Cedar Rapids On Screen

From “wonder child” and tech mogul to the campaign trail and Star Trek.

Cedar Rapids and Cedar Rapidians have been making a mark on big screens, small screens and handheld screens for generations.

Hometown Stars

Ashton Kutcher

  • Born: 1978, Cedar Rapids
  • Known For: That 70s Show, Jobs, The Butterfly Effect, Punk’d, A Lot Like Love, Killers, No Strings Attached, The Ranch, What Happens in Vegas, Two and a Half Men
  • Back in 2017, Kutcher told the Des Moines Register, “The more places I go, the more I realize how great it is here, and the more I realize that I almost owe everything of who I am to where I come from.” And don’t miss Kutcher’s 2022 candid, friendly chat with Kerry Washington about his time in Cedar Rapids and growing up in Iowa.

Elijah Wood

  • Born: 1981, Cedar Rapids
  • Known For: Lord of the Rings, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Radio Flyer, Forever Young, The Goodson, North, Deep Impact, The Faculty, Sin City, Wilfred
  • Back in 2020, Wood told the Des Moines Register, “I hold a great fondness for Iowa and for my childhood while growing up there,” he said, 'It was amazing.” He spoke more with The Guardian about his life and career in 2021.
Cedar Rapids born actors Ashton Kutcher and Elijah Wood being interviewed

Ron Livingston

  • Born: 1967, Cedar Rapids/Marion
  • Known For: Office Space, Drinking Buddies, Boardwalk Empire, The Conjuring, A Million Little Things
  • Back in 2020, Livingston told the Gazette, “We have incredible talent here, and we have incredible talent from here who have gone out to do big things in TV, film and Broadway,” while organizing a disaster relief concert for the community.

Bobby Driscoll

  • Born: 1937, Cedar Rapids; grew up in Los Angeles
  • Known For: The Fighting Sullivans, So Dear to My Heart, Song of the South, Treasure Island, One Hour in Wonderland, Peter Pan
  • Back in 2019, a short documentary was released, Lost Boy: The Bobby Driscoll Story. The documentary tells Driscoll’s story as Walt Disney’s “Wonder Child” and first actor ever placed under contract with the large studio.

Michael Emerson

Born: 1954, Cedar Rapids; Grew up in Toledo, Iowa
Known For: Lost, Person of Interest, Saw, Iceman Cometh, X-Files
Back in 2009, Emerson worked to raise funds for Theatre Cedar Rapids and shared, “There’s a straight line in my career from community theatre, to the Broadway stage and beyond that to TV and film.”

Terry Farrell

Born: 1963, Cedar Rapids
Known For: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Becker
Back in 1993, Farrell spoke about her experience filming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and her acting career.

headshots of famous actors from Cedar Rapids Iowa

Douglas Barr

  • Born: 1949; Cedar Rapids
  • Known For: The Fall Guide, The Wizard, Designing Women, Spaced Invaders, The Unseen Dead Badge
  • Back in 2020, Barr was interviewed about his time on The Unseen and his acting, writing and directing career.

Riley Smith

  • Born: 1978, Cedar Rapids/Marion
  • Known For: True Blood, Nashville, New York Minute, Bring It On, Freaks and Geeks, Motocrossed
  • Back in 2017, Smith spoke with KCRG on Cedar Rapids, his community and music, “When it’s your own community it means so much more and hopefully for me, I hope it means more to them that someone from their area is you know hopefully a role model to them that it's possible to go on and do more with the music.”

PHOTOS: Ashton Kutcher: TechCrunch, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Elijah Wood: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Michael Emerson: Thibault from Paris, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Terry Farrell: Super Festivals, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Bobby Driscoll: 20th Century Fox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Ron Livingston: Ian Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In the Movies

posters for four movies with scenes in Cedar Rapids

American Underdog, 2021

  • The true story about hometown boy, Kurt Warner, and the NFL’s greatest underdog success story featuring Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin and Dennis Quaid. While mostly filmed in Atlanta and Oklahoma City, you will spot some authentic Cedar Rapids b-roll. See the trailer.

Mitt, 2014

  • Catch snippets of Cedar Rapids through this documentary following Mitt Romney and his family throughout the former candidate’s presidential campaign run. See the trailer.

Cedar Rapids, 2011

  • This irreverent comedy features Ed Helms, John C. Reilly and Anne Heche. While the movie is set in Cedar Rapids, it was filmed primarily in Michigan. Although you won’t see our excellent convention center or world class airport, there are some lovely sweeping views, flyovers and b-roll worth a watch. See the trailer.

Twelve Thirty, 2010

  • This coming of age independent film features Broadway star Jonathan Groff. The movie is shot primarily in and around Cedar Rapids. Keep your eyes peeled for Mt. Trashmore in the background.
movie posters for four movies with scenes in Cedar Rapids

The Final Season, 2007

  • Featuring Sean Astin, Powers Boothe, Racheal Leigh Cook, this is the true story of Norway, IA’s baseball team and their journey to their 20th state baseball title in the school’s final season. The movie was shot in Cedar Rapids, Shellsburg, Sutliff and Norway, Iowa. See the trailer.

Incident at Oglala, 1992

  • You’ll find small visual highlights of Cedar Rapids during the trials in this documentary film telling the story of a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. See the trailer.

Miles From Home, 1988

  • A modern-day Robin Hood story starring Richard Gere, Kevin Anderson and Laurie Metcalf, this midwestern tale was filmed entirely on location throughout Iowa featuring, in particular, Cedar Rapids and Worthington. See the trailer.

Starman, 1984

  • Sci-fi romance staring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen, earning Bridges an Academy Award nomination. Keep your eyes peeled for the b-roll shot in Cedar Rapids. See the trailer.

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