Stephen Root Biography
Summary
"Stephen Root" (born November 17, 1951) is an American actor. He is principally known for his comedic work, but has won acclaim for his occasional dramatic roles.
Early life
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.
Career
Among his most recognized television roles are eccentric billionaire Jimmy James on the sitcom "NewsRadio" and as the voice of depressed Army barber Bill Dauterive and Hank Hill's skirt-chasing boss Buck Strickland (of Strickland Propane) on the animated television series "King of the Hill" (Root originally auditioned for the role of Dale). He had a recurring role on the final two seasons of "The West Wing" as Republican campaign consultant Bob Mayer. His most recognizable film roles to date are as the mumbling, quirky Milton Waddams in "Office Space", as the mild-mannered gymrat Gordon Pibb in "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story", as Suds, a drunk sports writer, in "Leatherheads", and as the dimwitted principal in the 2008 Judd Apatow produced comedy "Drillbit Taylor".
Root is a favorite of the Coen Brothers; He 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.
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 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.' He took on the biographical role of Richard A. Clarke in "The Path to 9/11". In 1992 Root appeared on the TV series Night Court as Mr Willard. In the 1993-1994 television season, Root appeared as 'R.O.' ,as a series regular, on the Beau Bridges/Lloyd Bridges comedy/western series, "Harts of the West" on CBS.
He also guest starred as a bank manager in the "Seinfeld" episode 'The Invitations,' handling Kramer's hello greeting issue. He had another guest appearance role in the "CSI" episode 'Homebodies' as the father of a rape victim. Root had another series 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 "In the Heat of the Night" episode 'A Love Lost' (1993).
Root also has an active career as a voice artist. Aside from his roles in "King of the Hill", he has played various characters in animated films, such as "Ice Age", "Finding Nemo", and "Courage the Cowardly Dog". In other animated television, series regular roles include: Commander Chode in "Tripping the Rift" and Homebase in "The X's". Additionally, he has provided guest-starring vocal talent in animated television series, like "Chowder" and "Teen Titans".
Recently, Root has appeared in HBO's new series "True Blood" as a vampire named Eddie. He also had a multi-episode arc in the second season of "Pushing Daisies" on ABC, playing the mysterious Dwight Dixon.
External links
(Interview) The Oregon Herald
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Stephen Root.
