Bierdz's ancestry is Polish on his father's side and Italian on his mother's side. He left
The Young and the Restless in July 1989 to pursue film roles. His youngest brother Troy, who had been living with him in Los Angeles, returned to Wisconsin. Shortly thereafter, in July 1989, Troy murdered their mother, Phyllis, with a baseball bat and is currently serving a sentence of 50 years without the possibility of parole in a Wisconsin prison. In May 2000, his brother Gregg died by suicide. He has one sister. In 2018, Bierdz appeared in and narrated an episode of
Evil Lives Here on the Investigation Discovery (ID) Network, based on his memoir
Forgiving Troy. In the show, he recounts his brother Troy's life and his strange behavior leading to his mother's murder. Bierdz is gay. After acting, Bierdz has devoted most of his life to painting. In 2005, he received the 2005
Out Magazine Best Emerging Artist of Los Angeles for painting pictures of cows. He is also the recipient of the Key to the Light Award from The Thalians. In September 2009, The Human Rights Campaign at a black tie gala themed "Speak Your Truth" presented Bierdz with its Visibility Award for his continued contributions to charity work for human rights through his visual art, acting and writing. == Works ==