LOS ANGELES - Missouriar -- Over the past six years, the entertainment industry has faced setbacks, including COVID-19, the writers' and actors' strikes, runaway productions, shrinking salaries, streaming changes and artificial intelligence.

In February 2020, Pace was entering one of the strongest periods of his career. He had recently completed guest-starring roles for Nickelodeon, Fox and CBS. He also gained international attention for portraying the bounty hunter Gekko in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian.

With approval from Disney and Lucasfilm, Pace promoted the character during a tour that reached more than 35 states and England. When the pandemic brought acting opportunities to a standstill, Pace returned to his former survival profession of restaurant management to help pay his sons' tuition.

"There's a love-hate relationship with the restaurant because I've always loved people, but the pace of the lunch or dinner rush can be soul-sucking," Pace said. "Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential perfectly describes the frantic energy and stress of multitasking nonstop for 10 to 12 hours a day."

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During the winter of 2023 and 2024, Pace experienced another painful setback when his mother, Denise Tagliaferri Pace, was dying of cancer. She encouraged his acting career and believed he had the presence for musical theater.

During the spring seasons of 2024 and 2025, Pace received leave from the restaurant to portray Gyp DeCarlo in a West Coast production of Jersey Boys. "Though my mother never got to see the musical, I felt like it was a sign from her to keep going and stay focused," Pace said.

In December 2025, Pace received another sign to continue when CBS invited him to guest-star on NCIS: Origins. The opportunity arrived as Pace prepared to leave restaurant management. After years of long workweeks, grief, and exhaustion, he decided it was time to return fully to acting.

Pace's youngest son, Benett Pace, is a straight-A student-athlete and starting first baseman at Notre Dame High School. Its nationally recognized baseball program has produced Major League Baseball players Giancarlo Stanton and Hunter Greene.

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His older son, Dante Pace, is interning in Berlin with biotechnology startup Mimotype Technologies. He is helping design red fluorescent proteins while conducting research connected to Charité. Dante is entering his final year at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he is studying biomolecular engineering and bioinformatics.

With his sons moving forward in their education and careers, Pace is returning to film. His upcoming work includes projects connected to actor Noah Fearnley, executive producer Griff Furst and director Emily Qiu.

Pace now firmly believes this important new chapter gives him the chance to honor his mother, support his family and reconnect with the creative work he loves.

For Dominic Pace, returning to the spotlight represents perseverance, family sacrifice and the courage to begin again.