Part of That '70s Show featuring Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, and Laura Prepon.
Rise to Fame
He moved from Venezuela to Los Angeles at 13, barely speaking English. Five years later he landed the role of Fez, the foreign exchange student whose home country was the show's running joke. Fez never got a real origin story, but Valderrama played him for all 200 episodes across eight seasons of That '70s Show. He was still a high school senior when the pilot filmed. The part was limited, but it worked.
In the Spotlight
The pivot from That '70s Show's lovable foreigner to NCIS's undercover operative Nick Torres is quietly impressive. He joined the procedural in season 14 (2016), turned down a spinoff offer to stay on the flagship show, and has been a series regular for nearly a decade. NCIS has been a ratings stalwart on network TV for over two decades. Season 23 has been building a quiet exit arc for Torres. Whether he takes it remains the most interesting open question.
Side Notes
His family is Venezuelan-Colombian, which makes casting him as That '70s Show's nameless foreigner feel either ironic or inevitable. He's co-chair of Voto Latino and founded the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's Ready 2 Lead program. He voiced Agustin Madrigal in Encanto (2021). The man who played the joke about the mystery immigrant turned into one of the more serious advocates for Latino political engagement.