Eric Pierpoint was born in Redlands, California, the middle of three children. His Mormon ancestors came west on the Oregon Trail in the mid 1800s and traveled the California and Mormon Trails to settle in the towns of Porterville and Logan near Salt Lake City. Many of the men became physicians, possibly a result of the rugged pioneer women who served as prairie doctors during the western migration.
His parents met in Utah and then made their home in the small town of Redlands, where his maternal grandmother was a university professor, grandfather a banker. His mother, Patricia, later moved the family to Washington D.C. in 1959. She remarried to CBS White House News Correspondent Robert Pierpoint, who adopted the three children and gave them his last name. A new baby sister was soon added to the family.
During his years in Washington that included a great passion for sports, Eric also had the opportunity of meeting Presidents and Senators, Congressmen and Ambassadors. He sometimes served as a typewriter caddy for his stepfather, often traveling on the Presidential Press plane with him on his never ending trips covering U. S. Presidents in faraway places.
Teenaged Eric, called a ringer by the other correspondents, often teamed up with his competitive father on the tennis court and they took on as many world leaders as they could.
Eric received his BA in Philosophy at the University of Redlands where he also discovered his passion for acting. Trading in his soccer shoes for Shakespeare, he returned to Washington D.C. to complete his MFA at The Catholic University of America.
He moved to New York City in 1980. There he continued to build success in theater and television before finding his way out to Los Angeles in 1984. He landed a starring role in the NBC series, HOT PURSUIT.
From that came a stint on such old nuggets as HILL STREET BLUES and FAME. He soon starred in the popular series ALIEN NATION. He also has guest starred and recurred in dozens of television series over the years.
His most popular big screen credits include LIAR LIAR, THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN, and HOLES.
A love of theater has brought him on stage in New York, Los Angeles, and regional theaters around the country.
In recent years he has developed a passion for writing and has just completed his first novel for middle readers; a rousing adventure of historical fiction along The Oregon Trail.
To do the research for his book, Eric went back to his roots. He piled Joey, his trusty dog and writing companion, into his car and hit the Oregon Trail.
Together they traced his family's history and the path of their rugged western migration.
As a writer , he also has several screenplays to his credit.
In addition to writing, Eric is an avid scuba diver and an accomplished potter. He was also a Big Brother in the Big Brothers' of Greater Los Angeles for many years.
