Topher Grace
| Topher Grace | |
|---|---|
 Grace at the Spider-Man 3 premiere, April 2007 |
|
| Born | Christopher John Grace July 12, 1978 New York City |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1998–present |
Christopher John "Topher" Grace (pronounced /ˈtoʊfər/; born July 12, 1978)[1][2][3] is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Eric Forman on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show, Eddie Brock/Venom in the Sam Raimi film Spider-Man 3, and Edwin in the 2010 film Predators.
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[edit] Early life
Grace was born in New York City,[4][5] the son of Pat, an assistant to the schoolmaster of the New Canaan Country School, and John, a Madison Avenue executive.[3][6]
Grace grew up in Darien, Connecticut, where he knew actress Kate Bosworth, as well as Opie & Anthony producer Nathaniel Bryan, and was sometimes babysat by actress Chloë Sevigny, who later appeared with him in high school stage plays.[7] Grace chose the name Topher because he did not want his full name abbreviated to Chris at school.[8]
[edit] Career
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Grace was cast as Eric Forman on Fox's That '70s Show, which debuted in 1998. The sitcom was successful and Grace became well known among television watchers; he played the role until the seventh season. The series was renewed for another season despite his absence before its ending in 2006. His character was written out and was replaced with a new character named Randy Pearson who was portrayed by Josh Meyers. Grace makes a very brief guest appearance in the final episode.
Grace plays a prep school student who uses cocaine and introduces his girlfriend to freebase cocaine in director Steven Soderbergh's 2000 film Traffic, as well as having uncredited cameos as himself in Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven, and its 2004 sequel, Ocean's Twelve. "The joke is that you're supposed to play the worst version of yourself and I don't think too many people are comfortable with that. I never thought for a second that people were really going to think that's what I was like. I think that people will know that I was faking it in those movies," he told Flaunt magazine in 2007.[9] He planned to cameo in Ocean's Thirteen but due to his filming Spider-Man 3 he had to drop out. As Grace said, "I was doing reshoots on this [Spider-Man 3], I was bummed. I actually talked to Steven Soderbergh about that and we had a thing and then I couldn’t do it. I’m bummed because there’s nothing more fun than dropping in on that set for one or two days and hanging out with that crew."[10] He also appeared in director Mike Newell's 2003 film Mona Lisa Smile.
In 2004, Grace had the starring role in two major feature films; he played the leading roles in the Robert Luketic-directed Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and the Paul Weitz dramedy, In Good Company, in which he played an ambitious but troubled corporate executive. That same year, Grace also starred in the film P.S., which received only a limited theatrical release. Grace won the National Board of Review's 2004 award for Breakthrough Performance Actor for his work in In Good Company and P.S.[11]
On January 15, 2005, Grace hosted Saturday Night Live.[11][12]
In 2007, Grace portrayed Eddie Brock/Venom in Spider-Man 3, directed by Sam Raimi. Grace himself was a fan of the comics, and read the Venom stories as a kid. A spin off film of Venom is in the works, but it is unknown if he will reprise the role.
In 2009, Grace became the subject of a recurring Videogum column entitled "What's Up With Topher Grace?" which relates the latest news in a snarky fashion.
In 2010, Grace appeared in the ensemble comedy Valentine's Day alongside That '70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher, and also played the character of Edwin in Predators, the newest installment of the science fiction franchise.
In 2011, Grace appeared in the 1980s retro comedy Take Me Home Tonight.[13] He co-wrote the script and co-produced the film. Grace also starred opposite Richard Gere in the spy thriller, The Double.[14]
[edit] Personal life
He dated Ivanka Trump in 2006.[15] He dated his Take Me Home Tonight co-star, Teresa Palmer, in mid-to-late 2007.[16][17] They reunited in 2009 after she broke up with Russell Brand.[18]
He is also a celebrity supporter of FINCA International, a microfinance organization.[19]
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 2000 | Traffic | Seth Abrahams | |
| 2001 | Ocean's Eleven | Himself | Uncredited role |
| 2002 | Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio | Lucignolo – Leonardo | Voice role |
| 2003 | Mona Lisa Smile | Tommy Donegal | |
| 2004 | Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! | Pete Monash | |
| P.S. | F. Scott Feinstadt | ||
| Ocean's Twelve | Himself | Uncredited role | |
| In Good Company | Carter Duryea | ||
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | Eddie Brock/Venom | |
| 2009 | Personal Effects[20] | Clay | Voice role |
| 2010 | Valentine's Day | Jason Morris | |
| Predators | Edwin | ||
| 2011 | Take Me Home Tonight | Matt Franklin | Also writer |
| The Double | Ben Geary | ||
| 2012 | The Giant Mechanical Man | Doug | Complete |
| The Wedding | Jared Griffin | Post-production | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998–2006 | That '70s Show | Eric Forman | |
| 2003 | King of the Hill | Chris | Voice role Episode:Megalo Dale |
| 2005 | Saturday Night Live | Host | |
| 2005 | Stella | Older Kevin | Episode:Paper Route |
| 2005 | Robot Chicken | Eric Forman | Episode:Gold Dust Gasoline |
| 2008 | The Simpsons | Donny | Voice role Episode:The Debarted |
| 2011 | Too Big to Fail | Jim Wilkinson | |
| Video Games | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | Eddie Brock/Venom | Voice role |
| 2010 | Call of Duty: Black Ops | Special Agent Harris | Voice role |
[edit] Awards and nominations
2008 MTV Movie Awards
- Nominated: Best Villain, in "Spider-Man 3" (2007)
National Board of Review, USA
- Won: Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actor, In Good Company (2004) and P.S. (2004)
- Won: Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture, Traffic (Shared with cast, 2001)
Young Hollywood Awards
- Won: Breakthrough Performance – Male, Traffic (2001)
- Nominated: Choice Movie: Rumble, Spider-Man 3 (Shared with Tobey Maguire, James Franco, and Thomas Haden Church, 2007)
- Nominated: Choice Movie: Villain, Spider-Man 3 (2007)
- Nominated: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004)
- Nominated: Choice Movie Hissy Fit, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004)
- Nominated: Choice Movie Liplock, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (Shared with Kate Bosworth, 2004)
- Nominated: Choice TV Actor – Comedy, That '70s Show (2004)
- Nominated: Choice TV Actor – Comedy, That '70s Show (2003)
- Nominated: Choice TV Actor – Comedy, That '70s Show (2002)
- Nominated: Choice TV Actor – Comedy, That '70s Show (2001)
- Nominated: Choice TV Actor – Comedy, That '70s Show (2000)
- Nominated: Choice TV Actor – Comedy, That '70s Show (1999)
- Nominated: Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble, That '70s Show (Shared with cast, 1999)
[edit] References
- ^ Topher Grace:Biography. TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/topher-grace/177487. Retrieved October 10, 2007
- ^ Flint, Rebecca. "Topher Grace:Biography". http://movies.msn.com/celebs/celeb.aspx?c=165284&mp=b. Retrieved October 10, 2007
- ^ a b Topher Grace. Yahoo!. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1804147074/bio. Retrieved October 10, 2007
- ^ Brunner, Borgna (2005). Time Almanac 2006: With Information Please. Time Inc.. pp. 295. ISBN 1932994416
- ^ Topher Grace Profile. E!. http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/?uuid=ee8c6fdc-2a2b-4d10-b5e9-00988504b685. Retrieved October 10, 2007
- ^ Topher Grace's Plan for Crossover Success
- ^ Keck, William (December 21, 2004). "The personification of Grace". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-12-21-topher-grace_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
- ^ Axmaker, Sean (January 14, 2005). "'In Good Company' pays dividends in its rich relationships". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/movies/207739_company14q.html. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ^ Flaunt Magazine – Youth Issue 2007
- ^ rottentomatoes.com – No Topher Grace Cameo in "Oceans 13"
- ^ a b Hill, Logan (May 21, 2005). "Deadpan Alley". New York. http://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/features/10887/. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ^ "Topher Grace". The SNL Archives. http://snl.jt.org/guest.php?i=2056. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ^ Faris, Fogler "Kids" again in comedy film Reuters, February 8, 2007.
- ^ Richard Gere, Topher Grace see 'Double' – Yahoo! Movies
- ^ "People.com". Ivanka Trump & Topher Grace Cozy Up. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1552878,00.html. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
- ^ Teresa Palmer caught with hand in Topher Grace's pocket News.com.au, August 1, 2007.
- ^ New Couple Alert: Minka Kelly & Topher Grace Okmagazine.com, May 16, 2008.
- ^ Teresa Palmer and Topher Grace hit Adelaide The Daily Telegraph, January 25, 2009.
- ^ Topher Grace about FINCA on Jimmy Fallon "FINCA International website," March 20, 2011.
- ^ Interview: Personal Effects Director David Hollander – CinemaBlend.com
[edit] External links
- Topher Grace at the Internet Movie Database
- IGN Films interview (December 22, 2004)
- About.com interview (January, 2004)
