Kurtwood Larson Smith was born on the 3rd July 1943, in New Lisbon, Wisconsin USA. He is a film and television actor, who is probably best known for appearing in roles such as Clarence Boddicker in the film “RoboCop” (1987), as Red Forman in the TV series “That ‘70s Show” (1998-2006), and playing James Gordon in the TV series “Beware The Batman” (2013-2014). His acting career has been active since 1978.
Have you ever wondered how rich Kurtwood Smith is, as of mid- 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the total size of Smith’s net worth is currently as high as $10 million, which has been accumulated through his successful career in the entertainment industry as an actor.
Kurtwood Smith Net Worth $10 Million
Kurtwood Smith spent his childhood in the San Fernando Valley; the son of Mabel Annette Lund and George Smith. He attended Canoga Park High School, from which he matriculated in 1961. Later, he enrolled at San Jose State College, where he graduated with a BA degree in 1965, and then he graduated with a MFA degree in 1969 from Stanford University.
His career really began in the late 1970s, firstly on stage, but he then managed to transfer his talents to screen. Some of his famous theater performances include roles in such productions as “Billy Budd”, “Green Grow The Lilacs”, and “Idiot`s Delight”, among others. These were a good basis to his net worth. He made his screen debut in a minor role in the film “Roadie” (1980), and since then he has featured in more than 140 film and TV titles, which represent the main source of his net worth.
Through the 1980s he featured in several films and TV series, but most popular roles he had were in the film “RoboCop” (1987), as Clarence Boddicker, as Mr. Sue in the TV series “The New Adventures of Beans Baxter” (1987), then as Griggs in “Rambo III” (1988) with Sylvester Stallone, and Mr. Perry in Peter Weir`s film “Dead Poets Society” (1989) with Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke, which increased his net worth by a large margin. In the 1990s, Kurtwood’s career reached a whole new level, as he began to appear in high profile films and TV series; he began with a role in “The Crush” (1993), and continued with appearances in the films “Citizen Ruth” (1996) with Laura Dern and Swoosie Kurtz, “Prefontaine” (1997) with Jared Leto and R. Lee Emery, and in 1998 he was selected for the role of Red Forman in the TV series “That 70`s Show” (1998-2006), which largely increased his net worth, but also boosted his popularity further.
He started the 2000s with brief roles in TV series, until 2001 when he was selected for the role of Agent James Benet in the TV series “The Zeta Project” (2001-2002). After the “That 70`s Show” ended, Kutwood featured in the TV series “Medium” (2006-2009), and in 2008 he appeared in the film “Play Or Be Played”. To speak further of Kurtwood`s accomplishments, in 2009 he appeared as Senator Blaine Mayer in the TV series “24”, and the following year in the film “Hitched”. His next big role was in the TV series “Resurrection” (2014-2015), and most recently he ws cast in another TV series, entitled “Agent Carter” (2016).
Kurtwood`s net worth has also increased thanks to his voice-over work, as he lent his voice to characters from such animated TV series and films as “Beware the Batman” (2013-2014), “Regular Show” (2012-2016), and “Neighbors from Hell” (2010), among others. When it comes to speak about his personal life, Kurtwood Smith has been married to Joan Pirkle since 1988; the couple’s current residence is in Glendale, California. Previously, he was marriedto Cecilia Souza (1964 to 1974), with whom he has two children – one of them is Laurel Garner, who is also an actress.
RoboCop, Dead Poets Society, Rambo III, Citizen Ruth, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, True Believer, The Crush, Hitchcock, A Time to Kill, Girl, Interrupted, Boxing Helena, Broken Arrow, Deep Impact, Cedar Rapids, To Die For, Last of the Dogmen, Company Business, Fortress, Green Lantern: Fir...
TV Shows
That '70s Show, Resurrection, Worst Week, Squirrel Boy, Neighbors from Hell, Beware the Batman, The Zeta Project, Big Wave Dave's, Eek! The Cat, CHAOS, Agent Carter, The Renegades, Battle Force: Andromeda
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Trademark
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Often plays menacing, sinister villains
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Often plays leaders and authority figures
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Bald head and bold blue eyes
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Deep authoritative voice
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Quote
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I love playing villains. When you're a bad guy, you get to do many real nasty things. It's a lot of fun.
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Fact
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Joan Pirkle, the second wife of actor Kurtwood Smith appeared opposite him in 1987's RoboCop (1987) as the secretary he hits on before trying to arrest Ronny Cox's character Dick Jones.
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Currently lives in Glendale, California.
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Has one granddaughter, named Abby.
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Is a huge fan of video games.
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In the 20th Anniversary DVD release of RoboCop (1987), he claimed that the scene where he was taken into the precinct was the first scene he had done, and proposed the spitting of blood and swearing to give the scene more punch.
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Originally auditioned for the role of Dick Jones in RoboCop (1987), and when he found out he had been cast, he thought that was the role he had gotten. He later found out that he would be playing Clarence Boddicker.
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Despite being known for playing villains and generally unlikable characters, he is known to co-stars and crew members as an extremely nice and friendly man who is nothing like the characters he plays.
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His mother named him "Kurtwood" because she felt there already too many people named Kurt.
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Received his Master's degree in Fine Arts from Stanford University in Stanford, California (1969).
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Received his Bachelor's degree in Theatre from San Jose State College in San Jose, California (1965).
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Attended and graduated from Canoga Park High School in Canoga Park, California (1961).
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Has played the father of Eric Forman on That '70s Show (1998) and played the father of a patient treated by Dr. Eric Foreman on House M.D. (2004).
Kurtwood's daughter, Laurel Garner, is also an actress.
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Parents are George Smith and Mabel Annette Lund.
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Won the role of Red Foreman on That '70s Show (1998) when the original choice, Chuck Norris, was unavailable because of his commitment to filming Walker, Texas Ranger (1993). Set near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was the only cast member to actually be from the state. Wisconsin is a Native American term for "land of red stone".
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Tends to play well-meaning but stubbornly misguided characters, like Mr. Perry in Dead Poets Society (1989) and the Captain-Nemo-like alien Annorax on Star Trek: Voyager (1995).
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Currently doing voice-over work for the Chicago White Sox in a series of radio ads.
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Presented actress Barbara Bain with the California Lottery's "Hero in Education" Award on "The Big Spin" show on December 18, 2004.
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His son, Shannon Smith, who goes by the stage name Dr. Sauce, hosted a radio show at Stanford University in the mid-to-late 1990s and played guitar in a band called The Vulcaneers.
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"Kurtwood" is his real first name. According to an interview with Smith on Caroline Rhea's syndicated television show (April 8, 2003), his mother was a huge 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", said Smith. He noted that he is likely the only Kurtwood.
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Attended and graduated from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California.