Lee Pace
Encyclopedia
Lee Grinner Pace is an American actor. Pace has been featured in film, stage and television. He is known best for his starring role as Ned
in the ABC
series Pushing Daisies
for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2008.
, where his father was in the oil business; the family later moved to Houston, Texas. Pace temporarily quit high school to act at Houston's Alley Theatre before returning to graduate. At the Alley, he appeared in productions of The Spider's Web and The Greeks.
Pace attended Klein High School
in the suburb of Spring
in Houston, Texas, with fellow actor Matthew Bomer.
In 1997, Pace was accepted by the Juilliard School
's drama division (Group 30). While there, he acted in several plays, including Romeo and Juliet
as Romeo
, Richard III
in the title role, and Julius Caesar
as Cassius
. He graduated with a BFA
and was a classmate of actors Anthony Mackie
and Tracie Thoms
.
plays, including The Credeaux Canvas and The Fourth Sister. He also starred in a production of Craig Lucas
's Small Tragedy, for which he was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award as Outstanding Actor. In 2006, Pace starred in the two-character play Guardians
by Peter Morris, which earned Pace his second nomination for a Lortel Award as Outstanding Actor.
19th April 2011 marked Pace's Broadway debut, when The Normal Heart
began its previews; it opened 27th April at the Golden Theatre. The show will run for a total of 96 performances, with its closing night scheduled for 10th July 2011. Pace is playing the character Bruce Niles in the show.
, based on fact, in which he played the central role of Calpernia Addams
, a transgender
woman dating Army
soldier Barry Winchell
, played by Troy Garity
. Winchell was murdered because of his sexuality and relationship with Addams.
Of the role, Pace said:
Pace won a Gotham Award
for Breakthrough Actor and was nominated for several other awards, including a Golden Globe, for his work in this film.
He starred in the film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
and in Tarsem Singh
's The Fall, both released in 2008. The Fall was very well received amongst critics and viewers alike and where Lee starred in one of his most artistic roles. His next film was the movie Possession with Sarah Michelle Gellar
.
Pace also played supporting roles in The White Countess
, Infamous
, When in Rome and The Good Shepherd
.
He has recently been cast as Garrett in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
. On April 30th 2011, it was announced that Pace would play the role of the Elven
king Thranduil
in Peter Jackson
's upcoming two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit", due for release in December 2012 and 2013 and currently in production in New Zealand
.
, which was co-created by Bryan Fuller
. Later, Fuller cast Pace in the lead role of Ned in the series Pushing Daisies
, which debuted on ABC in October 2007 and returned for its second, and final season, on October 1, 2008.
Pace has also appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
in season 3, episode 18 'Guilt'.
Pace was recently cast in the new HBO pilot The Miraculous Year.
Ned (Pushing Daisies)
Ned is the protagonist from the 2007-9 ABC television series Pushing Daisies. He is portrayed by Lee Pace.Ned works as a pie maker at his restaurant The Pie Hole. He also has the ability to resurrect the dead with a single touch...
in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations...
for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2008.
Early life
Pace was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, the son of Charlotte (née Kloeckler) and James Roy Pace. As a child, Pace spent several years in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, where his father was in the oil business; the family later moved to Houston, Texas. Pace temporarily quit high school to act at Houston's Alley Theatre before returning to graduate. At the Alley, he appeared in productions of The Spider's Web and The Greeks.
Pace attended Klein High School
Klein High School
Klein High School is a public high school located in Klein, Texas, approximately 30 miles from downtown Houston. It serves grades 9-12 in the Klein Independent School District.-History:...
in the suburb of Spring
Spring, Texas
Spring, Texas is a census-designated place within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston in Harris County, Texas, United States, north of Downtown Houston. The population was 54,298 at the 2010 census...
in Houston, Texas, with fellow actor Matthew Bomer.
In 1997, Pace was accepted by the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
's drama division (Group 30). While there, he acted in several plays, including Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
as Romeo
Romeo Montague
Romeo is one of the fictional protagonists in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is the son of old Montague and his wife, who secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet...
, Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
in the title role, and Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (play)
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
as Cassius
Gaius Cassius Longinus
Gaius Cassius Longinus was a Roman senator, a leading instigator of the plot to kill Julius Caesar, and the brother in-law of Marcus Junius Brutus.-Early life:...
. He graduated with a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
and was a classmate of actors Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
and Tracie Thoms
Tracie Thoms
Tracie Nicole Thoms is an American television, film, and stage actress. She is best known for her roles in Rent, Cold Case, The Devil Wears Prada, Death Proof, and the short-lived Fox television series Wonderfalls....
.
Theater
After graduation, Pace starred in several off-BroadwayOff-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
plays, including The Credeaux Canvas and The Fourth Sister. He also starred in a production of Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director.-Biography:...
's Small Tragedy, for which he was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award as Outstanding Actor. In 2006, Pace starred in the two-character play Guardians
Guardians (play)
Guardians is an Off-Broadway play written by Peter Morris. It debuted at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning the "Fringe First Award" and made its New York debut on April 11, 2006 at The Culture Project.-Synopsis:...
by Peter Morris, which earned Pace his second nomination for a Lortel Award as Outstanding Actor.
19th April 2011 marked Pace's Broadway debut, when The Normal Heart
The Normal Heart
The Normal Heart is a largely autobiographical play by Larry Kramer. It focuses on the rise of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay Jewish-American founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group...
began its previews; it opened 27th April at the Golden Theatre. The show will run for a total of 96 performances, with its closing night scheduled for 10th July 2011. Pace is playing the character Bruce Niles in the show.
Film
Pace first gained recognition for his role in the 2003 film Soldier's GirlSoldier's Girl
Soldier's Girl is a 2003 drama film produced by Showtime. It is based on a true story: the relationship between Barry Winchell and Calpernia Addams and the events that led up to Barry's murder by fellow soldiers. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Frank R...
, based on fact, in which he played the central role of Calpernia Addams
Calpernia Addams
Calpernia Sarah Addams is an American author, actress, musician, and a spokesperson and activist for transgender rights and issues.-Biography:...
, a transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
woman dating Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
soldier Barry Winchell
Barry Winchell
Barry Winchell was an infantry soldier in the United States Army, whose murder by a fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, became a point of reference in the ongoing debate about the law known as "Don't ask, don't tell", which required the US military to discharge service members based on sexual...
, played by Troy Garity
Troy Garity
Troy Garity is an American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Barry Winchell in the 2003 television movie Soldier's Girl, but may be best known for his role as Isaac Rosenberg in the Barbershop films.-Early life and...
. Winchell was murdered because of his sexuality and relationship with Addams.
Of the role, Pace said:
- "Not even my excellent training at Juilliard prepared me for my first movie role, where I played a transsexual who falls in love with a military guy in Soldier's Girl. Here I was, this 6'3" 190-pound lanky kid from Chickasha, Oklahoma, not knowing how to begin being a woman. So I saw documentaries about transsexuals, I lost twenty-five pounds, and I put on prosthetic boobs and hips to become that character. There were times I'd look in the mirror and wonder 'what am I doing to my life here? My dad is going to kill me!' But the reason I went into acting was to be able to play parts as complicated and important as this one. In playing a transsexual, I got the chance to help change people's perspective about other people and that is a powerful thing. I'm playing a swashbuckling bandit in my next film, but I'll always be proud of Soldier's Girl."
Pace won a Gotham Award
Gotham Awards
The Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City...
for Breakthrough Actor and was nominated for several other awards, including a Golden Globe, for his work in this film.
He starred in the film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a 2008 British/American romantic comedy film directed by Bharat Nalluri. The screenplay by David Magee and Simon Beaufoy is based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Winifred Watson.-Plot:...
and in Tarsem Singh
Tarsem Singh
Tarsem Dhandwar Singh , known professionally as Tarsem, is an Indian director who has worked on films, music videos, and commercials.- Life and career :...
's The Fall, both released in 2008. The Fall was very well received amongst critics and viewers alike and where Lee starred in one of his most artistic roles. His next film was the movie Possession with Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
.
Pace also played supporting roles in The White Countess
The White Countess
The White Countess is a 2005 British/American/Chinese drama film directed by James Ivory. The screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro focuses on a disparate group of displaced persons attempting to survive in Shanghai in the late 1930s.-Plot:...
, Infamous
Infamous (film)
Infamous is a 2006 American drama film, based on the 1997 book by George Plimpton, Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career....
, When in Rome and The Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd (film)
The Good Shepherd is a 2006 spy film directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, with an extensive supporting cast. Although it is a fictional film loosely based on real events, it is advertised as telling the untold story of the birth of counter-intelligence in the...
.
He has recently been cast as Garrett in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, commonly referred to as Breaking Dawn, is a 2011/2012 two-part romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The two parts form the fourth and final installment in the The Twilight Saga series...
. On April 30th 2011, it was announced that Pace would play the role of the Elven
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
king Thranduil
Thranduil
Thranduil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is a supporting character in The Hobbit, and is referenced briefly in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.-In literature:...
in Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's upcoming two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit", due for release in December 2012 and 2013 and currently in production in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Television
Pace played Aaron Tyler in the acclaimed but short-lived 2004 television series WonderfallsWonderfalls
Wonderfalls is a comedy-drama television series that was broadcast on the Fox television network in 2004.The show centres on Jaye Tyler , a recent Brown University graduate with a philosophy degree, who holds a dead-end job as a sales clerk at a Niagara Falls gift shop...
, which was co-created by Bryan Fuller
Bryan Fuller
Bryan Fuller is an American screenwriter and television producer.Fuller graduated from Clarkston High School in Clarkston, Washington in 1987...
. Later, Fuller cast Pace in the lead role of Ned in the series Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations...
, which debuted on ABC in October 2007 and returned for its second, and final season, on October 1, 2008.
Pace has also appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
in season 3, episode 18 'Guilt'.
Pace was recently cast in the new HBO pilot The Miraculous Year.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Soldier's Girl Soldier's Girl Soldier's Girl is a 2003 drama film produced by Showtime. It is based on a true story: the relationship between Barry Winchell and Calpernia Addams and the events that led up to Barry's murder by fellow soldiers. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Frank R... |
Calpernia Adams/Scottie Calpernia Addams Calpernia Sarah Addams is an American author, actress, musician, and a spokesperson and activist for transgender rights and issues.-Biography:... |
Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor Gotham Awards The Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City... Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Film Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film |
| 2005 | The White Countess The White Countess The White Countess is a 2005 British/American/Chinese drama film directed by James Ivory. The screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro focuses on a disparate group of displaced persons attempting to survive in Shanghai in the late 1930s.-Plot:... |
Crane | |
| 2006 | Infamous Infamous (film) Infamous is a 2006 American drama film, based on the 1997 book by George Plimpton, Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career.... |
Dick Hickock Richard Hickock Richard "Dick" Eugene Hickock was one of two ex-convicts who murdered the four members of the Herbert Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction novel In Cold Blood... |
|
| The Fall The Fall (2006 film) The Fall is a 2006 adventure fantasy film directed by Tarsem Singh, starring Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, and Justine Waddell. It is based on the screenplay of the 1981 Bulgarian film Yo Ho Ho by Valeri Petrov. The film earned $3.2 million worldwide. The film was released to theaters in 2008... |
Roy Walker / The Black Bandit | ||
| The Good Shepherd The Good Shepherd (film) The Good Shepherd is a 2006 spy film directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, with an extensive supporting cast. Although it is a fictional film loosely based on real events, it is advertised as telling the untold story of the birth of counter-intelligence in the... |
Richard Hayes | ||
| 2007 | Polarbearman | ||
| 2008 | Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a 2008 British/American romantic comedy film directed by Bharat Nalluri. The screenplay by David Magee and Simon Beaufoy is based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Winifred Watson.-Plot:... |
Michael Pardew | |
| 2009 | A Single Man A Single Man (film) A Single Man is a 2009 drama film based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. It is the first film directed by Tom Ford. The film stars Colin Firth, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of George Falconer, a depressed gay British university... |
Grant | |
| Possession Possession (2009 film) Possession is an American remake of the Korean film Addicted. It is a psychological thriller film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lee Pace.-Plot:... |
Roman | direct-to-video Direct-to-video Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television... |
|
| 2010 | When in Rome | Brady Sacks | |
| Marmaduke Marmaduke (film) Marmaduke is an American live action film adaptation of Brad Anderson's comic strip Marmaduke. The film centers on a rural Kansas family and their pets – a Great Dane named Marmaduke and a Balinese cat named Carlos – as the family relocates to California.-Plot:Marmaduke is a Great Dane living in... |
Phil Winslow | ||
| The Resident | Jack | direct-to-video Direct-to-video Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television... |
|
| Ceremony | Whit | limited release | |
| 2011 | 30 Beats | Matt Roberts | Post-Production |
| The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, commonly referred to as Breaking Dawn, is a 2011/2012 two-part romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The two parts form the fourth and final installment in the The Twilight Saga series... |
Garrett | filming | |
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Thranduil Thranduil Thranduil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is a supporting character in The Hobbit, and is referenced briefly in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.-In literature:... |
|
| Lincoln Lincoln (2012 film) Lincoln is an upcoming 2012 biographical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln.... |
Fernando Wood Fernando Wood Fernando Wood was an American politician of the Democratic Party and mayor of New York City; he also served as a United States Representative and as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means in both the 45th and 46th Congress .A successful shipping merchant who became Grand Sachem of the... |
||
| 2013 | The Hobbit: There And Back Again | Thranduil Thranduil Thranduil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is a supporting character in The Hobbit, and is referenced briefly in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.-In literature:... |
|
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Benjamin Tucker | Episode: "Guilt Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 3) This article contains a list of episodes for season 3 of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.In the aftermath of 9/11, the main title voiceover by Steven Zirnkilton was changed for the first few episodes to include the following dedication: "On September 11, 2001, New York City... " |
| 2004 | Wonderfalls Wonderfalls Wonderfalls is a comedy-drama television series that was broadcast on the Fox television network in 2004.The show centres on Jaye Tyler , a recent Brown University graduate with a philosophy degree, who holds a dead-end job as a sales clerk at a Niagara Falls gift shop... |
Aaron Tyler | 13 episodes |
| 2007 | Pushing Daisies Pushing Daisies Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations... |
Ned Ned (Pushing Daisies) Ned is the protagonist from the 2007-9 ABC television series Pushing Daisies. He is portrayed by Lee Pace.Ned works as a pie maker at his restaurant The Pie Hole. He also has the ability to resurrect the dead with a single touch... |
(2007–2009) 22 episodes Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (2008) Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy (2008) Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy (2007–2008) Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television The following are a list of Saturn Award nominees & winners for Best Actor on Television:*1996: Kyle Chandler - Early Edition**Avery Brooks - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine**Eric Close - Dark Skies**David Duchovny - The X-Files... |
External links
- Interview at Sci-fi-online.com