Biography And Filmography:

The young Topher Grace virtually fell into his Hollywood career when he caught the attention of uber television producers Bonnie and Terry Turner while in a high school play. Even though he never had ambitions of becoming an A-list celebrity superstar, he was thrilled with the opportunity to audition for the role of Eric Foreman in the FOX smash hit television series “That ‘70s Show” in 1998 while still in high school. Even more amazing was the fact that he was hired in the lead role of show,  a young teenager in 1970's Point Place Wisconsin trying to liberate himself from his guiltless good boy reputation. Topher Grace brought a charming and innocent appeal to the role during the series surprising eight season run.

He cemented himself as a smart, captivating and skillfully equipped actor who during his Hollywood career avoided selling out on his television popularity with audiences in an effort make as much money as possible in case his celebrity star faded. That was, until he was hired in 2007 for the role of Spiderman's superhero’s arch-enemy, Venom, in the action thriller movie sequel, “Spiderman 3” starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, a role that raised Topher Grace’s Hollywood status to a new level.

Topher Grace was born on July 12, 1978 in Darien, Connecticut. His mother, Pat was a secretary and his father, John, worked as an advertising executive in New York, affording Topher and his sister, Jennifer, to grow up in a wealthy city environment. Topher went to the Brewster Academy High School in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire where he was a classmate of Lindsay Turner, the young daughter of hot Hollywood producers Bonnie and Terry Turner. It was during his performance in the play “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” that he was discovered by the Turners who where in the audience to watch their daughter perform. The Turners approached Grace and asked him to fly to Los Angeles and audition for a pilot they were creating called "That '70s Show". After being hired as Eric Foreman, he put off plans to attend college and the rest is history.

"That '70s Show" ran for 200 episodes, and revolved around the lives of several teenaged High School students living in Point Place, Wisconsin in the 1970's. The head of the group was Eric Forman who lived under the control of parents Red and Kitty (Kurtwood Smith & Debra Jo Rupp). Next door was Eric's sometime girlfriend Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon) and her lame parents Bob & Midge (Don Stark & Tanya Roberts). The rest of the bunch included horny exchange student Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), who's taking in American culture as fast as he can, Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), her on-again, off-again uneducated boyfriend Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), and burnout Steven Hyde (Danny Masterson). The young teens usually spent their time in Eric's basement, thinking of their boring lives, strict parents, romances and futures, but managed to smoke a lot of pot and get into hilarious adventures and mishaps at the same time. 

During "That '70s Show" long run, Topher made his film debut in a supporting role in director Steven Soderbergh's Oscar Award winning "Traffic" (2000). Portraying a wealthy, but youthful drug user who helps attract the daughter (Erika Christensen) of Washington, D.C.’s new drug czar (Michael Douglas) into the depths of drug addiction, 

He again worked with Soderbergh for a small guest appearance in the director’s "Ocean's Eleven" (2001) , portraying a young television actor whose bad poker skills are put to the test by two con men played by George Clooney and Brad Pitt. 

He then had a small role in the comedy "Mona Lisa Smile" (2003) starring Julia Roberts and Kirsten Dunst, about a free-thinking art professor who teaches conformist 1950's Wellesley girls to question their conventional societal roles. Grace also appeared in the sequel "Ocean's Twelve" (2004).

He was next cast in the romantic comedy "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton" (2004), portraying Pete Monash, the best friend of Rosalee (Kate Bosworth), who must compete for her heart against a love-lost Hollywood celebrity heartthrob played by Josh Duhamel. Next was a role in the comedy “P.S.” (2004), a romantic story about a late 1930's divorced woman who gets to live out her fantasy when she is reunited with a high school sweetheart who had died previously and reincarnated in the body of a young hunk.

He then gained attention for his lead role as Carter Duryea in the comedy "In Good Company" (2004), portraying a go-getting, thriving but emotionally lacking corporate executive who falls in love with the family life of one of his fellow workers played by Dennis Quaid. In late 2006, "That 70s Show" came to an end, giving Topher a break from the daily grind of series television production, and a chance to spread his wings in his growing movie making career.

Not long after "That '70's Show" had ended, he found the block-buster movie break he had been looking for in the role of Venom in the super-hero action adventure "Spider-Man 3" starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. The film revolved around a strange black entity from another world that bonds with Peter Parker and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge. Grace was believable in his portrayal, and both critics and audiences welcomed him in his new role as movie star, as some reviewers felt that he would have a difficult time shaking the Eric Foreman character and struggle with type-casting as so many other young stars.

He landed another big-screen starring role portraying Matt Franklin in the comedy "Kids In America" (2008), about an aimless college grad who pursues his dream girl at a wild Labor Day weekend party. He, his twin sister and their best friend struggle with their mushrooming adulthood over the course of the evening. He was also the Executive Producer of "Kids In America" telling reporters that he wanted to spend just as much time behind the camera as in front of it. 

He again acted as Executive Producer, as well as taking the starring role, for the comedy "Coxblocker" (2009), the story of William Cox, who meets his ideal woman only to find his advances continually blocked by her ex-boyfriend and current best friend (Seann William Scott), who is trying to find a way to win her back.

Watch Topher Grace In "Spider-Man 3" Video Interview

[Home]     [Male Celebrities]     [Female Celebrities]