Although born in Miami, Valderrama moved with his family to Venezuela at an early age. When he returned to the U.S. at age 13, he moved to Los Angeles and joined his school's theater department to help him learn English. Valderrama's interest in acting grew and led to his first professional job in a Pacific Bell commercial and his television debut on the Disney Channel's Omba Makomba. In 1998, entertainment imitated life as he landed the breakout role of Fez, a heavily accented foreign exchange student from an unnamed country on the sitcom That '70s Show. During his eight-year run on the show, Valderrama appeared in small roles in a number of teen-oriented features and had tabloid-friendly romances with Mandy Moore and Lindsay Lohan.