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Topher Grace
Grace at the Spider-Man 3 (2007) premiere
Born	Christopher John Grace
Other names	Topher

Christopher John Grace (born July 12, 1978), better known as Topher Grace, is an American actor best known for playing the lead role of Eric Forman on That '70s Show during the show's first seven seasons and for appearing as the villain Eddie Brock, Jr./Venom in Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Biography

Early life

Grace was born in New York City, New York to Patricia, an office worker and assistant to the schoolmaster of the New Canaan Country School in New Canaan, Connecticut, and John Grace, a business executive. He has a sister, Jenny. He also had a dog named Grover. Grace grew up in Darien, Connecticut, where he knew actress Kate Bosworth and was sometimes babysat by actress Chloe Sevigny, who also later appeared with him in high school stage plays. He chose to go by the name Topher in high school after becoming frustrated with his full name being abbreviated as Chris; he dropped the Chris and kept the Topher. He once became so enraged with other students referring to him as "Chris" that he once threw a freshly disected frog into a fellow student's face after she called him "Chris." In an interview with New York Magazine, he is claimed to have WASP descent.

Grace attended the Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts, The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire--where he was noticed by the producer of That '70s Show (whose daughter also attended the school) while playing the leading role of Pseudolus in a local stage production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Career

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 2005, after which he left the series to pursue feature film work. The series was renewed for another season despite his absence before its ending in 2006. Grace would make a guest appearance in the last episode.

Grace briefly attended college at the University of Southern California, but left during his freshman year to concentrate on his television work and to pursue a career in film. He played a prep school student who uses cocaine and introduces his girlfriend to heroin in director Steven Soderbergh's Traffic (2000), as well as having uncredited cameos as himself in Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven (2001) and Ocean's Twelve (2004). He planned to cameo in Ocean's Thirteen but due to his filming Spider-Man 3 he had to drop out. He also appeared in director Mike Newell's Mona Lisa Smile (2003).

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's work in P.S. and In Good Company was recognized by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures in the category of "Breakthrough Performance by an Actor". In 2005, Grace hosted Saturday Night Live.

Grace portrays Edward Charles "Eddie" Brock Junior in Spider-Man 3, directed by Sam Raimi. Grace also appears in the 1980s retro comedy Kids in America. Grace co-wrote the script and will be co-producing the film. In addition, he will soon star in The Crusaders, a drama about the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, playing real-life civil rights lawyer Jack Greenberg, opposite Terrence Howard, who will play Thurgood Marshall.

Personal life

Grace has dated actress Ginnifer Goodwin and fashion model Ivanka Trump.

He is currently dating his Kids in America co-star, Teresa Palmer.

Grace is a classically trained pianist, having studied with the likes of Oksana Polinski and Josephine Stahlin.

Filmography

References

1. Faris, Fogler "Kids" again in comedy film Reuters, February 8, 2007.
2. "EurWeb". FILM/THEATER BITS: Diesel dumps ‘Water’; Howard adds ‘Grace’; Yoba is ‘Beautiful’; ‘Amajuba’ off-Broadway; HHTC gains momentum. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
3. Teresa Palmer caught with hand in Topher Grace's pocket News.com.au, August 01, 2007.

External links

• Topher Grace at IMDb
• IGN Films interview (December 22, 2004)
• About.com interview (January, 2004)

• 1978 births
• American film actors
• American television actors
• Connecticut actors
• Living people
• People from New York City
• Spider-Man film series actors
• Celebrity