Pierce was born in
Palo Alto,
California. She has two sisters and one brother. Her great-grandmother was
Helen Bray, star of many
silent films during the early 20th century. Pierce attended
UCLA, and after graduating, landed roles on series such as
CSI: NY and recurring roles on the soap opera
Days of Our Lives. She has also appeared in
Desperate Housewives,
Criminal Minds,
CSI: Miami, and
Rules of Engagement, among others. She also had a small role on the 2007 blockbuster
Transformers. In 2009, she starred on the
Rules of Engagement episode "Jeff's New Friend" as Amanda, Russell's new girlfriend. Russell sees a photo of her mother, with whom he had a one-night stand. He does not know if Amanda is his daughter until he gets the results of the DNA test back. On March 2, 2010, Pierce made her debut as a recurring character on
CBS’s show
NCIS, playing the girlfriend (later fiancée and then wife) of series co-star
Brian Dietzen’s character
Jimmy Palmer. Her character, Breena, was referenced as having died of
COVID-19 during a season-18 episode (Episode 7), which aired February 9, 2021, leaving Jimmy to care for their daughter. Pierce also has a role in the 2013 horror film ''
The Monkey's Paw''. The film is based on the
W.W. Jacobs short story, and also stars
Stephen Lang,
C.J. Thomason,
Corbin Bleu, and
Charles S. Dutton. The film was released in theaters and
on demand on October 8, 2013. == References ==