Kurtwood Smith Bio
Kurtwood Larson Smith is an American actor born on July 3, 1943, in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, and recognized for a career that spans film, television, theater, animation, and voice work. He is best known to global audiences for playing the gruff but loving father Red Forman on the Fox sitcom That ’70s Show from 1998 to 2006, a role he later reprised on the Netflix sequel series That ’90s Show beginning in 2023. Over the course of more than five decades, Smith has built a reputation as a dependable character actor whose authoritative voice and distinctive delivery have made him a fixture in science fiction, drama, and comedy alike.
His most celebrated screen credits include the villain Clarence Boddicker in Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop (1987), the antagonistic Robert Griggs in Rambo III (1988), and the stern father Tom Perry in Dead Poets Society (1989). Beyond those signature films, he has appeared across the Star Trek franchise, guest-starred in The X-Files, headlined the ABC science fiction series Resurrection, and voiced characters in animated series such as Regular Show and Terrible Thunderlizards.
Early Life and Background
Kurtwood Larson Smith was born in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, on July 3, 1943. His father, Major George Smith, was killed in action on March 25, 1945, while returning from leading the 49th Troop Carrier Squadron during Operation Varsity in World War II. Smith has spoken of carrying his father’s memory throughout his life, even though he never met him.
After his father’s death, Smith was raised in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California, where he graduated from Canoga Park High School in 1961. Growing up in the postwar suburbs of Los Angeles placed him near the heart of the entertainment industry, and he gravitated toward acting while still a teenager, taking part in school plays and community theater productions that helped him discover his lifelong craft.
He continued his training at San Jose State College, now San José State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965. Smith then pursued graduate study at Stanford University, completing a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1969. His formal theater education at these institutions gave him the foundation in classical acting and stagecraft that he would later draw upon in both his television and film work.
Path to Celebrity
After completing his graduate studies, Smith joined the faculty of Cañada College in Redwood City, California, where he served as an instructor of theater arts from 1969 to 1975. Teaching allowed him to support himself while he auditioned for stage productions across the San Francisco Bay Area and eventually Los Angeles. His commanding presence and rich baritone voice made him a natural choice for authoritative roles in classical and modern plays.
During this period, Smith collected three Drama-Logue Awards for his stage performances in Billy Budd, Idiot’s Delight, and Green Grow the Lilacs. Those honors helped him transition from academic and regional theater into professional television and film work by the late 1970s. His growing list of small-screen credits soon opened the door to the casting directors who would later offer him his most recognizable parts.
Kurtwood Smith Career
Early Career (1970-1986)
Kurtwood Larson Smith began his professional acting career around 1970, working steadily in television guest roles and small film parts while continuing to teach theater. He appeared in well-regarded series such as Lou Grant during the late 1970s and built a résumé of character work that highlighted his skill at playing authority figures, military men, and stern fathers.
Among his earliest screen credits was a role on the Fox comedy The New Adventures of Beans Baxter in 1987, where he played the character Mr. Sue. Those years of consistent work established him as a reliable supporting actor whose understated menace and dry timing stood out in both drama and comedy.
Breakthrough (1987-2006)
Smith’s breakthrough arrived in 1987 when he was cast as the brutal Clarence Boddicker in Paul Verhoeven’s science fiction action film RoboCop. The role made him a recognizable presence in genre cinema and led directly to his casting the following year as Robert Griggs in Rambo III (1988). He then played the stern father Tom Perry in Dead Poets Society (1989), cementing his reputation for portraying complex paternal figures.
Across the 1990s, Smith continued to appear in high-profile features, including Joel Schumacher’s A Time to Kill (1996), in which he played Stump Sisson, the leader of the Ku Klux Klan. He also made multiple appearances in the Star Trek franchise, portraying the President of the Federation in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the Cardassian Thrax in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the Krenim scientist Annorax in Star Trek: Voyager. He later guest-starred in The X-Files.
In 1998, Smith was cast as the lovable, exasperated Red Forman on That ’70s Show, a role that ran until 2006 and became the defining part of his career. After the series ended, he played Senator Blaine Mayer in the seventh season of the Fox thriller 24 and portrayed Dick Clayton in the CBS sitcom Worst Week. He also took a recurring role as a rogue FBI agent on the NBC and later CBS series Medium from 2005 to 2009.
Continued Career (2012-2024)
Smith expanded into voice acting with a recurring role on the Cartoon Network animated series Regular Show, where he voiced the character Gene from 2012 to 2017. He was also a series regular on the Amazon dramedy Patriot from 2015 to 2018, playing Leslie Claret. From 2014 to 2015, he headlined the ABC science fiction and drama series Resurrection as Henry Langston.
He later starred as the terminally ill farmer Mr. Peterson on the Netflix series The Ranch from 2017 to 2020 and voiced Carpenter K. Smith in the AMC+ stop-motion series Ultra City Smiths. In 2023, Smith returned to one of his most beloved roles when he reprised Red Forman on That ’90s Show, a sequel series to That ’70s Show that ran through 2024.
Notable Works and Milestones
Smith’s signature works include the science fiction action film RoboCop (1987), the action sequel Rambo III (1988), and the coming-of-age drama Dead Poets Society (1989). His portrayal of Red Forman on That ’70s Show (1998-2006) and That ’90s Show (2023-2024) remains his most enduring television legacy, and his three Drama-Logue Awards for stage work in Billy Budd, Idiot’s Delight, and Green Grow the Lilacs marked him as an actor of serious theatrical credentials before his film career took off.
Kurtwood Smith Award Nominations
Kurtwood Larson Smith has been recognized by industry peers for his work across film, television, and theater. While nominations for major televised awards have been limited, his performances in guest roles on series such as The X-Files and Medium earned him attention from science fiction and drama audiences alike, and his range has kept him in demand with casting directors for more than fifty years.
Kurtwood Smith Awards Won
Kurtwood Larson Smith’s most clearly verified wins are his three Drama-Logue Awards, earned during his early stage career in the 1970s for his performances in the plays Billy Budd, Idiot’s Delight, and Green Grow the Lilacs. These Los Angeles theater honors recognized him as a leading dramatic talent before his move into film and television stardom.
Kurtwood Smith Family
Kurtwood Larson Smith’s father, Major George Smith, was a United States military officer who died during World War II. Although Smith never met his father, he has spoken publicly about honoring his memory throughout his life and career. Smith has two children from his marriages.
Personal Life
Kurtwood Larson Smith was first married to Cecilia Souza from 1964 until their divorce in 1974. He married Joan Pirkle in 1988, and the couple has remained together since. Smith and his family have maintained long ties to the San Francisco Bay Area and to the Southern California communities where he has lived, taught, and worked across his five-decade acting career.