Lee was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, to Charlotte (Kloeckler), a schoolteacher, and James Roy Pace, an engineer. He is of German, as well as English, Scottish, and Welsh, descent. Lee spent his early years living in the Middle East. His family eventually moved back to the States, first to New Orleans and later, Houston, Texas.
Lee attended high school in Houston, where he first began acting. He got so involved with his craft that he actually dropped out of high school to perform at the local Alley Theatre. Once he completed his final high school courses, Lee was accepted to The Juilliard School's Drama Division in 1997.
During his time at Juilliard, Lee honed his acting skills in such classic roles as Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet", the title role in "King Richard II" and Cassius in "Julius Caesar", among others.
After graduating with a BFA from Juilliard, Lee starred in the critically-acclaimed Off-Broadway play, "The Credeaux Canvas", as well as being part of the Vineyard production of "The Fourth Sister".
In the spring of 2004, Lee starred a limited engagement of the Off-Broadway production "Small Tragedy", and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Awards in the category of Outstanding Actor.
On the small screen, he was recently seen displaying a delightful comedic side on the brilliant, though sadly short-lived, FOX series Wonderfalls (2004). - IMDb Mini Biography By: slodwick
Trade Mark
Bushy Eyebrows
Shy and nervous yet charming demeanor
Trivia
Graduated from Klein High School outside of Houston, Texas. Other KHS alumni include singer Lyle Lovett, actresses Sherry Stringfield and Lynn Collins, actor Matt Bomer writerTom Vaughan and Olympic Gold Medalist Laura Wilkinson.
Was ranked #14 on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' the actors list. (2008).
Has a Pointer dog, named Carl.
Spent the better part of his childhood living on an American compound in Saudi Arabia with his family.
Lost 25 pounds for his role in Soldier's Girl (2003).
Loves to travel.
His oilman dad moved the family 10 times, including to the Middle East, Texas and Louisiana.
Became good friends with actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, after working on the filmPosesión (2008).
Raised in the Houston suburb of Spring, TX where the parents of his Criando malvas(2007) co-star, Kristin Chenoweth, now reside.
Good friends with Matt Bomer. Both have circled parts in 'The Normal Heart' written by 'Larry Kramer'. Pace was directed by Joel Grey in his debut on Broadway on 2011, while Bomer was directed by Ryan Murphy in The Normal Heart (2014). However, they did not portray the same character.
Portrays a paraplegic in The Fall. El sueño de Alexandria (2006), but director Tarsem Singh decided to keep almost the entire cast and crew under the impression that Pace also suffered from it in real life. A makeup artist walked into a room to find Pace standing and almost passed out from shock.
He is two years younger than Orlando Bloom, despite playing the father, King Thranduil, to Bloom's character Legolas in El Hobbit: La desolación de Smaug (2013).
Did his own singing alongside Amy Adams in Un gran día para ellas (2008).
Amy Adams admittedly thought "he just looked so dashing" on the set of Un gran día para ellas (2008), that it made the director ask Lee to leave the set, because he distracted Amy too much.
In December 2012, he auditioned for the role of Star-Lord in Guardianes de la galaxia(2014). However, in April 2013, four months after his initial audition, he was cast as the antagonist in the film, Ronan the Acuser.
Was considered for the part of Will Graham in Hannibal (2013). He also turned down a guest appearance in the first season, due to his commitments with a Broadway play.
Missed the world premiere of both Lincoln (2012) and La saga Crepúsculo: Amanecer - Parte 2 (2012) as he was busy with the Broadway-play "The Golden Age". The following year he missed out on the world premiere of El Hobbit: La desolación de Smaug (2013), since he was busy filming additional episodes for Halt and Catch Fire (2014) in Atlanta.
Wears blue contact lenses for his part as Thranduil in El Hobbit: La desolación de Smaug(2013).
On Friday December 14th 2012, he maintained a personal box office record, when three films he starred in - El Hobbit: Un viaje inesperado (2012), La saga Crepúsculo: Amanecer - Parte 2 (2012) and Lincoln (2012) - were all placed in the Top 5 of highest grossing movies at the domestic box office of the day. For the weekend, the Twilight film ranked as number six, but he was still the only actor to have three movies in the box office top five at the same time in 2012.
His father has English, Scottish, German, and Welsh ancestry, and his mother has German ancestry.
Ranked #32 on Empire Magazine's "100 Sexiest Movie Stars" (2013).
San Diego, CA, USA: Attending San Diego Comic Con to promote the first footage fromGuardianes de la galaxia (2014). [July 2013]
Shepperton, Surrey, England: Filming Guardianes de la galaxia (2014). [July 2013]
New Zealand: Shooting additional footage for El Hobbit: La batalla de los cinco ejércitos(2014). [June 2013]
Hiram, Georgia, USA: Filming the pilot for Halt and Catch Fire (2014). [April 2013]
Park City, Utah, USA: At the Sundance Film Festival with the premiere of his first featureSoldier's Girl (2003). [January 2003]
Steven Spielberg decided to cast him as Fernando Wood in Lincoln (2012) after seeing his performance in Ceremony (2010). However, Spielberg seemingly did not take issue with the age difference between Pace and Wood. In real life, Wood was 53 years old when the story of the film took place. Pace was 33 when he portrayed him.
David Tennant and Doug Jones were both considered for the part of King Thranduil in El Hobbit: Un viaje inesperado (2012), before Pace was given the part. Director Peter Jackson saw Pace's performance in The Fall. El sueño de Alexandria (2006) which subsequently made Pace the front-runner for the part.
According to Steven Spielberg, Pace's opening monologue in Lincoln (2012) was rewritten shortly before the scene was shot. Pace had to remember the monologue in four minutes before the cameras began rolling.
Upon wrapping El Hobbit: La batalla de los cinco ejércitos (2014), he kept his prosthetic elf ears and his character's elven-sword. The ears are kept in a book, while he keeps the sword in his umbrella stand.
Skydiving is an active hobby of his.
During high school, he attended the senior prom every year and was accompanied by a different girl each time.
Close friends with Evangeline Lilly. They were roommates during the shooting of El Hobbit: La desolación de Smaug (2013) and El Hobbit: La batalla de los cinco ejércitos(2014).
His father is a Vietnam veteran.
He moved with his family to Saudi Arabia when he was two years old and lived there for six years.
One of only three actors to appear in five films in a row that all grossed $100 million the US box office. The other two are Will Smith and Robert Downey Jr..
On set, he often encourages his co-stars to have a dance-off between takes. He succeeded on the set of Guardianes de la galaxia (2014) as well as La saga Crepúsculo: Amanecer - Parte 2 (2012), and both times the dancing were filmed by the crew and went on to feature on the DVD Extras.
Good friends with Maggie Grace and Mía Maestro.
Has portrayed two immortal characters, in "The Hobbit" series and La saga Crepúsculo: Amanecer - Parte 2 (2012), and his character in Criando malvas (2007) had the ability to bring people back from life.
When his parents visited him on the set of El Hobbit: La batalla de los cinco ejércitos(2014) they were hired by director Peter Jackson to play extras. However, they are not to be seen in the final film, and according to Pace, then it's because his father was "hamming it up" in his brief screen-time.
Sustained a shoulder injury while working on Guardianes de la galaxia (2014).
Owns a farm.
Although he played Orlando Bloom's father in El Hobbit: La desolación de Smaug (2013) and El Hobbit: La batalla de los cinco ejércitos (2014), he is more than two years his junior in real life.
He has appeared in three films with Christopher Lee: La víctima perfecta (2011), El Hobbit: Un viaje inesperado (2012) and El Hobbit: La batalla de los cinco ejércitos (2014).
Personal Quotes
(On Soldier's Girl (2003)) That was an extremely hard shoot and a really difficult part to play. And I just remember walking out of that one thinking, 'It's not always going to be easy, and that's okay.'
(On the difference between TV and film acting) The day is different. The way the day runs if totally different. With TV, you have so much to get done during the day that you don't really have a lot of time to feel your way through it. I know before I walk on the set exactly what I'm going to do. With film you can kind of find your way in it a little more, play with it some.
(On if he was ever a struggling actor) No, I was very fortunate. A month before graduation I got an off-Broadway job. Then I did some commercials, including one for MCI. You can only see half of me, but it paid well. Thank God for commercials.
(On Criando malvas (2007)) I've got three movies ready to come out and had no interest in a TV series. When they called my agent, he told them that, but then I read the script, and I knew it was going to be great. I was worried at first about the plot, but they pulled it off, all that psychic phenomenon stuff.
I tried surfing once in Brazil, but I'm kind of clumsy.
[on Lincoln (2012)] That was a real pinnacle of what I've done as an actor - to be on that set with Steven Spielberg and working with Tommy Lee Jones was just awesome. It was very different than theater. We didn't rehearse at all. We'd literally just come to the set and Steven was like, "OK, are you ready to shoot his?" I had this big, long speech my first day on the set, and there were hundreds of people in the room, and he was like, "Well, why don't we just shoot one take? I've got the camera back there." And I was just like, "Alright!"
Whenever I get recognized, it's from The Fall. El sueño de Alexandria (2006).
I just appreciate that Twilight really does bring a Community of people together.
Peter Jackson has the sort of imagination that no one else has.
[on gays in the military, in context of his film Soldier's Girl (2003)] I think that it's an issue of human rights, and the government is kind of turning a blind eye to the fact that people are being abused and murdered. And I think it's one of the few policies that you look at, and no one is happy with. The government policy is vague - don't ask, don't tell. It makes no sense to me.
I find that the best way into [acting successfully] is to open my heart up to it and allow it to be as truthful and honest as I can be, and I can make it. It's hard to do that; it's hard to open yourself up to something.
[on Lincoln (2012)] It was the job of a lifetime.
All I ever remember wanting to do, as a kid, was act - nothing else. In fact, about the only thing, other than acting, that I'd like to do is go live in the woods, build a log cabin at the top of a hill and try and hide away from the modern world. So, in many ways, [El Hobbit: La desolación de Smaug (2013)] ticked all the boxes: not only is it the ultimate acting challenge but it's also biggest adventure you could go on while making a film.
The thing that I judged myself the harshest for was a kids' movie that I did. I did Marmaduke (2010). At the time I gave myself a real hard time for it, but I'm so grateful... whenever kids come up to me, the parents are like, "We watched it everyday for a month." You don't get that on Soldier's Girl (2003). A little bit different. But... oh god please don't take this the wrong way, I have to be grateful for the work that I get. And I am grateful! What I was really kind of annoyed with myself about was I'd just finished Criando malvas (2007) and I was really sad that that was over. And I know that I wasn't responsible for it being over, but I was the lead of that show, and when it falls apart, you do feel a little bit of like, "Aww... I must've missed it. Maybe I'm responsible for why people didn't watch. Maybe if I was in tabloids more, people would be more interested." These are the kind of things that go through your head. And so I felt like I was lazily doing a cheap version of Ned. I was doing that "Like me!" dance that a lot of actors do. It's easy to get caught up in that. "Do you like me? Do you like me like this? What if I do that? What if I wear this?" At the time I was thinking, "I've got to take it because I might not be able to do this forever." You know? But you take it and you learn. I learned a lot on that movie. You always learn something if you pay attention.
