Geoff Pierson

Geoffrey Michael "Geoff" Pierson (born June 16, 1949) is an American actor known for his role as Deputy Chief Tom Matthews on the Showtime series Dexter. Before that he starred in the TV comedies Unhappily Ever After (WB) as Jack Malloy and as Jimmy Kelly in Grace Under Fire (ABC Network). He is also known for his roles as President John Keeler on 24 (FOX) and as Frank Ryan on the ABC daytime serial Ryan's Hope. He has guest-starred in dozens of other TV shows. 2Life and career Pierson was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of seven children born to Roy, an entrepreneur (who founded Feralloy Corporation and, later, Pierson Steel), and Helen (née Maginess) Pierson, who wed on October 29, 1946 at St. Philip Neri Church in Chicago's South Shore. The family was Roman Catholic, and the siblings attended Catholic schools in Winnetka's Sacred Heart parish. After graduating from New Trier High School, Pierson went on to earn a B.A. at Fordham University and later an M.F.A from the Yale School of Drama. After Yale, he appeared with George C. Scott on Broadway in Tricks Of The Trade, before continuing on to do several New York soap operas and many regional theatre plays. Some notable theatrical roles include Angelo in Measure For Measure at the Yale Rep, Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Penn Ct