Derrick Pierce (born March 1, 1974) is an American pornographic actor, director, radio personality, and personal trainer. Pierce has received several adult industry awards, including the 2009 NightMoves Award for Best Male Performer and the 2016 XRCO Award for Best Actor. Pierce was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is of French and Italian descent.[1] He was raised by a single mother whom he credits as being an extremely strong influence in his life and the primary reason for his intense appreciation of women. His mother was also in the entertainment world,[6] as were her girlfriends, and he has indicated that being brought up in a predominantly female atmosphere surrounded by beautiful women led to his attraction to and affinity for women. He began his career in pornographic adult films in approximately 2005. As a child, he moved to Southern California with his mother and grew up in the Sylmar area of the San Fernando Valley. Pierce was a certified personal trainer and martial arts instructor for sixteen years before working in porn. Pierce's first scene was with Vanessa Lane in Gothsend. He chose the last name "Pierce" for his stage name because he had nipple and tongue piercings at the time. The first name "Derrick" was suggested by an ex-girlfriend of his.Prior to his entry into the adult industry, he worked as a martial arts instructor in Southern California.