Despite his humble beginnings, Pedro Pascal commands the Hollywood spotlight like a natural. This year, he returned to the screen in Season 2 of The Last of Us – a role that has earned him a host of prestigious awards for his exceptional performance.
The 50-year-old often credits his parents, the late Verónica Pascal Ureta and José Balmaceda Riera, for his achievements. During his opening monologue for Saturday Night Live, he said: "They were so brave, and without them, I wouldn’t be here in this wonderful country, and I certainly wouldn’t be standing here with you all tonight.
© HBO"So, to all my family watching in Chile, I want to say te amo, te extraño ... which means, I love you, I miss you."
In light of the star's recent success, HELLO! takes a closer look at Pedro's family.
© InstagramPolitical refugees
Pedro was born in Chile in 1975 and at nine months old became a political refugee when his parents fled Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. The family sought asylum in Denmark before they immigrated to the United States. Pedro and his sister, Javiera, were raised in Texas and California.
"I wouldn’t say my parents were revolutionaries by any stretch of the imagination, but they were young, liberal college students," the actor shared on the Smartless podcast in 2023.
During an interview with Sarah Paulson in 2014 for Interview Magazine, Pedro opened up about his childhood in the States. "My parents were so young and they were Chilean immigrants in San Antonio, Texas. It was all about going to movies, rock concerts, and Spurs games," he explained.
Once the actor completed the fifth grade, the family relocated to California – a time which Pedro has detailed as "really, really rough years" due to bullying.
© InstagramPedro's siblings
The actor has an older sister named Javiera, who was born in Chile in 1972. Pedro's two younger siblings, Nicolás and Lux, were welcomed by his parents in the States. There is a 17-year age gap between Pedro and his little sister.
"She [Lux] ruled the household right away. When my older sister and I would visit, we were like intruders,” Pedro told Esquire. "She is and has always been one of the most powerful people and personalities I’ve ever known."
© Getty ImagesJosé's scandal
Pedro's father was a fertility doctor while his mother worked as a child psychologist. According to the Los Angeles Times, in 1995, José was investigated in relation to the UC Irvine fertility scandal. The team were accused of allegedly switching frozen embryos without the consent of patients along with tax fraud. However, José denied all allegations.
In the midst of the scandal, the couple and their two youngest children moved back to Chile.
Pedro recalled the stressful period during an interview with the Chilean publication, La Tercera newspaper. "It was a period of great fear,” he admitted. “I grew up with my family in the U.S., and one day to the next, there was no longer a home to return to. Suddenly, the idea of the safe nest had disappeared. It was shocking because, in the previous years, I took for granted the privileged life we had in California."
© InstagramVerónica's death
José and Verónica split up following their move back to Chile, and Pedro's mom sadly passed away in 1999. "For me, it was the hardest time," he told La Tercera. "I haven't been able, and I don't know if I can one day, completely reconcile how my parents separated and the tragedy that came after that separation."
"The circumstances of my mother's death made it very hard for us to keep her memory as the person she was. It just hurts so much," added the actor.
© WireImage
