Grace was cast as Eric Forman on Fox's That '70s Show, which debuted in 1998. Grace grew up in Darien, Connecticut, where actress Kate Bosworth was a middle-school friend, and actress Chloë Sevigny-who later appeared with him in high school stage plays-was sometimes his babysitter. His paternal grandmother was from a German-Jewish family, whereas his mother is of Irish descent. Grace was born in New York City, the son of Pat, an assistant to the schoolmaster of the New Canaan Country School, and John Grace, a Madison Avenue executive.
