Topher Grace

Early life

Christopher John Grace was born in New York City on July 12, 1978. His mother, Pat, was the assistant to New Canaan Country School's headmaster; his father, John Grace, was a Madison Avenue executive. He has a sister named Jenny. Grace was raised an Episcopalian.

He grew up in Darien, Connecticut, where he became friends with Kate Bosworth in middle school and was babysat by Chloë Sevigny, who later appeared with him in high school plays.

Career

Grace was cast as Eric Forman on Fox's That '70s Show, which debuted in 1998. He played the role regularly until the show's 7th season, when his character was written out and replaced with a new character named Randy Pearson (Josh Meyers). Grace made a brief guest appearance in the final episode. Reflecting on his experience working on the show in 2018, Grace described it as being "like a boot camp [...] for acting." He explained: "There's a filmic element, so you learn that. There's a live audience, so there's kind of a theater element. And when you suck, which you do — especially, like me, if you've never acted before — you get back up next week, do another show. And I think everyone on that show would tell you that over four or five years, we got good."

Grace played a prep school student who introduces his girlfriend to freebasing 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.

He planned to cameo in Ocean's Thirteen. However, due to his role in Spider-Man 3, he had to abandon these plans. As Grace said, "I was doing reshoots on 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." He appeared in director Mike Newell's 2003 film Mona Lisa Smile.

In 2004, Grace played the leading roles in Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and In Good Company. That same year, he starred in 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.

On January 15, 2005, Grace hosted Saturday Night Live.

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 child. In 2009, Grace became the subject of a recurring column on the entertainment/pop culture site Videogum, entitled "What's Up With Topher Grace?"

In 2010, Grace appeared in the ensemble comedy Valentine's Day and played the character of Edwin in Predators.

In 2011, Grace appeared in the 1980s retro comedy Take Me Home Tonight. He co-wrote the script and co-produced the film. Grace also starred opposite Richard Gere in the spy thriller The Double.

In 2012, Grace starred alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Matthew Gray Gubler in the social film The Beauty Inside, which won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding New Approach to an Original Daytime Program or Series in 2013. The film was directed by Drake Doremus and written by Richard Greenberg.

In 2014, Grace starred in the indie thriller The Calling, alongside Susan Sarandon, and appeared in Christopher Nolan's sci-fi adventure Interstellar, in a supporting role.

In October 2013, Grace joined HBO comedy pilot People in New Jersey with Sarah Silverman, but in January 2014, the pilot was passed on.

Grace co-starred in the comedy film American Ultra (2015), alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, playing a CIA agent. That same year, he co-starred in Truth, with Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett, based on the story of CBS's 60 Minutes report that George W. Bush had received preferential treatment to keep him out of the Vietnam War. Grace played Mike Smith, a researcher on the story.

In January 2018, Grace joined the supernatural-thriller Delirium, which centers on a man recently released from a mental institute who inherits a mansion after his parents die. After a series of disturbing events, he comes to believe it is haunted. In August 2018, Grace portrayed David Duke in the biographical crime film BlacKkKlansman, directed by Spike Lee, alongside John David Washington and Adam Driver. In 2019, he played Billy Bauer in the 2nd episode of Black Mirror’s 5th season, titled "Smithereens". In 2020, Grace was cast in ABC's Home Economics pilot. On April 30, 2022, it was announced that Grace would have a guest appearance in the follow-up sitcom, That '90s Show. In 2024, Grace starred in the horror film Heretic and in 2025, he starred in the action thriller Flight Risk.

Other ventures

Grace has long held an interest in making fan edits of popular films, particularly those involving Star Wars. He has stated that this has become a source of relaxation for him. His edits were shared on his now-defunct pop-culture website Cereal Prize.

In 2012, he edited the Star Wars prequel trilogy into one 85-minute film, titled Star Wars: Episode III.5: The Editor Strikes Back and showed it to select audiences. The edit utilized original footage, music from the Clone Wars series, and a portion from Anthony Daniels' audiobook recordings.

In 2014, he created a cut of Boogie Nights that served as a reconstruction of the character Brock Landers' fake movie Angels Live in My Town.

In 2018, he created his own edit of The Hobbit, stating that "I think that maybe The Hobbit should've been one movie, and many people would agree. Money drives a lot of those franchises. It's better when the art leads." He specifically edited this as a way to relax while portraying David Duke in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.

In 2019, Grace and editor Jeff Yorkes started a Twitter account for "Lou's Cafe", the pseudonym by which the two credit their work. The name comes from the diner featured in the film Back to the Future. Later that year, he and Yorkes were commissioned by Pixar to edit a retrospective for Toy Story 4, which was titled "Toy Story 4 Ever" and released on Pixar's YouTube account.

Personal life

Grace started dating actress Ashley Hinshaw in January 2014. They were engaged in January 2015 and married near Santa Barbara, California, on May 29, 2016. They have two children and were expecting a third as of September 2022.

Grace is a supporter of the microfinance organization FINCA International.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

• In the Street (1999) by Cheap Trick, as Eric Forman
• Don't You Want Me Baby (2011) from Atomic Tom, as Himself

Video games

• Spider-Man 3 (2007), as Eddie Brock / Venom

Stage

• Lonely, I'm Not (2012), as Porter, at Second Stage Theatre

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Topher Grace

Film

Television

References

References

1. Brunner, Borgna. (2005). "Time Almanac 2006: With Information Please". [[Time Inc.]].
2. "Topher Grace Profile".
3. "Topher Grace – Behind The Voice Actors".
4. (July 2018). "About". [[Yahoo!]].
5. (1986). "Jonas and Betty (Kohn) Wollman and Their Descendants".
6. (1996). "Descendants of Salomon Bloch of Janowitz, Bohemia, and Baruch Wollman of Kempen-in-Posen, Prussia".
7. Kaufmann, Amy. (May 24, 2018). "Topher Grace’s mission to reinvent himself takes a quantum leap with Spike Lee’s ‘BlacKkKlansman’". [[Los Angeles Times]].
8. (December 21, 2004). "The personification of Grace". [[USA Today]].
9. "Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace to Return to ''That '70s Show''?". Hollywood.com.
10. (March 9, 2011). "10 Sitcoms that Lost Their Lead Actors and Kept Going". Splitsider.
11. Rolli, Bryan. (2023-08-23). "How 'That '70s Show' Transcended Cheap Nostalgia".
12. Topel, Fred (April 22, 2007). [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oceans_thirteen/news/1648657/no_topher_grace_cameo_in_andquotoceans_13andquot "No Topher Grace Cameo in "Oceans 13"]. [[Rotten Tomatoes]]; accessed September 26, 2017.
13. "Topher Grace". [[TV Guide]].
14. Hill, Logan. (May 24, 2005). "Deadpan Alley". [[New York (magazine).
15. "Topher Grace profile". The SNL Archives.
16. Murray, Rebecca. "Topher Grace Talks About Venom and Spiderman 3".
17. [http://videogum.com/category/whats-up-with-topher-grace "What's Up With Topher Grace?"], ''[[Videogum]]''; retrieved April 15, 2013.
18. (April 14, 2010). "The Mystery of What the Hell Topher Grace Is Doing in Predators Deepens". Topless Robot.
19. link. (2007-02-23 , [[Reuters]], February 8, 2007.)
20. Browne, Niall (2011). [https://screenrant.com/richard-gere-topher-grace-double-niall-57400/ "Richard Gere & Topher Grace See 'Double'"], [[Screen Rant]]; accessed September 26, 2017.
21. (July 24, 2012). "A shape-shifting lead played by fans shows inner beauty". [[Creativity Online]].
22. Venable, Nick. (April 6, 2013). "Susan Sarandon and Topher Grace Join Indie Thriller The Calling". cinemablend.com.
23. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (July 23, 2013). "Topher Grace In 'Interstellar' — Supporting Role In Chris Nolan Movie". Deadline.
24. Andreeva, Nellie. (October 4, 2013). "Topher Grace & Sarah Silverman Topline HBO Comedy Pilot 'People In New Jersey'". Deadline.
25. Kiefer, Halle. (January 22, 2014). "HBO Passes on ''People in New Jersey''". Vulture.
26. (April 2014). "Topher Grace Joins 'American Ultra'". Deadline.
27. Busch, Anita. "Topher Grace Cast In 'Truth' Movie About Dan Rather-George W Bush Scandal". Deadline.
28. "Topher Grace to Star in Supernatural Thriller 'Home' for Blumhouse". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
29. (February 14, 2020). "Topher Grace Cast in ABC 'Home Economics' Comedy Pilot".
30. "That '70s Show stars to return for Netflix spin-off That '90s Show".
31. "Heretic".
32. Grobar, Matt. (January 4, 2024). "'Flight Risk': Topher Grace & Michelle Dockery Join Mark Wahlberg In Mel Gibson-Helmed Lionsgate Thriller".
33. (6 February 2014). "What's Inside Topher Grace's Cool 'Cereal Prize'?".
34. (March 7, 2012). "'The Phantom Menace' Ruined Jake Lloyd's Childhood & Topher Grace Edited All 3 'Star Wars' Prequels Into An 85-Minute Movie For Some Reason".
35. (2012-03-07). "Topher Grace Edited The 'Star Wars' Prequels Into One 85-Minute Movie and We Saw It".
36. (7 March 2012). "Topher Grace Edited The 'Star Wars' Prequels Into One 85-Minute Movie And We Saw It".
37. Nastasi, Alison. "Watch: Topher Grace's 'Boogie Nights' Remix Shows Us the Complete Fake Porn Movie {{!}} Movie News".
38. (July 31, 2018). "Topher Grace Re-edited 'The Hobbit' To Help Deal With The Stress Of Playing A Racist For Spike Lee".
39. "BlacKkKlansman's Topher Grace re-edits entire The Hobbit trilogy into two-hour film to de-stress from playing KKK leader". The Independent.
40. (25 June 2019). "VOTD: Topher Grace's 'Toy Story 4 Ever' Remembers The Entire Pixar Franchise In 3 Minutes".
41. McRady, Rachel. (January 11, 2015). "Topher Grace Engaged to Actress Ashley Hinshaw: See Her Ring!". [[Us Weekly]].
42. (May 30, 2016). "''That '70s Show'' Star Topher Grace Ties the Knot with Ashley Hinshaw". [[People (magazine).
43. "Topher Grace and His Wife Ashley Hinshaw Welcome a Daughter". Instyle.
44. "Baby No. 2 on the Way! Topher Grace and Wife Ashley Hinshaw Expecting Second Child Together".
45. "Topher Grace and Wife Ashley Hinshaw Expecting Baby No. 3: 'We're Excited'".
46. [http://www.finca.org/site/c.6fIGIXMFJnJ0H/b.6088593/k.A7AC/Video_Resources.htm Topher Grace about FINCA on Jimmy Fallon] {{webarchive. link. (2010-12-30 , finca.org, March 20, 2011.)
47. (14 March 2024). "Every Topher Grace Ocean's Eleven Cameo Explained (& Why He Wasn't In Ocean's Thirteen)". ScreenRant.
48. (5 November 2024). "Why Did Topher Grace Leave "That '70s Show" at the End of Season 7?". Fandomwire.
49. Andreeva, Nellie. (October 2, 2024). "Topher Grace Joins Kevin Williamson's Netflix Series 'The Waterfront'".
50. (7 May 2012). "'Lonely, I'm Not', With Topher Grace as a Post-Meltdown Corporate Star, Opens in NYC". Yahoo News.