Biography for
Kurtwood Smith More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

3 July 1943, New Lisbon, Wisconsin, USA

Birth Name

Kurtwood Larson Smith

Nickname

Woody
Kurt
Wood

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Spouse

Joan Pirkle	(5 November 1988 - present)
Cecilia Souza	(26 June 1964 - 1974) (divorced) 2 children

Trivia

Has played three different characters in the Star Trek universe: the Federation President in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Thrax on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993) and Annorax on "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995).

Attended Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California

"Kurtwood" is his real first name. According to an interview with Smith on Caroline Rhea's syndicated television show (8 April 2003), his 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", said Smith. He noted that he's likely the only Kurtwood.

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.

Presented actress Barbara Bain with the California Lottery's "Hero in Education" Award on "The Big Spin" show on December 18, 2004.

Currently doing voice work for the Chicago White Sox in a series of radio ads.

Tends to play well meaning but stubbornly misguided characters, like "Mr. Perry" on Dead Poets Society (1989) and the Captain-Nemo-like alien "Annorax" on "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995).

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".

Has one granddaughter named Abby.

Kurtwood's daughter, Laurel Garner, is also an actress.

Played two heavies named Clarence: "Going Berserk" (1983) and "RoboCop" (1987).

Was considered for the role of Al Bundy on "Married with Children" (1987).

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).

Graduated from Canoga Park High School, Canoga Park, California class of 1961. (Bryan Cranston graduated from the same school, class of 1974).

Personal Quotes

I love playing villains. When you're a bad guy, you get to do many real nasty things. It's a lot of fun.