Danny Masterson on AllMovie

If you could put a face to the term "smart aleck," it would likely resemble that of That '70s Show star Danny Masterson. Taking sarcasm to a new level with his role as the shaggy-side-burned Steven Hyde, Masterson has become a familiar face to millions of television viewers with his popular character on the enduring retro series. A native of Albertson, Long Island, NY, who was a mere four years old when he got his start in the film industry as a child model, Masterson subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where he made the leap to television with appearances in numerous commercials. The increasingly in-demand actor dropped out of the public-school system in the tenth grade and opted for a tutor when his workload began to infringe upon his education, and though he would pursue an education at the Pasadena Art Center, he was forced to drop out after one semester when work and school became too much to bear. Television work on Cybill, Roseanne, and NYPD Blue was quick to follow, and in 1997, the up-and-coming star could be seen getting a pummeling from John Travolta in director John Woo's Face/Off. The following year, That '70s Show made its debut on FOX television, launching the young actor into the public eye as a close friend of the Forman family. Roles in such high-profile features as The Faculty and Dracula 2000 served to balance parts in more obscure films, including Wild Horses and Dirt Merchant (in which he played the eponymous character). Though Masterson would remain on That '70s Show well into the new millennium, he continued to branch out with a number of smaller, independent features. Outside of his acting career, Masterson has frequently been spotted behind the turntables of some of L.A.'s hottest nightclubs -- spinning the grooves under the guise of his alter ego, DJ Donkey Punch. And while it may be a bit of an overstatement to say that Masterson's film career "took off" after That 70's Show went off the air in 2006, he did remain active on the silver screen -- and even managed to display some versitility -- with roles in such films as Smiley Face, Made for Each Other, Teh Bridge to Nowhere, California 10, and The Chicago 8.