After his graduation, Pierce moved to New York City, where during the 1980s and early 1990s he was employed in various jobs, such as selling ties at Bloomingdale's and working as a security guard, while pursuing an acting career and studying at Michael Howard Studios.
In part due to his close physical resemblance to Kelsey Grammer,[REF] the producers of the Cheers spin-off Frasier created the role of Niles Crane (Frasier Crane's younger brother) for him [REF].