Kurtwood Smith

Kurtwood Larson Smith (born July 3, 1943) is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing stern parental characters (That '70s Show, Dead Poets Society, Worst Week), and for his appearances in the genre of science fiction (Star Trek, Robocop, The X-Files). He also starred in the seventh season of 24.

Personal life
Smith was born in New Lisbon, Wisconsin and he is the son of Mabel Annette Lund (née Larson) and George Smith. Smith's mother was a fan of a country singer named Kurt (or Curt) in the early 1940s. However, she thought "Kurt Smith" was too short a name, so she added "wood" ("she just tacked it on to the end", he said). Smith has said that he is likely the only Kurtwood.

Smith attended Canoga Park High School, where he was senior class president. He went on to study theater at the College of San Mateo and San Jose State University and earned a drama fellowship from Stanford University's Master of Fine arts program. In the 1970s, he began working regularly with the California Actors Theater in Los Gatos, California. He also attended Santa Clara University. He moved back to Los Angeles to pursue a television and film career.

In 1964, he married Cecilia Souza, with whom he had a son, Shannon Smith, a musician, and a daughter, Laurel Garner, an actress. The couple divorced in 1974.

In 1988, he married actress Joan Pirkle.

Career
Smith notably portrayed the father role as Red Forman on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show, which ran from 1998 to 2006. Coincidentally, Smith later guest starred on an episode of the FOX show House which features a character named Eric Foreman. On That '70s Show, Smith's character's son's name was Eric Forman. After That '70s Show, Smith played Senator Blaine Mayer in the seventh season of the action thriller 24, and portrayed Dick Clayton in the CBS series Worst Week. He enjoyed a recurring role as a rogue FBI agent in Seasons 3-5 of the NBC (later CBS) series Medium, appearing in later episodes as a ghost after his character's death.

Before That '70s Show his other roles included playing Clarence Boddicker, the slimy, lecherous sadist villain in Paul Verhoeven's influential science fiction action movie RoboCop, and Mr. Sue on Fox's "espionage comedy" The New Adventures of Beans Baxter from 1987-89. He also co-starred as the strict father of Robert Sean Leonard's Neil in 1989's Dead Poets Society. He also made a number of appearances in the Star Trek franchise, playing the President of the Federation in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, a Cardassian named Thrax in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Things Past", and a Krenim scientist named Annorax in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Year of Hell".

He also has an extensive voice acting résumé, appearing in computer games such as Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, and FreeSpace 2, and on a number of animated series. He played a recurring role on the claymation series Gary & Mike as the vengeful Officer Dick and voiced the Dinosaur military commander character General Galapagos in the Savage Steve Holland produced Fox animated series Terrible Thunderlizards. He played the voice of Bob Johnson on Squirrel Boy and provided the voice of Kanjar Ro in Green Lantern: First Flight and starred as the sheriff in Last of the Dogmen.

Filmography

 * Soap (1980) ... Guy at laundromat TV series
 * Zoot Suit (1981) ... Sergeant Smith
 * The Renegades (1982) ... Captain Scanlon TV series
 * Going Berserk (1983) ... Clarence
 * Staying Alive (1983) ... Choreographer
 * The A-Team (1984) ... Villain 1
 * Flashpoint (1984) ... Carson
 * Blue Thunder (1984) ... Bill Spradley
 * North and South (TV miniseries) (1986) ... Col. Hram Berdan
 * The Delos Adventure (1986) ... Arthur McNeil
 * 21 Jump Street (1987) ... Federal Agent Spencer Phillips
 * RoboCop (1987) ... Clarence Boddicker
 * The New Adventures of Beans Baxter ... Mr. Sue (leader of the evil spy agency U.G.L.I. [the Underground Government Liberation Intergroup])
 * Rambo III (1988) ... Robert Griggs (embassy field officer)
 * True Believer (1989) ... Robert Reynard
 * The Nightmare Years (1989) ... Dr. Joseph Goebbels
 * Heart of Dixie (1989) ... Professor Flournoy
 * Dead Poets Society (1989) ... Mr. Perry
 * 12:01 PM (1990) ... Myron Castleman
 * Quick Change (1990) ... Russ Crane/Lombino
 * Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) ... Federation President
 * Oscar (1991) ... Lt. Toomey, Chicago PD
 * Company Business (1991) ... Elliot Jaffe, CIA
 * Shadows And Fog (1992) ... Vogel's Follower
 * Fortress (1993) ... Prison Director, Poe
 * The Crush (1993) ... Cliff Forrester
 * Heart and Souls (1993) ... Bankrupt Businessman
 * Boxing Helena (1993) ... Doctor Alan Palmer
 * Big Wave Daves (1993) ... Jack Lord
 * The Terrible Thunderlizards (1993–1997)... General Galapagos
 * Dead on Sight (1994) ... Julian Thompson
 * To Die For (1995) ... Earl Stone
 * Last of the Dogmen (1995) ... Sheriff Deegan
 * Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) ... General Stanley Cooper
 * A Time to Kill (1996) ... Stump Sisson
 * Broken Arrow (1996) ... Secretary of Defense, Baird
 * Citizen Ruth (1996) ... Norm Stoney
 * The X-Files (TV 1996)... Agent Bill Patterson
 * Shelter (1997) ... Tom Cantrell
 * Prefontaine (1997) ... Curtis Cunningham
 * Star Trek Voyager (1997)... Annorax
 * A Bright Shining Lie (1998) (TV Film) ... General Westmoreland
 * Deep Impact (1998) ... Otis Hefter
 * That '70s Show (TV) (1998–2006) ... Red Forman
 * 3rd Rock from the Sun (1999) ... Jacob Solomon (S4 E11)
 * Girl, Interrupted (1999) ... Dr. Crumble
 * Teddy Bears' Picnic (2002) ... Secretary of Transportation, William Easter
 * Everybody Loves Raymond (2002)... Famous Baseball Player
 * Chalkzone (TV) (2005)...Himself (paring-up w/ Stephen Colbert)
 * The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (2004) Grim's Dad
 * Malcolm in the Middle (2004)... Principal Block
 * Justice League (2004)... Galactic Court Judge
 * Robot Chicken (TV) (2005)...Various Voices
 * Squirrel Boy (2006)... Robert \"Bob\" Johnson
 * Medium (TV) (2006)... Agent Edward Cooper
 * Handy Manny (TV) (2007)... Mr. Noodlander
 * Psych (2007)... Captain Conners
 * House MD (2007)... Dr. Obyedkov
 * Worst Week (2008)... Dick Clayton
 * All in the Bunker (2009)... Adolf Hitler
 * 24 (2009)... Senator Blaine Mayer
 * Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)... Kanjar Ro
 * Family Guy (2009)... Himself (Cameo)
 * Neighbors from Hell (2010)... Don Killbride
 * Cedar Rapids (2011)... Orin Helgesson