Between his memorable feature in “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and recent revelation that he’s married to fashion executive Matthew Foley, Lee Pace is having a moment. “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is far from the first time he’s made an impression with viewers, though. Over the years, Pace has appeared in a wide array of projects, from Marvel films to Broadway plays. For example, Pace plays Kree villain Ronan the Accuser in 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” reprising the role five years later in “Captain Marvel” alongside some other familiar faces.
Pace is one of those actors who’s been steadily working for years across film, television, and theatre. He starred in the 2017 revival of the play “Angels in America” alongside Andrew Garfield and appears in popular franchises like The Hobbit. He’s also known for playing the lead on “Pushing Daisies,” and he got his start studying the craft of acting at Juilliard at the age of 18. Pace has definitely been in some of your favourite movies and shows over the years. Ahead, check out some of his best roles so far over the course of his varied, often quirky career.
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"Wonderfalls" (2004)
One of Pace’s earliest roles was on this short-lived Fox dramedy, in which he played laid-back PhD student Aaron Tyler. The show was canceled quickly but did introduce Pace to series creator Bryan Fuller, who would later hire him as the lead for his comedy “Pushing Daisies.”
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"Infamous" (2006)
Pace plays convicted criminal Richard Hickock, based on a real person, in the 2006 drama. Hickock, along with a fellow inmate, forms a bond with author Truman Capote when he comes to interview the men.
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"The Fall" (2006)
As a badly injured stuntman in 1915 Hollywood, Pace’s character, Roy, forms the framing device of this action-fantasy movie by spinning a fantastical story for himself and another patient at the hospital where he’s recovering from a stunt accident.
ABC
"Pushing Daisies" (2007-2009)
In the acclaimed ABC comedy, Pace plays Ned, a fast-talking pie-maker with a secret: he can wake the dead. He teams up with his childhood sweetheart and a cynical detective to solve crimes, all in a screwball-comedy, candy-colored setting.
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"Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day" (2008)
Opposite Amy Adams and Frances McDormand, Pace plays an honest but impoverished pianist in this period romantic dramedy. In 1930s London, Pace’s Michael tries to win over his longtime socialite sweetheart (played by Adams), but her carefully crafted facade is about to come tumbling down.
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"Ceremony" (2010)
Pace plays Whit Coutell in this quietly released indie film from 2010.
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"Marmaduke" (2010)
In the 2010 live-action adaptation of the beloved comic strip, Pace takes on a less quirky role as Phil, Marmaduke’s put-upon owner.
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"Lincoln" (2012)
Pace has a small role in Steven Spielberg’s 2012 historical epic. He plays Fernando Wood, a congressman from New York who opposed the ending of slavery and tried to stay in the cotton business with the Confederacy during the Civil War.
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The Hobbit Trilogy (2013-2015)
Pace appeared in the latter two Hobbit films, “The Desolation of Smaug” and “The Battle of the Five Armies,” as elven king Thranduil.
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"Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014)
Before his appearance in “Captain Marvel,” Pace originated his Marvel character Ronan the Accuser in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The Kree extremist was the primary villain of the first movie, pursuing a vendetta against the Nova empire before being defeated by the Guardians.
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"Halt and Catch Fire" (2014-2017)
Set during the computer revolution of the 1980s and ’90s, the AMC drama features Pace as Joe MacMillan, a prickly entrepreneur attempting to create a clone of the IBM PC with the help of a crack team of computer engineers and experts.
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"Revolt" (2017)
Pace plays an amnesiac American soldier in this war thriller. His character, known just as Bo, teams up with the French doctor in the adjacent cell to try to escape their captors as aliens invade.
Everett Collection
"Driven" (2018)
Pace stars alongside Jason Sudeikis in this comedy thriller about a pilot for the FBI who is busted when drugs are found in his airplane. Pace plays John DeLorean, an accomplice to the pilot in question.
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"Captain Marvel" (2019)
Pace reprises his role as Ronan the Accuser, militant Kree warlord, in “Captain Marvel.” In the end, of course, he must face off against Brie Larson’s seminal Captain Marvel.
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"Bodies Bodies Bodies" (2022)
Pace plays the oldest member of the “Bodies Bodies Bodies” principal cast, a character named Greg. “I love a smart horror movie,” Pace previously told POPSUGAR of why he decided to do the film, which has thrown the seasoned and multitalented actor into the spotlight again.
