Wilmer Valderrama catapulted to stardom on That ‘70s Show as Fez, who was named by the writers of the series as an acronym for Foreign Exchange Student.  As an immigrant, his distinct accent, as well as his ambiguous country of origin, was one of the longest running gags on the show.  Though his raging hormones attracted him to various women, he was mainly infatuated with Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), whom he worshiped like a queen.  After all the barriers, heartaches and struggle, Jackie finally validated her feelings for him during the finale when she realized that he had all the qualities she's looking for in a man, sealing his painful longing for her with a kiss.  Despite the end of the series, the 27-year-old comic remains to be an active actor with his voiceover works and upcoming movies.

Next April, the former actor of That ‘70s Show will join Val Kilmer (Batman Forever) and Marg Helgenberger (CSI) in Columbus Day.  The thriller movie follows a thief who tries to fix the damage done during the biggest heist of his career.

Valderrama has also been cast to play Daniel in the 2008 drama Days of Wrath.  Set in Los Angeles, the film centers on the lives of rival gang members and stars Ricardo Chavira (Desperate Housewives) and Laurence Fishburne (Matrix).

In 2009, he'll be taking on the lead role in the film ChiPs, which is based on the 1970s action crime drama about California Highway Patrol officers.  Valderrama is attached to play the macho and rambunctious Officer Francis "Ponch" Poncherello, a role originally portrayed by Erik Estrada.

Following That ‘70s Show, Wilmer Valderrama was cast in director Richard Linklater's film Fast Food Nation.  This was followed by a series of voiceover works, which included Shorty McShorts' Shorts, The Condor and Handy Manny.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of celebrityweek.com)