Wilmer Valderrama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wilmer Valderrama
Valderrama at the 2012 VidCon
Born	Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama (1980-01-30) January 30, 1980 (age 45) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Actor activist
Years active	1998–present
Children	1

Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama (born January 30, 1980) is an American actor. He is well-known for playing Fez in the TV show That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006. He also stars as Special Agent Nick Torres in NCIS since 2016.

Wilmer Valderrama has lent his voice to popular animated characters. He voiced Agustín Madrigal in the Disney movie Encanto. He was also the voice of Manny from the animated series Handy Manny (2006–2013).

Beyond acting, Valderrama is active in helping others. He travels as a Global Ambassador for the United Service Organizations (USO). He also works with the voting rights group Voto Latino and helped start the non-profit organization Harness.

Early life and beginnings

Wilmer Valderrama was born in 1980 in Miami, Florida. His father is from Venezuela, and his mother is from Colombia.

Wilmer started acting in plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream. He first appeared in a Spanish-language commercial. With help from his drama teacher, he got an agent. Soon after, he was cast in the CBS miniseries Four Corners. He also appeared on Omba Mokomba on the Disney Channel. His first big movie role was in Summer Catch.

Acting career highlights

Television roles

Wilmer Valderrama played Fez on That '70s Show for eight years, from 1998 to 2006. He was still in high school when they filmed the first episode. He also hosted the MTV show Yo Momma from 2006 to 2007. He appeared several times on Punk'd, a show hosted by his That '70s Show co-star, Ashton Kutcher.

In 2010, Valderrama was a guest star on the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place. He played Uncle Ernesto, the brother of Theresa Russo. In 2011, he appeared in Royal Pains as an art dealer named Eric Kassabian. He also co-hosted Premios Juventud in 2012.

In 2013, Valderrama joined the cast of From Dusk till Dawn: The Series. In 2016, he became a regular on the popular show NCIS. He plays NCIS Special Agent Nicholas Torres. This role led to him appearing on spin-off shows like NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Hawaiʻi. In 2022, it was announced that Valderrama would make a guest appearance in That '90s Show, a follow-up to That '70s Show.

Voice acting and films

Wilmer Valderrama has done a lot of voice work for animated projects. He voiced Rodrigo in Clifford's Really Big Movie. He is also the main voice for Manny in Disney Channel's Handy Manny series. This show is popular with younger children.

In 2020, he voiced Gaxton in the Disney/Pixar animated movie, Onward. In 2021, he voiced Agustín Madrigal in the Disney animated film Encanto. He also voiced Prince Philippe Charming in the animated film Charming (2018).

He has appeared in several movies, including Beauty Shop (2005) and Larry Crowne (2011).

Music and other projects

In 2011, Wilmer Valderrama released a song called "The Way I Fiesta." He performed it as his fun alter ego, Eduardo Fresco. The music video for the song was directed by Akiva Schaffer. His That '70s Show co-star, Danny Masterson, even made a quick appearance in the video.

Wilmer has also appeared in music videos for other artists. These include "Imagínate" by Wisin & Yandel and "Really Don't Care" by Demi Lovato. He has mentioned that he is working on more music in both Spanish and English.

Wilmer Valderrama also has his own production company, WV Entertainment. He also launched a men's fashion line called "Calavena" in 2007.

Helping others: Activism and philanthropy

Supporting the troops: USO

Since 2007, Wilmer Valderrama has been very involved with the United Service Organizations (USO). The USO helps support U.S. military members and their families. He has traveled over 46 times to visit troops in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, and South Korea. In 2021, he was named a USO Global Ambassador.

Harnessing change

In 2017, Valderrama co-founded an organization called Harness. He started it with America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams. Harness aims to improve how different communities are shown and heard. Their "Be Counted" campaign encourages the Latino community to fill out U.S. census forms.

Promoting voting: Voto Latino

Valderrama has worked with the non-profit group Voto Latino since it started in 2004. This organization works to encourage more people to vote. They also help people register to vote at different events. Wilmer is currently part of the organization's impact council.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute

From 2009 to 2012, Valderrama was a spokesperson for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's Ready to Lead program. This program helps young Hispanic leaders.

Essential Voices podcast

In July 2021, Valderrama started a podcast called Essential Voices with Wilmer Valderrama. This iHeartRadio podcast shares the stories and experiences of essential workers.

Personal life and interests

Wilmer Valderrama is engaged to Amanda Pacheco. They announced in December 2020 that they were expecting their first child. Their daughter was born on February 15, 2021.

Wilmer is also a car collector. He owns the original 1969 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser car that was used in That '70s Show. He bought it for $500 when he found out the show was ending.

Filmography

Film roles

Television roles

Music videos

Discography

Singles

Images for kids

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  Valderrama at the 2012 VidCon

See also

In Spanish: Wilmer Valderrama para niños