What Happened to Topher Grace? The Untold Reason He Left ‘That ’70s Show’

A multiple award-winning American actor, Topher Grace was shot out of the blue to stardom via his role as Eric Forman on That 70’s Show (1998-2006). The beloved Fox period situation comedy show which revolved around six teenagers brought much fun and entertainment to many homes. Co-starring with Grace were five other actors – Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, and Wilmer Valderrama.

However, after stealing many hearts for straight seven seasons, Topher exited the show with no official announcement. This left many fans wondering exactly what became of him. To calm your curiosity, we have gathered tangible facts about Topher Grace’s departure from That 70’s Show; especially the actual reason he left and what he has been up to thereafter.

Topher Grace Before That 70’s Show

He was born as Christopher John Grace on 12th July 1978 in New York City of the United States. While his mother, Pat Grace worked as an assistant to the New Canaan Country School schoolmaster in Connecticut; his father, John Grace was an executive of Madison Avenue in Manhattan, NYC. Topher, alongside his sister and only sibling, Jenny, grew up with their mother in the town of Darien in Connecticut.

Growing up in Darien, Topher Grace had popular actress Chloë Sevigny as an occasional babysitter and Blue Crush‘s star, Kate Bosworth as a middle school friend. Grace attended the Brewster Academy, a boarding high school in New Hampshire. He started significant acting during his days at Brewster where he performed in stage plays and musicals, notable among which were The Pirates of Penzance and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was also during his high school days that he took on “Topher” instead of “Chris” as the short for his name since he hated the latter.

On graduating from high school, Grace gained admission into the University of Southern California. He, however, dropped out after his freshman year to join the cast of That 70’s Show. Producers of the show had spotted him earlier in one of his high school stage performances. With just his high school stage experience and no professional skills, Grace quickly made it to stardom through the series – That 70’s Show, which turned out to be a hit.

What Happened to Topher Grace? The Untold Reason He Left ‘That ’70s Show’

Topher Grace left That 70’s Show after appearing on all of the 179 episodes of its first seven seasons which aired from 23rd August 1998 to 18th May 2006. Here’s why he left:

Producers of the series released Grace after he indicated his desire to discontinue the show following its seventh season. The actor felt it was time for him to try out new opportunities and move on with his career. He also wanted to stay closer to his family after being away for several years for the show’s filming. Topher subsequently bought an apartment in New York City where he settled down to suit his ambitions.

Following his departure, his character of Eric was written out of the series and replaced with a new persona named Randy Pearson. Josh Meyers took on the new role for the 8th and last season of the show which ran from November 2, 2005, to May 18, 2006. Meanwhile, Topher Grace was not the only actor who indicated interest in discontinuing That 70’s Show. His co-star, Ashton Kutcher also did the same. Ashton however, guest-starred on the first four and final episodes of season 8, unlike Topher who only showed up in the finale in an uncredited role.

While appearing on That 70’s Show, Grace also acted in several other projects. These include Traffic (2000), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), In Good Company (2004), Saturday Night Live (2005) and Robot Chicken (2005). He also featured as Eric Forman in Cheap Trick’s 1999 music video, “In The Street”.

Topher Grace After That 70’s Show

Following his departure from That 70’s Show, Topher Grace has featured in numerous other screen works including movies and television series. Prominent among these works are Predators (2010), Take Me Home Tonight (2011), The Beauty Inside (2012), The Calling (2014), American Ultra (2015), Get Shorty (2017), BlacKkKlansman (2018), The Hot Zone (2019), and Breakthrough (2019). Good to note that Topher’s roles on Traffic, In Good Company and BlacKkKlansman earned him two awards each, including a Screen Actors Guild Award. He is also among the cast of the upcoming comedy film, Irresistible.

In addition to films, Grace played a voice role on the Spider-Man 3 video game of 2007. He also appeared in Atomic Tom’s “Don’t You Want Me Baby” music video. Topher is also a movie editor and has produced edited versions of several films, including Star Wars, Boogie Nights, and The Hobbit. He is equally an active supporter of the global non-profit microfinance organization, FINCA International.

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