# Diedrich Bader
**Diedrich Bader** (born Karl Diedrich Bader, 1966) is an American actor and voice actor known for the sitcom roles Oswald Lee Harvey on *The Drew Carey Show* and Lawrence in *Office Space*, and for an extensive voice-acting career that includes Batman in *Batman: The Brave and the Bold* and *Harley Quinn*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Karl Diedrich Bader; born 1966 in Alexandria, Virginia[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/bio/) |
| Signature TV role | Oswald Lee Harvey on *The Drew Carey Show* (ABC, 1995–2004); with Drew Carey, one of only two actors to appear in all 233 episodes[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/) |
| Breakthrough | Cast by director Penelope Spheeris as "The Searcher" in *Danger Theatre* (Fox, 1993) and as Jethro (and his twin sister Jethrine) in *The Beverly Hillbillies* (1993)[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/diedrich-bader/) |
| Notable film roles | Lawrence in *Office Space* (1999), Rex in *Napoleon Dynamite* (2004), *Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back* (2001), *Eurotrip* (2004)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/diedrich_bader) |
| Best-known voice role | Batman in *Batman: The Brave and the Bold* (2008–2011) and in the *Harley Quinn* animated series[5](https://avclub.com/diedrich-bader-1798229690) |
| Recent work | Harvey Dent/Two-Face in *Batman: Caped Crusader* (2024); King Randor/Trap Jaw in *Masters of the Universe: Revolution* (2024)[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/diedrich-bader/) |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/bio/) |
## Early life and training
Bader was born in [Alexandria, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexandria-virginia), and moved with his family to Paris, France, at age two. Watching films there, he developed an appreciation for movie figures such as [Fred Astaire](https://www.edgepedia.org/fred-astaire) and Charles Chaplin; when a Chaplin reel burned in a theater projector, the four-year-old Bader went on stage and entertained the audience with an imitation of the Little Tramp, receiving a standing ovation that he has described as setting his course toward performing[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/bio/).
He returned to the United States for high school and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts. During a spring break, a casting director discovered him in [Santa Fe, New Mexico](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-fe-new-mexico), which led to an audition for a small role in a television pilot; he was cast in a starring role instead. The pilot was not picked up, and Bader moved to Los Angeles to audition for other work[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/bio/).
His family background is in politics and art. His father, William, was Chief of Staff for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and president of the Eurasia Foundation on [Capitol Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/capitol-hill); his mother, Gretta, is a sculptor whose portrait of the late Senator J. William Fulbright hangs in the [National Gallery](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-gallery) in Washington, DC[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/bio/).
## Early screen work and breakthrough
After moving to Los Angeles, Bader landed guest spots on series including *Star Trek: The Next Generation*, *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*, *Cheers*, and *Quantum Leap*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/bio/). His break came when filmmaker [Penelope Spheeris](https://www.edgepedia.org/penelope-spheeris), liking his tongue-in-cheek delivery, hired him for her action-adventure spoof series *Danger Theatre* (Fox, 1993) as the heroic but dense and accident-prone biker hero "The Searcher"[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/bio/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/diedrich-bader/).
Spheeris then cast him in her feature version of *The Beverly Hillbillies* (1993), in the dual roles of twins Jethro and Jethrine Beaudine, prevailing against producers who wanted a bigger name[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/bio/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/diedrich-bader/).
## The Drew Carey Show and film comedy
In 1995 Bader was cast as Oswald Lee Harvey, one of the lead character's charming but dim-witted friends, on the ABC sitcom *The Drew Carey Show*. He remained with the series through its final season in 2004, despite several shifts in the show's premise and cast in later seasons[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/diedrich-bader/). Along with [Drew Carey](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-carey), he is one of only two actors to appear in all 233 episodes[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/).
**Cult comedy roles.** While on the series, Bader took small parts in films that later became cult favorites: Lawrence, the neighbor in *Office Space* (1999), *Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back* (2001), *Eurotrip* (2004), and the dojo-owning fitness guru Rex ("Rex Kwon Do") in *Napoleon Dynamite* (2004)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/diedrich_bader). In a 2012 interview he recalled that *Office Space* opened poorly; on opening weekend he and his wife were the only people at a matinee, and he only recognized the film's growing fame years later when strangers quoted its lines to him in traffic. A tenth-anniversary screening in Austin drew a crowd that knew every line[5](https://avclub.com/diedrich-bader-1798229690).
For *Napoleon Dynamite*, his agent advised against taking the role, but Bader accepted after reading what he called the funniest script he had ever encountered. His performance was delivered word-for-word from the script, with little improvisation[5](https://avclub.com/diedrich-bader-1798229690). The film was made for under $400,000[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/06/28/napoleon-dynamite-cast-oral-history/).
## Voice acting career
Voice work began as a sideline while Bader pursued on-screen roles, but it has become his main source of income, in part because it offers a wider range of characters[7](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/02895/07-09-2024.pdf). His trademark is a husky baritone voice[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/).
His voice credits span animated series and films: *Phineas and Ferb* (Disney, 2007–2015), the features *Ice Age* (2002) and *[The Country Bears](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-country-bears)* (2002), recurring roles in *The Penguins of Madagascar* ([Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon), 2008– ) and *[Ultimate Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-spider-man-tv-series)* (Disney, 2012– ), and Warp Darkmatter in *Buzz Lightyear of Star Command*[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/diedrich_bader) • [8](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/an-awesome-toy-story-spinoff-more-people-need-to-see-but-really-hard-to-find).
**Batman.** Bader voiced the title character in *Batman: The Brave and the Bold* (2008–2011), a lighter-toned series in which the Caped Crusader teamed with a different hero each week[5](https://avclub.com/diedrich-bader-1798229690) • [9](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/64ede141e2665cdf29137ff3/65656e8e30a333ce29654549_43643166783.pdf). He reprised Batman in the *Harley Quinn* animated series, voicing Bruce Wayne/Batman[10](https://harleyquinn.tv/diedrich-bader-on-being-batman). In 2024 he voiced Harvey Dent/Two-Face in *Batman: Caped Crusader*; he described one scene from that show as the most intense recording session of his career[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/diedrich-bader/) • [11](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/batman-caped-crusader-two-face-harvey-dent-ed-brubaker-diedrich-bader-interview).
## Later television work
After several years focused on voice work, Bader returned to prime-time television in a leading role in the ABC sitcom *American Housewife* (2016– ), co-starring as the amiable husband of series star [Katy Mixon](https://www.edgepedia.org/katy-mixon)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/diedrich_bader). In the fall of 2017 he shot three television series at the same time: HBO's *Veep*, then airing its final season, and the third seasons of FX's *Better Things* and ABC's *American Housewife*[12](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/diedrich-bader-hbo-veep-interview-68116/).
## Personal life
Bader married actress Dulcy Rogers on May 25, 1997; the couple has two children and lives in Los Angeles[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/). Most reference sources give his birth year as 1966, though one biographical directory has listed 1968[13](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/bader-diedrich-1968).
## References
1. [Diedrich Bader – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/bio/)
2. [Diedrich Bader, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046033/)
3. [Diedrich Bader – Actor, Comedian, Voice Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/diedrich-bader/)
4. [Diedrich Bader Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/diedrich_bader)
5. [Diedrich Bader, The A.V. Club (Will Harris, 2012)](https://avclub.com/diedrich-bader-1798229690)
6. [The inside story of 'Napoleon Dynamite,' 20 years later, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/06/28/napoleon-dynamite-cast-oral-history/)
7. [Celebrity Q&A: Diedrich Bader of Office Space, TV Q&A column (July 2024)](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/02895/07-09-2024.pdf)
8. [There's An Awesome Toy Story Spinoff More People Need To See, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/an-awesome-toy-story-spinoff-more-people-need-to-see-but-really-hard-to-find)
9. [First Batman comic book history compilation](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/64ede141e2665cdf29137ff3/65656e8e30a333ce29654549_43643166783.pdf)
10. [Diedrich Bader on Being Batman, Harley Quinn TV](https://harleyquinn.tv/diedrich-bader-on-being-batman)
11. [16 Years Later, DC Just Totally Reinvented Batman's Most Complicated Villain, Inverse](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/batman-caped-crusader-two-face-harvey-dent-ed-brubaker-diedrich-bader-interview)
12. [How to Become an Actor on TV Like Dietrich Bader, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/diedrich-bader-hbo-veep-interview-68116/)
13. [Bader, Diedrich, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/bader-diedrich-1968)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames B to Ba*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license