- Born
- Height5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
- Stephen Root is an American character actor known for his remarkable versatility across film, television, and voice acting. Born on November 17, 1951, in Sarasota, Florida, Root has built a prolific career spanning several decades, often stealing scenes with his dynamic performances and memorable characters.
Root gained widespread recognition for his role as the mumbling, stapler-obsessed Milton Waddams in the cult-classic comedy Office Space (1999). He also delivered a chilling performance as the blind art dealer Jim Hudson in Jordan Peele's critically acclaimed horror film Get Out (2017). Other notable film appearances include Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), No Country for Old Men (2007), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and multiple collaborations with the Coen Brothers.
On television, Root is perhaps best known for his role as eccentric radio station owner Jimmy James on the sitcom NewsRadio (1995-1999). He has also made significant impressions in dramatic roles, including vampire Eddie Gauthier in True Blood, Gaston Means in Boardwalk Empire, Monroe Fuches in Barry - a performance that earned him critical acclaim and an Emmy nomination - and Hawthorne Abendsen, the enigmatic revolutionary in The Man in the High Castle.
In animation, Root has lent his voice to numerous beloved characters, most notably Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland in King of the Hill, as well as various roles in Rick & Morty, Bob's Burgers, American Dad!, and Batman: The Animated Series.
A true chameleon, Root continues to be one of Hollywood's most respected and reliable character actors, admired for his ability to effortlessly shift between comedy and drama, live-action and voice roles.
- IMDb mini biography by: Colton Gramm
- SpousesRomy Rosemont(December 14, 2008 - present)Laura Joan Hase(1984 - August 1997) (divorced, 2 children)
- ParentsRolland Clair RootLeona Estelle Root
- Often works with writer/director/producer/animator Mike Judge
- Often models a voice or accent for a role.
- With his part as the squirrelly "Milton Waddams" in the cult classic Office Space (1999), Root has developed a fan base; he has said that, from time to time, fans of the movie will either mail him or give him, in person, a red Swingline stapler.
- Donated $100,000 to the University of Florida in 2003 to fund an acting studio, which is now called the Stephen Root Acting Studio.
- He filmed scenes for Kindergarten Cop (1990) that were later cut out of the final film.
- He played a blind character twice: In O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and Get Out (2017).
- He has appeared in four films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Ghost (1990), No Country for Old Men (2007), Selma (2014) and Get Out (2017). No Country for Old Men won in the category.
- I'm actually a Midwest kid. My dad was in construction, so we moved around every couple of years. I've lived in Muncie, Indiana, Sioux City, Iowa, Kansas City MO, Glen Rock, Wyoming; all over the Midwest. My Dad moved down to Florida when I was in senior high. It was cheap to go to college in Florida, so I became a Gator for four years. That's where I started doing theater.
- [on making Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)] Well, it was a lot of hard work. It was like pitching 100 baseballs every day. We were all iced up by the end of the day. It's hard to throw overhand so many times. 'Vince (Vaughn)' started throwing with his left hand one day, because he was just done. It was a very physical shoot. It was fun, but it wasn't without its aches and pains.
- [on coming up with the voice for "Bill", his character on King of the Hill (1997)] I have done a lot of Southern theater; I came out of the University Of Florida. I did do a lot of Southern plays in New York and regional stuff on the East Coast, so I had done "Driving Miss Daisy" and all of these things. So it was kind of an amalgamation of those things. I actually auditioned for "Dale" first. It didn't feel right to me, so I said, "Let me try this guy". That felt a lot more comfortable.
- My whole career, I've tried to bounce back and forth between everything, and not get typed out. I've done a pretty good job of not getting typed. So I'll do a lot of comedy, and then I'll not do comedy for a year, do The West Wing (1999) and then do something else. You have to remind casting directors out here that you don't just do one thing. There's a lot of people who do just one thing.
- (2007) My goal as an actor was to work-to be a working actor, whether it was in theater, and, well, I didn't even consider film and television when I was in New York, but what came along, came along. So, in that sense, I have achieved my goal of being a working actor. And luckily enough, I have recognition to be able to do jobs that I want to do instead of doing jobs for money, which is an enviable position to be in. It's what you work for your whole life anyway, to take jobs that interest you and not jobs that are just crap.
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