July 2023

Actor, producer and activist Wilmer Valderrama has been making audiences laugh, listen and think for nearly two decades. In addition to starring as NCIS Special Agent Nick Torres on NCIS, he is perhaps most recognized for his role as Fez, an exchange student, on the Emmy Award nominated series “That ‘70s Show,” for which he garnered several Teen Choice Awards. He recently reprised his role as Fez on “That ‘90s Show.”

Valderrama is developing a live-action “Zorro” series that he will both star in and executive produce. It’s been a lifelong dream for Valderrama to bring this iconic character to life, and the project marks the return of Zorro to the Disney family. On the big screen, he most recently lent his voice to the hit Academy Award-winning Disney animated film “Encanto,” which topped the box office and has become a cultural phenomenon.

Other recent animation credits include Valderrama voicing Thurman Sanchez in the animated film “Dog Gone Trouble,” which he also executive produced, Gaxton in the Academy Award nominated film “Onward,” the first Latino Prince Charming in the animated film “Charming” and the main character in the hugely popular animated children’s show “Handy Manny,” which introduced preschoolers to Spanish. Other past credits include appearances in the indie-drama “Blast Beat,” which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, “The Ranch,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s television series “From Dusk Till Dawn.”

In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Valderrama was inspired to turn the spotlight on frontline workers after a grocery store encounter and used his platform to give a voice to those being directly impacted by the pandemic with his Instagram Live series, “6 Feet Apart.” These conversations have since morphed into his popular podcast with iHeartRadio, “Essential Voices with Wilmer Valderrama.” Produced by WV Entertainment and Clamor, each episode is broken up into two parts – first an intimate conversation with a frontline worker and then a roundtable with activists, thought leaders and celebrities discussing what each of us can do to help.

Behind the camera, Valderrama partnered with John Pollack to launch Allied Management Group, which focuses on partnering with, collaborating, and representing new and existing Latino voices across traditional and digital media. It was also recently announced that he expanded his role with the My Cultura Podcast Network from iHeartMedia by becoming a shareholder. Valderrama will also help curate the network’s slate of Latinx-focused podcasts and has committed to five new shows that he will executive produce and/or star in. Additionally, he created and produced the MTV series “Yo Momma,” serving as the host for all three seasons. He and his production company, WV Entertainment, along with CBS TV Studios, have multiple projects in development. WV Entertainment, in conjunction with TPlus, will produce “Keep This to Yourself,” an adaptation of Tom Ryan’s YA thriller taking place the year after the notorious Catalog Killer murdered four victims before disappearing.

Valderrama is active with several philanthropic agencies. He, along with America Ferrara and Ryan Piers Williams, co-founded HARNESS, a group dedicated to connecting communities through conversation to inspire action and power change. Additionally, he serves on the board of Voto Latino where he is the co-chair of their artist coalition and is the spokesperson for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and founder of their Ready 2 Lead program, which educates and empowers Latino youth. Valderrama is deeply involved with our military, serving as a USO Global Ambassador, traveling with the USO a multitude of times and participating in over 40 shows domestically and internationally. In 2013, he was honored with an ALMA Award for Outstanding Social Activism.

In 2022 Valderrama received the Trailblazer Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC). He most recently joined the NHMC’s inaugural alliance to promote progress for Latinos from Hollywood to Washington, D.C.

Born in Miami and raised in Venezuela from ages 3 to 13, Valderrama is fluent in Spanish and English. His family relocated to Los Angeles, where he currently resides. His birthday is Jan. 30. Follow him on Twitter @WValderrama and on Instagram @wilmervalderrama.