Stephen Root (born November 17, 1951) is an American actor.
Root was born in Sarasota, Florida, the son of Leona Estelle and Rolland Clair Root, a construction supervisor. He is a graduate of the University of Florida.
Among his most recognized television roles are eccentric billionaire Jimmy James on the sitcom NewsRadio and as the voice of Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on the animated television series King of the Hill. He had a recurring role on the final two seasons of The West Wing as Republican campaign consultant Bob Mayer, for which he received an Emmy nomination. His most recognizable film roles to date are as the mumbling, quirky Milton Waddams in the 1999 comedy film Office Space and as Gordon Pibb in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.
Root is a favorite of the Coen Brothers and has appeared in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Ladykillers, and No Country For Old Men. Kevin Smith wrote a role in Jersey Girl specifically for Root.
He has also voiced various characters in Ice Age, Finding Nemo, and Courage the Cowardly Dog. Root reunited with Mike Judge in Idiocracy and has also portrayed NASA flight director Chris Kraft in the miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. He provides the lead voice of Commander Chode on the Sci Fi Channel's Tripping the Rift, as well as the voice of Homebase of The X's. He has also had many guest appearances in television programs, the most notable being made the Klingon Captain K'Vada in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Unification." He recently played Richard A. Clarke in The Path to 9/11. He guest starred as a bank manager in the Seinfeld episode "The Invitations," handling Kramer's hello greeting issue. He also had a role in the CSI episode "Homebodies" as a father whose daughter is raped, then murdered at the end of the episode.
One of the most prolific character actors working today, Stephen Root has worked alongside many of the biggest names in Hollywood. He was born November 17, 1951, in Sarasota, Florida, and went on to attend the University of Florida during the 1970s. He worked in theater after graduation, first with the National Shakespeare Company before moving up to off-Broadway theater and finally moving on to Broadway. His first acting role on screen came in George A. Romero (I)'s cult horror classic Monkey Shines (1988). After that, many more under-the-radar supporting roles came his way until he found some moderate fame in the acclaimed series "NewsRadio" (1995), where he played the somewhat eccentric owner of a radio station, with Dave Foley (I) as the station manager. The show also introduced him to comedian Andy Dick (I), one of many comedian-actors whom he would work with again later in the 1990s and beyond. The show ran from 1995 to 1999 before it was canceled. Besides the character of Jimmy James on "NewsRadio" (1995), Root has played more eccentric characters in recent years. Root began voicing several characters in the hit animated TV series "King of the Hill" (1997), a show created by and starring Mike Judge (I). Judge would later cast Root in another cult classic film, 1999's Office Space (1999), where Root played the squirrelly and unforgettable Milton Waddams, a man who is pushed around at work and has a fetish for Swingline staplers. More recently Root has worked with such directors as the Coen brothers and Kevin Smith (I) as yet more oddball characters as well as making guest appearances on numerous TV shows.
