Eric Pierpoint

The son of former CBS news correspondent Robert Pierpoint, Eric Pierpoint has been a fixture on science fiction television shows since the late 1980s, including multiple "Star Trek" spin-offs, "Sliders," and, most notably, the series "Alien Nation" and its television movies. Pierpoint first began acting as a senior at the University of Redlands, pursuing his passion with a number of television appearances during the 1980s. These included recurring roles on the police drama "Hill Street Blues" and the high school musical series "Fame." Pierpoint got his first experience with science fiction in 1989, when he began playing the alien Detective George Francisco on Fox's "Alien Nation." Though the show only ran one season, fan and critical support led to a series of television movies throughout the 1990s, in which Pierpoint also starred.

In between "Alien Nation" movies, Pierpoint also became one of the few actors to appear in every "Star Trek" spin-off, starting with a 1993 appearance on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and continuing through a recurring role on "Star Trek: Enterprise" in the early 2000s. The actor balanced his television work with a number of feature films, including small parts in "Steel," "Liar Liar," and "Holes." Through the 2000s, Pierpoint continued to make brief appearances in a number of popular television shows and movies.