk-a-discussion-with-actorauthor-eric-pierpoint/)
12. [Eric Pierpoint Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/eric-pierpoint/bio/3030058753/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Pe to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license