What is Debra Jo Rupp's Net Worth?
Debra Jo Rupp is an American actress of the screen and stage who has a net worth of $5 million. Debra Jo Rupp is best known for playing Kitty Forman on the Fox television sitcom "That '70s Show," and later on its Netflix sequel series "That '90s Show." She has also had notable roles on such shows as "Friends," "Better with You," "The Ranch," "WandaVision," and "Agatha All Along." Rupp's other credits include the films "Big" and "She's Out of My League" and the stage plays "Becoming Dr. Ruth," "Kimberly Akimbo," and "The Cake."
Early Life and Education
Debra Jo Rupp was born on February 24, 1951 in Boxford, Massachusetts. There, she attended Masconomet Regional High School, graduating in 1969. Rupp went on to attend the University of Rochester in New York.
Television Career
Rupp had her first credited television role in 1987, in an episode of "Spenser: For Hire." Over the subsequent years, she appeared in episodes of such shows as "Kate & Allie," "The Equalizer," "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," and "Newhart." Rupp had a more substantial role in 1991, playing Ms. Higgins in the first season of the sitcom "Davis Rules." She also made her first of three appearances on the NBC sitcom "Empty Nest." In 1992, Rupp was in the television film "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story," as well as in episodes of the sitcoms "Blossom" and "Great Scott!" The following year, she had guest roles on "Evening Shade," "Family Matters," and "L.A. Law," and began a recurring role on the ABC sitcom "Phenom." Rupp had her first main television role in 1995, on the short-lived CBS sitcom "The Office." Also that year, she had recurring roles on the sitcoms "If Not for You" and "The Jeff Foxworthy Show," and a supporting role in the Fox miniseries "The Invaders." Rupp landed her next recurring role in 1997, as home economics teacher Alice Knight on the sitcom "Friends," then in its fourth season. Her character ended up marrying Giovanni Ribisi's character Frank Jr. Meanwhile, Rupp appeared in episodes of "7th Heaven," "Touched by an Angel," and "Over the Top," and portrayed astronaut wife Marilyn See in the award-winning miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon."
Rupp began her most famous role in 1998, as mother Kitty Forman on the Fox sitcom "That '70s Show." She starred alongside Kurtwood Smith, Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, and Wilmer Valderrama, among others. "That '70s Show" was very popular, running for eight seasons through 2006. While the show was still on, Rupp voiced the character Ms. Helperman on the Disney animated sitcom "Teacher's Pet." She also appeared in episodes of "The Hughleys" and "The Tracy Morgan Show." Later in the decade, Rupp had a recurring role on the soap opera "As the World Turns." She had her next main role from 2010 to 2011, as Vicky Putney on the ABC sitcom "Better with You." During the remainder of the decade, Rupp had guest roles on such shows as "Hart of Dixie," "He's With Me," "Elementary," "NCIS: Los Angeles," and "Grey's Anatomy." She also had recurring roles on the sitcom "The Ranch" and the drama series "This is Us." Rupp had another recurring role in 2021, as Sharon Davis in the Disney+ miniseries "WandaVision." She later reprised her role in the 2024 spinoff miniseries "Agatha All Along." Meanwhile, from 2023 to 2024, Rupp reprised her role as Kitty Forman on "That '90s Show," the Netflix sequel series to "That '70s Show."
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Film Career
In 1988, Rupp made her feature film debut as secretary Miss Patterson in the Tom Hanks film "Big." Her next major film was 1992's "Death Becomes Her," in which she had a small part as a psychiatric patient. After that, Rupp played Mrs. Hall in the 1996 comedy "Sgt. Bilko." In 1997, she played office manager Barbara in "Clockwatchers." Rupp followed that with a brief role in the 1998 buddy comedy science-fiction film "Senseless."
Rupp returned to the big screen in 2004 to voice characters in "Teacher's Pet" and "Garfield: The Movie." Also that year, she starred in the award-winning short film "The Act." Rupp went on to play the mother of Brad Hunt's main character in the 2005 romcom "Lucky 13." Her subsequent credits included the comedies "Spymate," "Air Buddies," and "Kickin' it Old School." In 2008, she appeared in the musical film "Jackson." Among Rupp's other film credits are the 2010 romcom "She's Out of My League" and the 2012 comedy "She Wants Me."
(Photo by Emma McIntyre/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Theater Career
Rupp started acting on stage in the early 1980s. She came to the attention of critics in 1986 for her performance in an off-Broadway production of "The Time of the Cuckoo." Not long after that, Rupp earned even greater recognition when she originated the role of Cynthia in the play "A Girl's Guide to Chaos." She went on to act in several regional stage productions over the next few years, including "The Wall of Water." In 1990, Rupp returned to New York to play Mae in the Broadway revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Later in the decade, she went to Los Angeles to appear in the play "Broken Bones."
In 2004, Rupp appeared in a production of "Noises Off" in Massachusetts. A couple of years later, she acted in a Massachusetts production of "Ring Round the Moon." Rupp returned to the New York stage in 2007 to appear in an off-Broadway production of "The Butcher of Baraboo." Back in Massachusetts two months later, she acted in a revival of "Morning's at Seven." Rupp subsequently appeared in such plays as "A Flea in Her Ear," "To Kill a Mockingbird," and "True West," all in Massachusetts.
In Connecticut in the summer of 2012, Rupp starred as renowned sex therapist and talk show host Dr. Ruth Westheimer in the new play "Dr. Ruth, All the Way." She went on to reprise the role in the off-Broadway play "Becoming Dr. Ruth," which premiered in 2013. For her work, Rupp earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance. After that, she appeared in such shows as "Annapurna," "Kimberly Akimbo," and "Love Letters." In 2017, Rupp made her debut as Della in "The Cake," a role she continued playing through 2019. She received a Drama League Award nomination for her work.
Personal Life
Rupp divides her time between Los Angeles, California and Lee, Massachusetts. She has homes in both places so she can keep up with television, film, and theatrical projects.
