Debra Jo Rupp’s Biography
Debra Jo Rupp is an American actress who gained recognition for her lead role as Kitty Forman on the Fox comedy series That ’70s Show (1998-2006) and its follow-up on Netflix, That ’90s Show (2023-present).
Rupp grew up in Boxford, Massachusetts and completed her education at Masconomet Regional High School, graduating in 1969.
Career
In 1979, Debra Jo Rupp left Massachusetts to chase after an acting career in New York City. She frequently graced the stage and took part in commercials before landing her initial television character in 1980, playing Sheila, a stripper, on the daytime soap opera All My Children.
Previously that year, Rupp took on the role of Helen in Sharon Tipsword’s comedic play “Second Verse,” where she portrayed the spouse of an unfaithful partner. This production was featured in a play festival held at the Nat Horne Theater in New York.
In 1985, she also had a remarkable role as the youthful Eleanor in A. R. Gurney’s play The Middle Ages, which was put on by the Whole Theater Company in Montclair, New Jersey, founded by Olympia Dukakis.
Debra Jo Rupp has an extensive resume in theatre, including roles in Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune and Cynthia Heimel’s A Girl’s Guide to Chaos.
Her breakthrough role on Broadway was portraying Cynthia in 1986, a character inspired by Heimel’s experiences as a columnist for Playboy and The Village Voice.
In 1995, she played the role of Jeff Foxworthy’s sister-in-law, Gayle, on The Jeff Foxworthy Show. She also appeared alongside Scott Bakula in science fiction miniseries The Invaders and played the bothersome booking agent, Katie, on an episode of Seinfeld (which she later returned to in 1996).
Debra Jo Rupp played the role of Alice Knight, a home economics instructor who developed romantic feelings for Frank Jr. (played by Giovanni Ribisi), the younger half-brother of Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), in multiple episodes of Friends.
In 1998, she took on the character of Kitty Forman in the humorous sitcom That ’70s Show. Additionally, she portrayed Marilyn See, the spouse of astronaut Elliot See, in the eleventh episode of the Emmy-winning television miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, which was produced by Tom Hanks and directed by Sally Field.
Following the conclusion of That ’70s Show in 2006, Rupp took on a serious TV role as the spouse of a pharmaceutical executive who was killed on the crime show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In the episode titled “Infiltrated”, Rupp’s character tries to conceal her husband’s history of sexual misconduct. She also appeared in the movie Kickin It Old Skool in early 2007, playing the role of Jamie Kennedy’s mother.
Debra Jo Rupp became a cast member of the mini-series WandaVision in 2021, playing the character of Mrs. Hart, the neighbor of Wanda and Vision. She will also appear in the spin-off series, Agatha All Along.
Additionally, Rupp reprised her role as Kitty Forman in That ’90s Show, a spin-off of That ’70s Show. Filming for the first season took place in 2022 and it was released in early 2023.
Personal Life
According to an interview, Debra Jo Rupp is a Methodist and has two houses. One is located in Lee, Massachusetts and she resides there while working on theatrical projects in New York. Her second home is in Los Angeles, where she stays while working on television and film projects.
Net Worth
American actress Debra Jo Rupp has a net worth of $5 million. After her successful role in the 1986 Broadway show “A Girl’s Guide to Chaos”, she received numerous offers for stage productions and requests from Los Angeles for parts in different pilots.
