Career
Although Rupp first appeared on television in 1980, as a topless dancer named Sheila on ''
All My Children'', she got her start in New York City theater. In one of her many stage roles, Rupp performed with the York Theater Company, portraying a young American wife who never feels she is loved "enough" in
Arthur Laurents' ''
The Time of the Cuckoo''. Rupp's performance in the
off-Broadway production, staged at the Church of the Heavenly Rest on
Manhattan's Upper East Side, received praise from
Walter Goodman in a 1986
New York Times review. She continued to devote herself to acting full-time throughout the
1980s, guest-starring on such television shows as ''
Kate & Allie'', ''
Spenser for Hire'', and ''
Blossom''. In 1988, Rupp landed her first role on the big screen as Miss Patterson,
Tom Hanks' secretary in ''
Big''.
In 1990, she returned to the theater to play Mae in ''
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' with Kathleen Turner at New York City's
Eugene O'Neill Theatre. She had recurring roles on television on ''
Davis Rules'', and as
Jerry Seinfeld's somewhat annoying booking agent on ''
Seinfeld''. Rupp also had a small part as a psychiatric patient in the feature film ''
Death Becomes Her'', and then returned to the small screen in the television movies, ''
A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story'' (1992) with
Meredith Baxter and
Stephen Collins, and ''
Ambush in Waco: In the Line of Duty'' (1993). In 1995, Rupp appeared in a three-episode science fiction mini-series, ''
The Invaders'' with Scott Bakula.
From 1995 to 1996, she appeared as
Jeff Foxworthy's sister-in-law Gayle, in ''
The Jeff Foxworthy Show''. Rupp brought her talents to the big screen again in 1996's ''
Sgt. Bilko'', and in 1997, as the office manager in the cult indie hit, ''
Clockwatchers'', which starred
Lisa Kudrow,
Parker Posey, and
Toni Colette.
She made use of her comedic talents in several episodes of ''
Friends'' as Alice Knight, a home economics teacher who fell in love with and married Phoebe Buffay's (
Lisa Kudrow) much younger half-brother, Frank Jr. (
Giovanni Ribisi). It was those performances on ''Friends'' that earned her notice among the ''
That '70s Show'' casting department.
1998 was a busy year for Rupp. Not only was it the year Rupp began her role as
Kitty Forman in the long-running hit comedy series, ''
That '70s Show'', but she also portrayed
Marilyn See, wife of
astronaut Elliott See, in the Emmy Award-winning television mini-series ''
From the Earth to the Moon'', produced by Tom Hanks and directed by Sally Field.
Her distinctive voice was heard as the character of Mrs. Helperman in Disney's animated series ''
Teacher's Pet'' in 2000, and again for the 2004 movie version. In 2004, Rupp also appeared as
Brad Hunt's nagging mother in ''
Lucky 13'', an independent film starring
Lauren Graham. She then returned to ''
All My Children'' for one episode in
December 2005, playing a homeless woman named Victoria. ''
That '70s Show'' ended its run in 2006, after which Rupp appeared in a more serious role, in an episode of ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' entitled "Infiltrate." In it, she portrayed the wife of a murdered pharmaceutical CEO, desperately attempting to hide her late husband's past sexual abuses.
Well-known among
New York City theater aficionados, Rupp's long list of stage credits includes Off-Broadway appearances in
Terrence McNally's ''
Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune'' and
Cynthia Heimel's ''
A Girl’s Guide to Chaos'', in which she originated the role of Cynthia. Like most New York City theater actors, she also performed in numerous regional stage productions, including ''
Ring Round the Moon'' at
Barrington Stage Company, ''
Noises Off'' at the
Cape Playhouse, ''
Blithe Spirit'' with Olympia Dukakis, and ''
Wall of Water'' at
Yale Repertory Theatre.
Early 2007 saw the release of the feature film, ''
Kickin It Old Skool'', in which Rupp played
Jamie Kennedy's mother. In the summer of 2007, she returned to her
Off-Broadway theater roots as Valerie in the
Second Stage Theatre production of
Marisa Wegrzynat's ''
The Butcher of Baraboo'', directed by
Judith Ivey. The character of Valerie is suspected of having a hand in the disappearance of her husband. While the play and the direction received lukewarm reviews, Rupp's performance did garner some praise, mostly for having risen above the lackluster material.