Stephen Root
☼ Born on 17 December (year unknown), in Sarasota, Florida, USA
Biography
Stephen Root, one of today's most prolific character actors, is currently starring in HBO's hit series Barry, for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Emmy Nomination. Barry has been nominated for multiple Emmy's and Golden Globes, and has been renewed through season four. Stephen recently starred in Amazon's drama Uncle Frank (2020) and plays a role in the Michael Morris feature directorial debut To Leslie (2020).
Stephen starred opposite of Nicole Kidman in the Roger Ailes, Fox News sexual harassment scandal, Bombshell (2019). Stephen a pivotal role in the AFI Film Festival winner On the Basis Sex (2018), the Ruth Bader Ginsberg biopic and starred opposite Melissa McCarthy in the New Line hit comedy Life of the Party (2018). Stephen was also part of the talented ensemble in Netflix's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), reuniting with directors Joel & Ethan Coen. Stephen was part of Jordan Peele's box office hit Get Out (2017). Aside from his feature films, Stephen can be seen in his recurring role on HBO's drama Perry Mason (2020), also renewed for a second season, and Amazon's hit drama series The Man in the High Castle (2015).
Root has earned rave reviews for bringing a variety of characters to life in such films as O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Selma (2014), No Country for Old Men (2007), Leatherheads (2008), J. Edgar (2011), Cedar Rapids (2011), and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). He was catapulted into the realm of cult hero when he starred as the p
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ut-upon Milton Waddams in Mike Judge's Office Space (1999). His animated features include Rango (2011), Finding Nemo (2003), Finding Dory (2016), Ice Age (2002) & Ice Age: The Melt Down (2006), and The Country Bears (2002).
Root starred as the eccentric station owner, Jimmy James, for five seasons on NBC's NewsRadio (1995-99). Stephen has also recurred on FX's Justified (2010), Boardwalk Empire (2010), Turn: Washington's Spies (2014), Idiotsitter (2016), True Blood (2008), 24 (2001), West Wing (1999) and Pushing Daisies (2007). His many memorable guest appearances include Veep (2012), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2017), Big Bang Theory (2018), Angie Tribeca (2016), Fringe (2008), Raising Hope (2010), Children's Hospital (2010), CSI (2000), and Louie (2010).
Root was the voice of Bill Dauterieve and Mr. Strickland on FOX's Emmy-winning hit animated series King of the Hill (1997) for an impressive 13 seasons. He has also lent his voice to several animated series including Kevin Smith's revival of Masters of the Universe (2021), Amphibia (2019), BoJack Horseman (2019), Adventure Time (2010), Gravity Falls (2012), American Dad (2005), The Cleveland Show (2009), DreamWorks' Dragons: Riders of Berk (2012), Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011), The X's (2005), and SyFy's Tripping the Rift (2004).
Born in Sarasota, Root received his initial training in the BFA program at the University of Florida and remains a die-hard Gators fan. After three years of touring the U.S. and Canada with the National Shakespeare Company, Root settled in New York, honing his craft in many regional theaters and starring off-Broadway in Journey's End and The Au Pair Man. His Broadway debut came in So Long on Lonely Street, which was followed by the Tony award-winning production of All My Sons, with Richard Kiley. A starring role as Boolie in the Broadway national touring company of Driving Miss Daisy with Julie Harris, brought Root to Los Angeles where he currently resides.
In the role of actor
To Leslie (07/03/2023)
An alcoholic woman who squandered her lottery winnings receives a second chance from a kind-hearted motel manager in To Leslie. Leslie “Lee” Rowlands (Andrea Riseborough) is a West Texas woman who won $190,000 in the lottery but squandered the money to support her substance abuse problem. Six years later, Leslie is on the verge of […]
Happily (27/03/2021)
A happily married couple’s relationship is tested by the arrival of a mysterious stranger in Happily. Tom (Joel McHale) and Janet (Kerry Bishé) have been extremely happily married for 14 years, which includes an extremely active sex life that comes off as an annoyance to their friends, which consist of fellow couples Karen (Natalie Zea) and […]
Stare (18/07/2019)
A group of young people are affected a curse involving a ghost is abnormally large eyes in Stare. Within close proximity to each other Haruo’s brother Kazuto and Mizuki’s friend Kana both die of apparent heart attacks, except for the fact that their eyes exploded. Haruo and Mizuki team together to find out what happened […]
On the Basis of Sex (21/12/2018)
The story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her fight against sexual discrimination is told in On the Basis of Sex. In 1956, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) was one of only nine women enrolled in the Harvard Law School, which she attended at the same time as her husband Marty (Armie Hammer). Fast forward to 1970 […]
Three Christs (18/09/2017)
A doctor researches a humane treatment for three schizophrenic mental patients in Three Christs. Set in 1959, Dr. Alan Stone (Richard Gere) arrives at Ypsilanti State Hospital to perform a behavioral study with Joseph Cassell (Peter Dinklage), Clyde Benson (Bradley Whitford), and Leon Gabor (Walton Goggins), three schizophrenic patients who believe they are Jesus Christ. Along with his […]
Get Out (01/03/2017)
A young African American man discovers that something is horribly off about the family of his girlfriend in Get Out. Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) leaves with her girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) to meet her parents Missy (Catherine Keener) and Dean (Bradley Whitford). Initially concerned about Rose’s parents not knowing he is black, they appear to […]
Office (21/09/2015)
From Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To (Drug War, Mad Detective) comes the workplace musical Office. In the midst of a global financial crisis, CEO Miss Chang (Sylvia Chang) prepares the IPO for her billion dollar company, with Chairman Ho Chung-ping (Chow Yun-fat) promising a wealth of shares. Meanwhile, young upstart Lee Xiang (Wang Ziyi) tries to make a name for […]
Rango (13/03/2011)
Rango is one of those animated films, which moves past from the fact that it is animated and becomes something much more. If it wasn’t for the fact that all the characters in this film were talking animals, this film would probably be able to stand alone as a pretty good Western. The films stars (the […]
No Country for Old Men (11/11/2007)
During their career, the Coen brothers went back and forth between dark dramas and comedies. During the 11 1/2 years since the release of Fargo, they really leaned onto the latter with only 2001’s The Man Who Wasn’t There being the only real non-comedy released during that time. As such, you can call No Country […]