Born and raised in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. John-Paul Pace is an actor, presenter, model, artist, and youth worker. He was born to Maltese immigrant parents, who migrated to Australia in their teens. His parents are Joseph Pace, and Gemma Pace (Pulo). His father owned various small businesses whilst John-Paul was growing up, ranging from a fruit shop, furniture business (his father made the furniture himself, being a gifted craftsman), Food Caravan, and a Dog Breeding business. His mother was always a faithful helper by his father's side, in every business venture.John-Paul was a dedicated and hard working student, excelling in academics, art, and sports in both Primary school and High school. He attended the highly popular Westfield Sports High, and from the ages of 16-18 he was the school's top distance runner in his age group, and the top runner in the Sydney South West Region at 17 (An area comprising about 10 High schools). But his High school days were not always so glorious.During the ages of 12-16, John-Paul battled on and off with anorexia, depression, and towards the end, suicidal tendencies. There was daily teasing, and bullying, and most of the aggression was let out out at home-towards his family, or towards himself."They were definitely my darkest years. In a way I felt like my adolescence was robbed from me. And I was the thief! There were no girlfriends back then. No dating. No confidence whatsoever. Thank God for the amazing family and support system I had. They went through quite a bit. Thank God for the Westmead Children's Hospital that came in to help at around 16, and really made a difference. And thank God for the outlet of art that gave me something to focus my mind on and to lose myself in. Eventually the battle was won. I spent a large part of my life ashamed of this period in my life. It wasn't until my mid twenties or so that I began to be a little more open about it all. Now I want to take that season of my life that was dark, and use it as my light. I think of the words of Nelson Mandela-And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. I just want to encourage those, who are at any age, that life isn't always rosy for anybody, hard times are temporary, and battles can be won. Even the ones that seem unbeatable. And if you really want to, and are willing to put in the hard work, you can live the life you've always dreamed about. It's all worth it!"By the age of 18, after two strong years of distance running, John began training for Olympic marathon, but his dreams were cut short, only a few months into training, by an ulceration flare up in his bowel, which was initially diagnosed as a low form of Crohns Disease. Although reeling more so from having to abandon his Olympic dreams than from being ill, he would go on to complete grade 12 and score high marks in his final exams, coming out with a University Index Score (UAI) of 93.8. Many University options were open, and many were contemplated. He was even accepted into the prestigious Sydney University to study Sports Medicine.Eventually John-Paul would end up opting out of studying at Sydney Uni, and a potential future in Sports Medicine, to pursue a career in acting instead. Oops. No regrets though. He hopped into competitive acting schools-- The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and Screenwise. Within six months of signing with an agent, John-Paul booked three commercials and a co-starring role on HBO'S "The Pacific." Such successes led to John-Paul's world travels, studying at HB Studios and Suzanne Shepherd in Manhattan, and working in Vancouver, Canada, and Los Angeles, California. During the last 8 years of traveling, John has had the privilege of road tripping through most of America and has recently started travel blogging."I want to inspire, motivate, and encourage people to do their best, to take risks, to face fears, to love, to forgive, to find wholeness, to help others, to make the most of life. I want to move people and touch their hearts, make them stop and think. In the journey of discovering and accepting my true identity and calling, I hope I can help others discover and accept theirs, or at least instigate some movement towards that." Show less «