Pierce Rafferty, a renowned filmmaker, was born in 1952 and grew up in Connecticut. He relocated to New York City in 1982, where he would go on to make a significant impact in the film industry.
Rafferty's ancestry is steeped in history, with his grandfather Marvin Pierce serving as the president and later chairman of McCall Corporation, the publisher of popular women's magazines Redbook and McCall's. Additionally, he is a descendant of Thomas Pierce, an early New England colonist, and also an ancestor of Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States.
Pierce attended Phillips Academy Andover and briefly attended Yale University before pursuing his passion for filmmaking.
In 1984, Rafferty co-founded Petrified Films, Inc. with his former spouse, Margaret Crimmins. This pioneering independent stock film footage library held the Elmer Dyer Film Library, Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures' feature film outtakes, among other valuable collections.
For over a decade, Rafferty dedicated himself to organizing and cataloging vaults filled with film canisters across New York City. Located in the heart of Manhattan's Meatpacking District, Petrified licensed archival footage to film, television, and commercial producers before being acquired by The Image Bank. The Image Bank was later acquired by Getty Images.
Rafferty also collaborated with his brother Kevin Rafferty and Jayne Loader to create the cult classic film The Atomic Cafe (1982).
Today, Pierce Rafferty serves as the Director of the Henry L. Ferguson Museum on Fishers Island, New York.
