The Edge became an Australian heartthrob through such primetime serials as "Neighbours", which he joined in 1985 (alongside Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue, and his six-week stint in 1991 on "Home and Away". But, in the twist that often makes a career, it was as the bratty drag queen Adam/Felicia in "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (1994), that he won attention outside his native land. In that film, Pearce was the youngest of the three drag performers, a bundle of energy always pushing the edge of danger.

Pearce had begun acting in Australian theater when he was a child and has appeared in both plays and musicals, including a year-long tour in "Grease" (as Danny Zuko), "I Hate Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". His other TV work has included portraying Rob McGregor, the younger son of the founding clan in the period Western "Snowy River: The McGregor Saga" (shown in the USA on The Family Channel, 1993-95). On the big screen, Pearce debuted as a rock musician in "Heaven Tonight" (1988), was featured opposite John Savage in the psychological thriller "Hunting" (lensed in 1989; released in 1991). and honed his "brat" qualities as Tasmanian actor Errol Flynn in "Flynn" (lensed in 1989; released in 1994 in Australia). "Dating the Enemy" (1996) cast Pearce as an MTV-like host who switches bodies with his girlfriend. In 1997, director Curtis Hanson teamed him with Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey as California policemen in the superb neo-noir "L.A. Confidential". As the bespectacled Ed Exley, Pearce delivered a polished portrayal of a headstrong, politically astute cop; it was a far cry from the drag artiste of "Priscilla" and demonstrated the actor's range and versatility. He further honed his American accent as one of a group of soldiers pursued by a cannibal in the thriller "Ravenous" (1999). That same year, Pearce earned praise for his starring role (opposite Lili Taylor as a bearded brooding musician in "A Slipping Down Life". (Both films debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.)