Part of That '70s Show featuring Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, and Laura Prepon.
Rise to Fame
Nearly two decades of New York theater work didn't make her famous. Kitty Forman did. When That '70s Show premiered in 1998, Rupp was already in her late forties, with serious stage credentials and a handful of Broadway credits behind her. None of that prepared the public for Kitty, the anxious Wisconsin mom whose laugh was a character unto itself. She played her for 200 episodes across eight seasons. The kids grew up and moved on; Kitty was the reason to keep watching.
In the Spotlight
That '90s Show brought Kitty Forman back to Netflix for two seasons starting in 2023, and Rupp didn't miss a beat. The smarter booking was WandaVision in 2021. Director Matt Shakman needed someone who actually knew how to play sitcom. She did. She played Mrs. Hart as a throwback to '50s television, then reprised the role in Agatha All Along in 2024. The MCU found out what theater directors already knew.
Side Notes
Her first TV role in 1980 was a topless dancer on All My Children. That's the kind of entry that suggests a different career than the one she got. She spent the next decade in New York theater, originating a role in Cynthia Heimel's A Girl's Guide to Chaos in 1986 and earning a caricature from Al Hirschfeld for it. In 1990 she played Mae in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof alongside Kathleen Turner on Broadway. The stage career is genuinely impressive. It was also the warmup act.