Pedro Pascal
Quick facts for kids
Pedro Pascal
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Pascal at 2025 Cannes Film Festival
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José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal
April 2, 1975 Santiago, Chile
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| Other names | Pedro Balmaceda Alexander Pascal |
| Education | New York University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1996–present |
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José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal, known to many as Pedro Pascal, is a popular actor from Chile and the United States. He became widely known for his role as Oberyn Martell in the fantasy series Game of Thrones in 2014. He gained even more fame playing Javier Peña in the crime series Narcos from 2015 to 2017. Pedro Pascal has also appeared in movies like The Great Wall (2016), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), and The Equalizer 2 (2018).
More recently, his leading roles as Din Djarin in the science fiction series The Mandalorian (2019–2023) and Joel Miller in the drama series The Last of Us (2023–present) made him a global star. He is often recognized for playing characters who act as caring father figures. For his role in The Last of Us, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated for other major awards. He also played parental characters in We Can Be Heroes (2020), Strange Way of Life (2023), and voiced a character in The Wild Robot (2024). Pedro Pascal also starred in the films Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) and Gladiator II (2024).
He has been active in theater since 1999 and made his Broadway debut in 2019.
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Early Life and Family
José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal was born on April 2, 1975, in Santiago, Chile. His mother, Verónica Pascal Ureta, was a child psychologist, and his father, José Balmaceda Riera, was a doctor.
Before Pedro was born, the government in Chile changed. The country became a military dictatorship. Pedro's parents were seen as opponents of this new government. When Pedro was nine months old, his family had to leave Chile for their safety. They found refuge in the Venezuelan embassy in Santiago for six months.
The family later received political asylum in Denmark before moving to the United States. Pedro grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and later moved to Orange County, California, when he was eleven. His parents returned to Chile in 1995.
Pedro studied acting at the Orange County School of the Arts and then at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Acting Career Highlights
Early Roles and Challenges (1999–2013)
Pedro Pascal started his acting career with appearances in several TV series. These included popular shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NYPD Blue, The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie, and Homeland. During these early years, Pedro faced many challenges. He worked hard in small acting and theater roles. He also took jobs waiting tables to support himself. Despite the difficulties, he kept pursuing his dream of acting. A small payment from his role in Buffy once helped him continue his career during a tough time.
Pedro is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City. He has won awards for his theater performances. In 2005, he made his first movie appearance in Sisters. The director, Julia Solomonoff, found Pedro to have a "very special face" and a "kind of mystery" that was perfect for the role. He was also cast in a TV pilot for a Wonder Woman show in 2011, but the series was not made.
Breakthrough and Rising Stardom (2014–2018)
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In 2014, Pedro Pascal became widely recognized for his role as Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of HBO's popular series Game of Thrones. His performance as the passionate prince received great praise from critics and viewers. Many publications called Oberyn Martell one of the best characters in the show. Pedro was already a big fan of Game of Thrones before he joined the cast. For his work in the series, he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the show's cast.
In 2015, Pedro played a vampire named Max in the movie Bloodsucking Bastards. He also appeared in a music video for the singer Sia. Later that year, Pedro gained even more fame playing Javier Peña, a real-life agent, in the Netflix crime drama series Narcos. The show focused on catching criminals and solving big cases. Pedro was both a lead actor and the narrator for the series.
In 2016, he starred alongside Matt Damon in the fantasy action film The Great Wall. In this movie, Pedro played a mercenary named Pero Tovar. The story is set in China and involves European mercenaries helping to fight ancient creatures. Pedro admired the film's director, Zhang Yimou, since he was young.
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In 2017, Pedro Pascal played Agent Whiskey, a skilled operative, in the movie Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Critics described his character as a "cool cowboy" who enjoyed action. In 2018, he starred as Dave York in the thriller sequel The Equalizer 2, opposite Denzel Washington. He also played Ezra, a tough but caring prospector, in the film Prospect. This role was noted for showing a gruff character whose heart softens when he meets a child, a theme that would appear in his later famous roles. Pedro also had a small role in the 2018 film If Beale Street Could Talk.
Global Recognition and Iconic Roles (2019–Present)
In February 2019, Pedro Pascal made his Broadway debut in a play called King Lear. He played Edmund, a clever character. Later in 2019, Pedro began playing the title role in The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars TV series on Disney+. The show follows a lone bounty hunter in space. This role brought Pedro much wider recognition and helped establish his reputation for playing father figures. In the same year, he played Francisco "Catfish" Morales, a helicopter pilot, in the Netflix heist drama Triple Frontier.
In 2020, he played Maxwell Lord in the DC Extended Universe film Wonder Woman 1984. He also played Marcus Moreno in the film We Can Be Heroes, where he portrayed a loving and caring father.
In 2022, Pedro Pascal co-starred with Nicolas Cage in the action-comedy film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. His performance in this movie was highly praised. He also appeared in The Bubble, a comedy about celebrity culture during the pandemic.
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In 2023, Pedro Pascal starred in HBO's highly anticipated TV series The Last of Us. This show is based on a popular video game. He played Joel Miller, a tough survivor in a world after a big disaster. Joel is tasked with protecting a young girl named Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey. Critics praised Pedro's performance, noting his ability to show deep emotions. His portrayal of a protective father figure in this role, similar to his character in The Mandalorian, earned him international recognition. This led to a huge increase in his popularity. In February 2023, he hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live. In April, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In May, he co-starred in the short film Strange Way of Life with Ethan Hawke. In July, Pedro made history by becoming the first Latino actor to receive three nominations in the same year for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards. These nominations included Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us, Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Saturday Night Live, and Best Narrator for Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World.
In January 2024, he starred in Freaky Tales. In June 2024, he voiced Fink, a fox who acts as a parent to a goose, in the animated film The Wild Robot. He also starred in Gladiator II, the sequel to the movie Gladiator.
In 2025, Pedro Pascal acted in Materialists and Eddington. He also played Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He is also set to reprise this role in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
Personal Life
He became close friends with actress Sarah Paulson when he moved to New York City in 1993. Pedro is also good friends with Oscar Isaac. They met while acting in a play in 2005 and later appeared together in the 2019 film Triple Frontier. While filming The Last of Us, he became close friends with Bella Ramsey, calling them "linked souls."
Awards and Achievements
Pedro Pascal began his career in 1996. Some of his most highly rated film and television projects, according to the review site Rotten Tomatoes, include: The Uninvited (2024), The Last of Us (2023–present), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Calls (2021), The Good Wife (2009–2011), The Mandalorian (2019–2023), Prospect (2018), Narcos (2015–2017), Game of Thrones (2014), and Graceland (2013–2014).
He has received many awards and nominations throughout his career. Some of his notable wins include:
- Astra Creative Arts TV Award for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Saturday Night Live (2023)
- Astra TV Award for Best Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series—Drama for The Last of Us (2023)
- Fargo Film Festival Award for Best Actor for Prospect (2019)
- Imagen Foundation Awards for Best Actor—Drama for The Last of Us (2023)
- MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Duo (with Bella Ramsey) and Best Hero for The Last of Us (2023)
- People's Choice Awards for The Male TV Star of The Year for The Last of Us (2024)
- Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us (2024)
Interesting facts about Pedro Pascal
- Pedro Pascal speaks both English and Spanish fluently.
- His family has connections to important families in Chile, including the Allende family and Balmaceda family.
- Pedro has an elder sister Javiera Balmaceda, a producer at Amazon MGM Studios, a younger brother Nicolás and a younger sister Lux, an actress.
- Through his parents Pascal is related to the aristocratic Allende and Balmaceda family.
- After his mother passed away, he started using her last name, Pascal, professionally. He felt it was a way to honor her and also easier for people in America to pronounce than Balmaceda.
- Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Pedro Pascal para niños
