Iowa History Daily: On February 7, 1978, actor Ashton Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids. Most famous for his role as Kelso on the iconic hit television program “That 70’s Show,” Kutcher’s career spans a wide-variety of film and tv roles.
Born to Larry and Diane Kutcher, Ashton Kutcher spent his early life in the seat of Linn County. An attendee of Cedar Rapids Washington High School during his freshman year, Kutcher spent the rest of his high school career at Clear Creek-Amana when his family moved to Homestead.
After high school, Kutcher enrolled at the University of Iowa and spent the summers working at the General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids. During a night out at the Airliner in Iowa City, a talent scout encouraged Kutcher to enter the “Fresh Faces of Iowa” contest. He won, and he soon decided to move west to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career in acting.
Cast in the role of Michael Kelso in the sitcom “That 70s Show” during 1998, the role launched Kutcher toward national fame over the show’s eight year run. A run of films including “Dude, Where’s My Car?” and “The Butterfly Effect,” paired with an MTV prank show called “Punk’d” to continue to cast the limelight on Kutcher. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
