• Faith: Christian - Catholic
• Career: Actor
• Birthday:  March 07, 1980

Lee Pace is an American actor known for his work in television, film and theater, including roles in “Pushing Daisies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “The Hobbit” film trilogy and the science-fiction series “Foundation.” A graduate of the Juilliard School, Pace has built a career that ranges from independent films and Broadway productions to major Hollywood franchises.

Lee Grinner Pace was born March 25, 1979, in Chickasha, Oklahoma. His mother, Charlotte, was a schoolteacher, while his father, James, worked as an engineer. Pace has two siblings, a brother and a sister. His father's work in the oil industry took the family overseas during Pace's childhood, and he spent several years living in Saudi Arabia before the family eventually settled in the Houston, Texas, area.

Pace attended Klein High School in Spring, Texas, where future actor Matt Bomer was also a student. His interest in acting developed early. He temporarily left high school to perform at Houston's Alley Theatre, appearing in productions including “The Spider's Web” and “The Greeks,” before returning to complete his education.

In 1997, Pace was accepted into the Drama Division at the Juilliard School in New York City. His class included future actors Anthony Mackie and Tracie Thoms. While studying at Juilliard, Pace performed in stage productions including “Romeo and Juliet,” “Richard II” and “Julius Caesar.” He graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

After Juilliard, Pace worked in theater before gaining wider recognition for the 2003 television film “Soldier's Girl,” in which he portrayed transgender performer Calpernia Addams. The performance earned Pace a Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor and a Golden Globe nomination.

Pace continued working in film and theater before landing one of his best-known television roles in 2007. He played pie-maker Ned in ABC's “Pushing Daisies,” earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He later starred as technology entrepreneur Joe MacMillan in AMC's “Halt and Catch Fire,” which ran from 2014 to 2017.

His film career has included roles in “The Fall,” “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” Pace gained an international audience playing Elven king Thranduil in Peter Jackson's “The Hobbit” trilogy. He also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ronan the Accuser in 2014's “Guardians of the Galaxy” and reprised the role in 2019's “Captain Marvel.” Beginning in 2021, Pace starred as Brother Day in the Apple TV+ science-fiction series “Foundation.”

Pace has maintained a significant stage career as well. He made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of “The Normal Heart” and later appeared as Joe Pitt in the 2018 Broadway revival of Tony Kushner's “Angels in America.”

In his personal life, Pace has generally kept his relationships private. His sexuality became the subject of public attention before he discussed it himself. In a 2018 interview with W magazine, Pace said he had dated both men and women. Later that year, he publicly discussed being a queer actor in an interview with The New York Times. Pace married Matthew Foley, an executive in the fashion industry, in 2021. The couple have divided their time between New York City and a farm in upstate New York.

Lee Pace's Religious Beliefs

Pace was raised Catholic and has not publicly indicated that he has left the Catholic faith or adopted another religion. Based on his Catholic upbringing and the absence of any public statement to the contrary, he is generally considered Catholic. However, Pace has spoken very little publicly about religion, and it is unclear how actively he practices his faith or what role Catholicism currently plays in his personal life.

Unlike some actors who frequently discuss their religious beliefs, Pace has largely kept his faith private. As a result, few details are available about his personal theology, church attendance or specific views on Catholic teachings. His Catholic background is documented, but his current level of religious observance is not publicly known.