Written by: Gretchen Sims

By now, the entirety of the internet is aware that Pedro Pascal has been appointed the daddy of the internet. From memes to interviews, Pedro Pascal has seemingly appeared out of nowhere to grace his fandom with wild performances and out-of-pocket comments. Where has this daddy-ness come from? And why has Pedro Pascal gained so many children seemingly overnight? 

Pascal has been in the acting business for quite some time now. José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal was born in Chile in 1975 and worked small acting gigs for nearly two decades before rising to stardom with his portrayal of Oberyn Martell in “Game of Thrones.”  

Pascal also amassed fame for his role in the Netflix series “Narcos” before taking on his most popular roles as the Mandalorian in “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” as well as Joel Miller in “The Last of Us.” 

According to Pascal, his parents Verónica Pascal Ureta and José Balmaceda Riera, were devout followers of the socialist president, Salvador Allende. Their activity in the resistance against Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship led Pascal’s family to flee Chile when Pedro was just nine months old. Ultimately the Balmaceda’s would end up in Orange County, California.

Pascal was a competitive swimmer before he developed a love for acting and ended up attending the Orange County School of the Arts where he graduated from in 1993. Afterwards, he continued his education at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts — graduating in 1997 — to begin his acting career. 

In 1995, Pascal’s father was indicted by a federal grand jury due to a scandal at the fertility clinic he was employed at. Shortly after, the rest of Pascal’s family returned to Chile where his mother ended up committing suicide in 1999 — Pascal was his mother’s family name that Pedro took on professionally to honor her.  

Early on, Pascal worked smaller gigs in well known TV franchises such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “The Mentalist,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Good Wife,” “Homeland” and “Graceland,” before making his big break in “Game of Thrones.” 

Besides acting, Pascal has written and produced works as well. He even performed on Broadway — debuting in “King Lear” in Feb. 2019. 

In the end, his charismatic personality and ability to maintain relevance among younger generations — despite his age — has made audiences everywhere fall in love with him, waiting to see what he will do next.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu