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Kurtwood Smith

 
Actor: Kurtwood Smith
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  • Born: Jul 03, 1942 in New Lisbon, Wisconsin
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '80s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Drama
  • Career Highlights: Robocop, Citizen Ruth, True Believer
  • First Major Screen Credit: Flashpoint (1984)

Biography

Character actor Kurtwood Smith was educated at Stanford University, then worked briefly as a drama teacher before distinguished himself on the San Francisco theatrical circuit. Making his first fleeting film appearance in Roadie, Smith toiled away in quiet, mild-manner roles until finding his niche in oily villainy as the drug lord in Robocop (1987). The actor was at his all-time nastiest as Mr. Perry, the ultra-judgmental father who drives his sensitive son (Robert Sean Leonard) to suicide in Dead Poet's Society (1989). More character roles followed over the next decade until Smith found fame as Red, the comedically tough dad in the sitcom That '70s Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Kurtwood Smith
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Kurtwood Smith
Born Kurtwood Larson Smith
July 3, 1943 (1943-07-03) (age 66)
New Lisbon, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1978–present
Spouse(s) Joan Pirkle (1988-present)
Cecilia Souza (1964-1974) (divorced)

Kurtwood Larson Smith (born July 3, 1943) is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing stern parental characters (That '70s Show, Dead Poets Society, Worst Week), and for his appearances in the genre of science fiction (Star Trek, Robocop, The X-Files). He also starred in the seventh season of the hit action/thriller 24.

Contents

Personal life

Smith was born in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, the son of Mabel Annette Lund (née Larson) and George Smith.[1] Smith's mother was a fan of a country singer named Kurt (or Curt) in the early 1940s. However, she thought "Kurt Smith" was too short a name, so she added "wood" ("she just tacked it on to the end", he said). Smith has said that he is likely the only Kurtwood.[2]

Smith attended Canoga Park High School, where he was senior class president. He went on to study theater at the College of San Mateo and San Jose State University and earned a drama fellowship from Stanford University's Master of Fine arts program. In the 1970s, he began working regularly with the California Actors Theater in Los Gatos, California. He also attended Santa Clara University. He moved back to Los Angeles to pursue a television and film career.

In 1964, he married Cecilia Souza, with whom he had a son Shannon Smith, a musician, and daughter Laurel Garner, an actress. He divorced in 1974.

In 1988, he married actress Joan Pirkle.

Career

Smith most notably portrayed the father role of Red Forman on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show, which ran from 1998 to 2006. Somewhat ironically, Smith later guest starred on an episode of the FOX show House which features a character named Eric Foreman. On that 70s Show, Smith's character's son's name was Eric Forman. After That '70s Show, Smith played Senator Blaine Mayer in the seventh season of the action thriller 24, and portrayed Dick Clayton in the CBS series Worst Week.

Before That '70s Show his other roles included playing Clarence Boddicker, the villain in Paul Verhoeven's influential science fiction action movie RoboCop, and Mr. Sue on Fox's "espionage comedy" The New Adventures of Beans Baxter from 1987-89. He also co-starred as the strict father of Robert Sean Leonard's Neil in 1989's Dead Poets Society. He also made a number of appearances in the Star Trek franchise, playing the President of the Federation in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, a Cardassian named Thrax in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Things Past", and a Krenim scientist named Annorax in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Year of Hell".

He also has an extensive voice acting résumé, appearing in computer games such as Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, and FreeSpace 2, and on a number of animated series. He played a recurring role on the claymation series Gary & Mike as the vengeful Officer Dick and voiced the Dinosaur military commander character General Galapagos in the Savage Steve Holland produced Fox animated series Terrible Thunderlizards. He played the voice of Bob Johnson on Squirrel Boy, and also supplied the voice of Kanja Ro in Green Lantern First Flight.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Kurtwood Smith Biography (1943?-)
  2. ^ According to an interview with Smith on Caroline Rhea's syndicated television show

External links


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First Blood • Rambo: First Blood Part II • Rambo III • Rambo • Rambo V: The Savage Hunt
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Sylvester Stallone • Richard Crenna • Brian Dennehy • Charles Napier • Steven Berkoff • Julia Nickson-Soul • Marc de Jonge • Kurtwood Smith • Sasson Gabai • Julie Benz • Matthew Marsden
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That '70s Show
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Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kurtwood Smith".  Read more