Who is Red Forman in That '70s Show?

Show

That '70s Show

Played by

Kurtwood Smith

First episode

“That '70s Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1, aired August 23, 1998

Role

Main cast

Network

FOX

Occupation

Navy veteran, Price Mart manager, then muffler shop owner

Show run

1998 to 2006

Also known as

Mr. Forman

Red Forman is the short-fused head of the Forman household, a World War II and Korean War veteran with zero patience for hippies, foreigners, or teenagers in his basement. Played by Kurtwood Smith, he is the show's comic hammer and, now and then, its secret softie.

On That '70s Show, Red Forman's story runs through Kitty Forman (Wife), Eric Forman (Son), Steven Hyde (Foster Son), Fez (Ex-son-in-law), Donna Pinciotti (Neighbor), and Michael Kelso (Son's Friend).

Who is Red Forman?

Red is Kitty's husband and the father of Eric and Laurie. He served in the Navy in both World War II and the Korean War, and he runs his house with military discipline, right down to curfews and no back talk. He loves power tools, hunting, fishing, the newspaper, and above all the Green Bay Packers.

When the show begins he works at the local plant, which shuts down early in season two. He bounces back as a manager at the Price Mart store, and later he buys a muffler shop and tries to run it as a family business. He also becomes a surrogate father to Hyde after the Formans take him in.

Personality and comedy

Red's comedy is pure exasperation. He thinks Eric is soft, Kelso is an idiot, and Fez is a foreigner who should be called anything but his name, and he lets all of them know it. His go-to threat to put his foot somewhere unpleasant and his habit of calling the kids dumbasses became two of the show's most famous running bits.

Kurtwood Smith plays him with a perfectly straight face, which makes the rare cracks in the armor count. Red is a loyal friend to his goofy neighbor Bob, a devoted husband to Kitty, and, when it really matters, a father who shows up for his son.

Key storylines

Red's working life drives several early arcs. The plant closes in season two, and he spends a rough stretch looking for work before landing a managerial job at Price Mart. His health becomes a storyline at the end of season five, when Laurie announces she has married Fez and Red suffers a heart attack, which leads to a long season of Kitty policing his diet and beer.

In season seven he buys a muffler shop and hires Hyde instead of Eric, and in season eight he retires after the shop loses customers. In the finale, after Bob urges them to move to Florida with him, Red and Kitty decide not to sell the house and stay in Point Place.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Kurtwood Smith played Red for all eight seasons and is one of only two original cast members, along with Debra Jo Rupp, who are main cast on the Netflix sequel That '90s Show, which premiered in 2023.

In the sequel, Red and Kitty host their granddaughter Leia for the summer, and Red is just as grumpy with a new generation of teenagers in his basement. The more things change in Point Place, the more Red stays the same.

Red Forman: frequently asked questions

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