Fez (That '70s Show)

Fez
First appearance	"That '70s Pilot" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance	"That '70s Finale" (episode 8.22)
Created by	Mark Brazill
Portrayed by	Wilmer Valderrama
Information
Nickname(s)	The Foreign Kid, The Foreigner, Julie, Boy With The Accent, Cocoa Puff, Ali Baba, Hadji, Pele, Tarzan, Sabu, Anwar, Tonto, Desi, Captain Pooface, Chocolate Milk, Fezzy, Tutankhamen
Gender	Male
Occupation	High school student Foto Hut clerk Shampoo boy DMV clerk
Family	Unnamed father Unnamed mother Unnamed sister
Spouse(s)	Laurie Forman (ex-wife)
Significant other(s)	Patty (ex-girlfriend) Caroline (ex-girlfriend) Nina (ex-girlfriend) Big Rhonda (ex-girlfriend) Hillary (ex-girlfriend) Jackie Burkhart (girlfriend)
Nationality	Unknown/U.S. citizen by season 6

Fez is a fictional character and one of the four male leads on the Fox Network's That '70s Show, portrayed by Wilmer Valderrama. He was the foreign exchange student in a group of six local teenagers. Though, the character's name is commonly known as Fez, it was fabricated as an acronym for foreign exchange student - F.E.S.

Origins

Fez is the only foreigner among the central characters of the series and perhaps one of the program's most mystery-sparking characters, as both his real name and home country are unknown. Because of his differing origins as opposed to those of the other characters in the series, he is often among the primary victims of any bullies involved in the program and has been labelled with an assortment of offensive nicknames. Clues have been given throughout the series as to Fez's country and real name, but many of these are vague and give away very little information that can be decoded by viewers.

One of Fez's most well-known dreams throughout the series is to lose his virginity, and is shown with a rather "horny" personality like that possessed by the other male central characters of the program. He has had a limited number of girlfriends throughout the series, one of them being a crazed young woman named Caroline who Fez later ended his relationship with upon being bothered by her bizarre personality traits, and there has been at least one point throughout the series where he has went out on a date with Jackie Burkhart.

Fez's homeland

Fez's homeland is one of the longest running gags on the show. Through all eight seasons, Fez's nationality remains a mystery, even to his closest friends, and the continual hints and clues Fez drops about his country only leave them more confused. In the episode "Eric's Birthday", Kitty, fantasizing about Eric's friends causing trouble, imagines Fez saying, "in my home country of...wherever it is I'm from; I can never tell..." Much is revealed in the episode "Love of My Life," where one of Fez's compatriots (played by Justin Long) comes for a visit. In the first teaser, when his friend suggest that he goes home, he says "Yes, I will go to Brazil...and then catch a flight home." In the final teaser, when Hyde finally asks them, "Where the hell are you guys from?", his friend says that the name depends on whether you ask the British or the Dutch. But the British won't say it, Fez explains, because they hate the island, and no one understands a word the Dutch say. The friend has a heavy English accent; Fez's explanation to this is that his friend is from the west side of the island.

Fez is often assumed to be of Hispanic or Latino descent; it is never revealed if this is so, though earlier episodes, such as "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," imply he can speak Spanish or Portuguese. In "Ramble on", during a job interview at the DMV, Fez claims he can speak Dutch. In "The Immigrant Song," Fez retells his catch phrase ("I said good day!") in his native tongue, which sounds like gibberish.

External links

• Mastro, Dana. and Morawitz, Elizabeth. Latino Representation on Primetime Television: A Content Analysis, Section Stereotypes of Latinos, pp. 7.
• Thanu Yakupitiyage Battling or Creating Stereotypes in ‘Aliens in America’?, October 19, 2007, Racewire.
• Ben Megargel Reality spin-off falls into familiar traps, The Michigan Daily, February 6, 2007.