Stephen Root (born November 17, 1951) is an American actor. He has starred as Jimmy James on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999), as Milton Waddams in the film Office Space (1999), and voiced Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on the animated series King of the Hill (1997–2010).^[2]

Root has appeared in numerous Coen brothers films including O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), The Ladykillers (2004), No Country for Old Men (2007), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). Other notable film roles include Dave (1993), DodgeBall (2004), Idiocracy (2006), Cedar Rapids (2011), Selma (2014), Trumbo (2015), Get Out (2017), and On the Basis of Sex (2018).

His television roles have included Capt. K'Vada in the Star Trek: The Next Generation two-part episode "Unification" (1991) and Hawthorne Abendsen in seasons 2–4 of the series The Man in the High Castle. He has supporting roles in a variety of HBO series, including Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Perry Mason, and Succession. He starred as Monroe Fuches in the HBO dark comedy series Barry, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2019.

Root was born in Sarasota, Florida, on November 17, 1951, the son of Leona Estelle and Rolland Clair Root, a project superintendent and site manager on major civil engineering projects throughout the US and Mexico. Root has likened his childhood to that of an Army brat, as his family frequently relocated while his father finished each construction project.^[3]

Root graduated from Vero Beach High School in Vero Beach, Florida. He received his Associate of Arts degree from the University of Florida and trained in the Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) acting program. The university recognized him as one of its distinguished alumni in 2008.^[4] Subsequently he was granted a BFA after completion of his final semester based on the quality and character of his acting career, having left college to pursue Broadway theater in his final semester.

Root began his career on stage in 1980, He made his Broadway acting debut in the play Journey's End, playing Second Lieutenant Trotter. He also appeared in All My Sons as Frank Lubey, and as Jon in the 2015 play Marjorie Prime.^[5]

Root made his feature film debut in the 1988 film Crocodile Dundee II as a DEA agent. That same year, he acted in the psychological horror film Monkey Shines as Dean Burbage.^[6] He makes a brief cameo appearance in the 1990 movie Ghost.

Among his most recognized television roles are eccentric billionaire Jimmy James on the sitcom NewsRadio and in a recurring role on the final two seasons of The West Wing as Republican campaign consultant Bob Mayer. He appeared in many comedy films, particularly as the mumbling, quirky Milton Waddams in Office Space;^[7][6] the mild-mannered gym rat Gordon Pibb in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story; Suds, a drunk sportswriter, in Leatherheads; and the dimwitted principal in the 2008 Judd Apatow-produced comedy Drillbit Taylor.

Root is a favorite hire of the Coen brothers. He has appeared in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Ladykillers, No Country for Old Men, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.^[6] Kevin Smith wrote a role in Jersey Girl specifically for Root.

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 took on the biographical role of Richard A. Clarke in The Path to 9/11. He has also had many guest appearances in television programs across several genres. He was Klingon Captain K'Vada in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Unification" in 1991. In the 1993–1994 television season, Root appeared as a series regular as "R.O." on the Beau Bridges/Lloyd Bridges comedy/western series Harts of the West on CBS.

Root guest-starred on Seinfeld as a bank manager in the episode "The Invitations", handling Kramer's hello greeting issue. He had a role in Frasier in the episode "Detour" as the father of the family helping Frasier when his car broke down. In the CSI episode "Homebodies" he played the father of a rape victim. He also had a regular role on the short-lived CBS series Ladies Man, which starred Sharon Lawrence soon after she left NYPD Blue. He played Raymond, a hunting store owner involved in illegal gun trading, in the 1993 In the Heat of the Night episode "A Love Lost."

Root has an active career as a voice actor, most notably as the voice of divorced, down-and-out Army barber Bill Dauterive, Hank Hill's hedonistic boss Buck Strickland and various other characters on the Mike Judge animated television series King of the Hill. Root is also heard in animated films such as Ice Age, Finding Nemo, and Rango. In other animated television series, his regular roles include Commander Chode in Tripping the Rift and Homebase in The X's. He has also provided vocal talent in animated television series like Chowder and Teen Titans. In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, he voiced Woozy Winks and The Penguin.

Root has appeared in HBO's series True Blood as Eddie, a vampire. He had a multi-episode arc in the second season of Pushing Daisies on ABC, playing the mysterious Dwight Dixon. He appeared as Johnny Forreals, inventor of the word "boo-yah," on "Cangamangus", an episode of The Sarah Silverman Program on Comedy Central. He appeared in the 2009 comedy film The Men Who Stare at Goats as Gus Lacey. In 2010, he appeared in a multi-episode arc in season 8 of the Fox television series 24 as a probation officer named Bill Prady and in the FX television series Justified as the eccentric Judge Mike "The Hammer" Reardon. In 2011, he appeared in Robert Redford's The Conspirator, playing John Lloyd, a key witness in the trial of alleged Lincoln conspirator Mary Surratt. In 2012, he began playing the role of Gaston Means in season 3 of the acclaimed HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire. He also portrays Lynn Boyle, father of Charles Boyle on the show Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In 2018, Root began starring in the HBO series Barry, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination^[8] and four nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.^[9]

Root married his first wife Laura Joan Hase in 1984, with whom he had a son, Cody.^[10][7] They divorced in August 1997.^[10] He married actress Romy Rosemont on December 14, 2008.^[11][12] They co-starred together in several television shows such as Fringe and Masters of Sex. They were due to appear on-screen together in the 2011 horror film Red State, but Rosemont was forced to pull out due to a scheduling conflict with Glee.^[11]