You are probably extremely familiar with the actor who played the character of Fez if you are a fan of the legendary television program That ’70s Show. And if not, you will undoubtedly recognize actor Wilmer Valderrama from NCIS, the long-running program in which he has appeared.
Being born in Florida but having his family move to their native Venezuela before returning to the United States when he was still a teenager made it tough for Valderrama to speak English.
The actor recalls that time in his life as being enjoyable despite all the obstacles that stood in their way of pursuing the American dream.
“I’m an idiot, my mom is a larger clown than my dad, and my dad is a clown. Growing up in that family was quite enjoyable and humorous, and despite tragedy, there was always enough of laughter around, he said.
No matter how upsetting anything was, “my parents always made sure there was a different way of looking at it,” he continued.
“They gave us a sense of humor to disarm the trauma that comes with moving to a country, with being silenced, with being viewed as less than because you have a strong accent,” the author says.
When the family’s automobile was stolen, Valderrama’s father’s displeasure with his son’s job decision and desire for a business career suddenly vanished.
In response, I said, “Mom, Dad, don’t worry because I’m going to be a renowned actor,” Valderrama remembered. “Seeing my dad anxious, seeing my mom become emotional.
“And at two in the morning, my dad just looked at me with a smile, really, really stressed—but able to manage a smile—and he said, ‘Okay mijo, you can do that.’”
English was less of a barrier when Valderrama attended William Howard Taft Charter High School in Los Angeles after the family relocated there.
He earned the pivotal part of Fez in the renowned That ’70s Show before graduating.
“I remember when I got That ’70s Show, it was a big deal for my family and a big deal for me,” he said to Yahoo. But I actually had no idea what it stood for.
The character of Fez has significance for many people in addition to Valderrama, who played the part. Many people could relate to him because he struggled with assimilation and eventually succeeded.
“I didn’t know that eventually [Fez] was going to be representing so many of us, coming to a country to learn a culture and to assimilate,” said Valderrama. “I’ve had lots of people come up to me and say, ‘When I saw [Fez] on television, I felt like I existed.’”
The program eventually attained the status of iconic, also featuring Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher. Many of the actors became well-known and had prosperous Hollywood careers as a result. For it, Valderrama received five nominations for American Latino Media Arts Award and three Teen Choice Awards for TV, including Choice Actor: Comedy and Choice TV Sidekick.
The cast members will reprise their roles and make cameos in the upcoming That ’90s Show on Netflix series.
In an earlier interview with Deadline this year, Valderrama said, “I’m a little busy now, but I support them so much. “I want them to succeed. I only have the finest intentions for them. I would never refuse a request if the time was perfect.
After the series, Valderrama worked on a variety of other projects, including Party Monster, Fast Food Nation, Quentin Tarantino’s first original series, From Dusk Til Dawn: The Series, and the 2011 movie Larry Crowne, which starred Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks.
He was hired to play Special Agent Nick Torres in NCIS in 2016.
“I was incredibly thrilled that they had called me to join the cast, and I was really humbled that they had… I arrived in Los Angeles and finished a pilot for CBS Studios called Four Stars. The pilot didn’t go forward, but I was incredibly flattered and honored that they had seen my performance in the pilot and had extended an invitation for me to join the cast of the show to perhaps take NCIS to a completely new level.
I was therefore thrilled about the prospect. I was honored to be able to collaborate with Mark Harmon since I simply have the utmost regard for him. It was quite wonderful to me to see what that show did for television because it was truly, genuinely groundbreaking and it’s still going strong.
“I did speak with the showrunner and asked, ‘Where are we heading next? What will happen in NCIS’s upcoming book? What are we going to do if I join because I want to attempt setting some crap on fire? What I stated was that. You know, trying to break some shit,” he continued. “And they responded, ‘Listen, that’s what we want. to cause a disturbance. And we want to change a few things. So that was exciting to me. But I’m grateful, thrilled, and pleased to be a member of a family that has been around for so long.
Along with being an actor, Valderrama is actively involved in a number of organizations and is renowned for having a good heart. He is on the Voto Latino board and represents the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute as its spokesman. The Ready 2 Lead program was started by Valderrama with the intention of educating and empowering young Latinos. The actor, 43, received an ALMA Award for outstanding Social Activism in 2013.
“I simply keep at my job. As long as I wake up in the morning and go to work, it’s great if that inspires someone. I’ve done my part if I can make people believe they can succeed too, Valderrama told HOMBRE.
When it comes to his private life, Valderrama has been dating Lindsay Lohan, Mandy Moore, Minka Kelly, and Demi Lovato, amongst others. But it was in 2019 that he met the love of his life, scuba divemaster Amanda Pacheco. He asked her to marry him on New Year’s Day, 2020 when he proposed with a pear-shaped diamond ring set on a pave diamond band.
The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Nakano Oceana Valderrama, on February 15, 2021. She was named after the Japanese city where they first declared their love for one another.
“The name was exciting to figure out because, you know, everyone is gonna have an opinion,” Wilmer told People.
“When we said the name, it created an unbelievable debate in our family. Some people thought it was off the wall, and others thought that it was just serendipitous and so beautiful.”
The beautiful family of three resides in the San Fernando Valley area just outside of central Los Angeles. Allegedly, they bought the house from actor Chuck Norris.
“My forever home, the home where I would see my kids grow up,” he told Architectural Digest.
We wish Wilmer Valderrama and his family only the best life brings.
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