# Stephen Root
**Stephen Root** (born 1951) is an American character actor known for work across film, television, theater, and voice acting. He is best known for playing the stapler-obsessed Milton Waddams in the cult comedy *Office Space* (1999), the eccentric billionaire Jimmy James on the sitcom *NewsRadio* (NBC, 1995-99), and voicing Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on the animated series *King of the Hill*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/). In September 2026 he won his first Emmy, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series as Wyck in the Apple TV series *Widow's Bay*, at age 74[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/stephen-root).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951, Sarasota, Florida[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/) |
| Signature roles | Milton Waddams in *Office Space* (1999); Jimmy James on *NewsRadio* (NBC, 1995-99)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/) |
| Voice roles | Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on *King of the Hill* (Fox, 1997-2010), revived from 2025[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/) • [4](https://parade.com/tv/stephen-root-king-of-the-hill-widows-bay-season-2-interview) |
| Emmy recognition | Nominated in 2019 as Monroe Fuches in *Barry*; won in 2026 as Wyck in *Widow's Bay*[5](https://www.dailyactor.com/actors-on-acting/barry-star-stephen-root-character-actor/) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/stephen-root) |
| Video games | Confirmed as the voice of Brian Heder in *Grand Theft Auto VI* (September 2026)[6](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/grand-theft-auto/one-of-gta-6s-actors-has-finally-been-confirmed-because-it-was-already-obvious-there-are-too-many-people-who-knew-me-from-king-of-the-hill/) |
| Film credits | *Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story* (2004), *No Country for Old Men* (2007), *Get Out* (2017), *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* (2018), plus several Coen brothers films[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/) |
| Personal life | Married to actress Romy Rosemont (December 2008)[7](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stephen-root/2176/) |
## Training and theater career
Root was born in [Sarasota, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarasota-florida), and was raised across the Midwest because his father, a civil engineer, moved whenever a new steam power plant opened[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/). At the [University of Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-florida) he first studied journalism, then took acting and directing electives, which led to small stage roles[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/).
He joined the National Shakespeare Company after a regional audition, touring the United States and Canada for three years with a troupe of about a dozen actors performing *The Winter's Tale*, *The Comedy of Errors*, and *Romeo and Juliet*[8](https://www.avclub.com/stephen-root-interview-barry-monroe-fuches-random-roles-1850320113). Perseverance mattered at the audition itself: after receiving a rejection letter from the company, Root went to New York anyway and asked to read in the room, and was accepted[9](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/stephen-root-steadily-built-career-perseverance-nerve-s-54788/).
**New York stage.** After the tour he settled in New York, appearing in off-Broadway productions including *Journey's End* and *The Au Pair Man*, and made his Broadway debut in *So Long on Lonely Street* (1986), followed by the revival of [Arthur Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/arthur-miller)'s *All My Sons* (1987)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/). Fifteen months touring nationally in *Driving Miss Daisy* opposite [Julie Harris](https://www.edgepedia.org/julie-harris) brought him to Los Angeles and helped launch his screen career[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/).
## Breakthrough roles
Root made his film debut in [George A. Romero](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-a-romero)'s horror thriller *Monkey Shines* (1988), with small parts in *Crocodile Dundee II* (1988) and *Ghost* (1990) following[10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-root/bio/3030456690/). After guest spots on programs such as *In the Heat of the Night* and a first series role in the short-lived *Harts of the West* (CBS, 1993-94), he landed one of his two defining parts: hyper station manager Jimmy James on *NewsRadio*[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/). Producers had originally envisioned the character as an older man in the mold of [Gordon Jump](https://www.edgepedia.org/gordon-jump)'s boss on *W.K.R.P. in Cincinnati*, but Root won them over with a revised take, frequently stealing scenes from castmates including [Phil Hartman](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-hartman) and Andy Dick[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/).
In 1999 he played Milton Waddams, the mumbling, stapler-obsessed office worker, in [Mike Judge](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-judge)'s *Office Space*; the role became a cult favorite, and fans have mailed or handed him red Swingline staplers[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/). Mike Judge's work connected the two roles: it was while doing *NewsRadio* that Root began voicing characters for Judge's animated series, and Judge later starred him in *Office Space*[11](https://freshairarchive.org/segments/stephen-root-barry-office-space-and-why-less-more-acting).
## Voice acting
Root voiced the Army barber Bill Dauterive and the boss Buck Strickland on *King of the Hill* for its original 13-season run (Fox, 1997-2010), along with dozens of minor characters around the fictional town of Arlen[12](https://kingofthehill.fandom.com/wiki/Stephen_Root). He has described voice acting as a whole-body craft rather than a vocal one, and credits roughly thirteen years on the show with making him more specific in his vocal choices on camera[13](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/bww-interview-stephen-root-on-character-actors-specificity-the-mighty-ones-20210629). Mike Judge reportedly had to advocate for Root with studio executives on *King of the Hill*, telling them "you're not a name, and it's a fairly important part"[14](https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/UFAA/342da081-b4f0-488d-a6e1-44fb0861cadb/UploadedImages/FloridaGATOR/FLGator_W19_spreads.pdf).
His animated credits extend to film and other series, including *Finding Nemo* (2003), [Gore Verbinski](https://www.edgepedia.org/gore-verbinski)'s *Rango* (2011), in which he voiced three characters, and roles in *Rick and Morty*, *Bob's Burgers*, *American Dad!*, and *Batman: The Animated Series*[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/). He returned as Bill Dauterive for the *King of the Hill* revival, with new episodes streaming from 2025 and a fifteenth season released in July 2026[4](https://parade.com/tv/stephen-root-king-of-the-hill-widows-bay-season-2-interview) • [15](https://screenstarstories.com/stephen-root/).
## Film and television career
Root has alternated comedy and drama to avoid typecasting, appearing as legal professionals, grieving fathers, Southern sheriffs, military men, and football coaches on shows including *The West Wing*, *Boston Legal*, *True Blood*, *24*, and *Justified*[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/). His film work includes supporting turns in *[Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story](https://www.edgepedia.org/dodgeball-a-true-underdog-story)* (2004), the Coens' *No Country for Old Men* (2007), and *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* (2018), and a chilling turn as the blind art dealer Jim Hudson in [Jordan Peele](https://www.edgepedia.org/jordan-peele)'s *Get Out* (2017)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/). As of 2019 he had appeared in four films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: *Ghost* (1990), *No Country for Old Men* (2007), *Selma* (2014), and *Get Out* (2017)[14](https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/UFAA/342da081-b4f0-488d-a6e1-44fb0861cadb/UploadedImages/FloridaGATOR/FLGator_W19_spreads.pdf).
**Barry.** From 2018 to 2023 Root played Monroe Fuches, the handler and eventual antagonist of [Bill Hader](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-hader)'s hitman on HBO's *[Barry](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-tv-series)*. He received his first Emmy nomination, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, for the role in 2019[5](https://www.dailyactor.com/actors-on-acting/barry-star-stephen-root-character-actor/). Root has said that in *Barry*, for the first time, he got to use his full range in one package, a layered, funny-scary performance with a complete character arc[16](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/04/stephen-root-barry-succession-always-great-awards-insider).
## Recent work and the Emmy
In 2026 Root played Wyck in the Apple TV horror-comedy series *Widow's Bay*, which premiered on April 29, 2026[15](https://screenstarstories.com/stephen-root/). At the 78th [Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-awards) in September 2026 he won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role, his first Emmy[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/stephen-root). A Spanish-language report described him as the oldest actor to win the comedy supporting actor category[17](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/acaba-de-confirmar-que-esta-en-gta-6-y-ya-tiene-otro-gran-motivo-de-celebracion-ha-ganado-su-primer-emmy-a-los-74-anos-f202609-n/).
In September 2026, at a pre-Emmys event, Root confirmed that he voices Brian Heder in *Grand Theft Auto VI*, after fans had identified his voice in the game's trailers; he remarked that "there are too many people who knew me from King of the Hill and my voice, so I think that secret kind of got divulged already"[6](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/grand-theft-auto/one-of-gta-6s-actors-has-finally-been-confirmed-because-it-was-already-obvious-there-are-too-many-people-who-knew-me-from-king-of-the-hill/).
## References
1. [Stephen Root, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/)
2. [Stephen Root, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-root/)
3. [Stephen Root, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/stephen-root)
4. [Stephen Root Talks King of the Hill Revival & Widow's Bay Season 2, Parade](https://parade.com/tv/stephen-root-king-of-the-hill-widows-bay-season-2-interview)
5. ['Barry' Star Stephen Root on His Career and Why He's Always Thought of Himself as a Character Actor, Daily Actor](https://www.dailyactor.com/actors-on-acting/barry-star-stephen-root-character-actor/)
6. [One of GTA 6's actors has finally been confirmed, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/grand-theft-auto/one-of-gta-6s-actors-has-finally-been-confirmed-because-it-was-already-obvious-there-are-too-many-people-who-knew-me-from-king-of-the-hill/)
7. [Stephen Root biography and filmography, Tribute.ca](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stephen-root/2176/)
8. [Stephen Root on Barry's Monroe Fuches, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/stephen-root-interview-barry-monroe-fuches-random-roles-1850320113)
9. [Stephen Root Steadily Built His Career With Perseverance and Nerve(s), Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/stephen-root-steadily-built-career-perseverance-nerve-s-54788/)
10. [Stephen Root Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-root/bio/3030456690/)
11. [Stephen Root on 'Barry,' 'Office Space' and Why 'Less Is More' in Acting, Fresh Air Archive](https://freshairarchive.org/segments/stephen-root-barry-office-space-and-why-less-more-acting)
12. [Stephen Root, King of the Hill Wiki](https://kingofthehill.fandom.com/wiki/Stephen_Root)
13. [Interview: Stephen Root on Character Actors, Specificity, & THE MIGHTY ONES, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/bww-interview-stephen-root-on-character-actors-specificity-the-mighty-ones-20210629)
14. [Stephen Root profile, Florida Gator alumni publication](https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/UFAA/342da081-b4f0-488d-a6e1-44fb0861cadb/UploadedImages/FloridaGATOR/FLGator_W19_spreads.pdf)
15. [Stephen Root Movies and TV Shows, Screen Star Stories](https://screenstarstories.com/stephen-root/)
16. [Stephen Root's Incredible Career of Comedy, Tragedy, and 'Barry', Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/04/stephen-root-barry-succession-always-great-awards-insider)
17. [Stephen Root gana su primer Emmy a los 74 años, MeriStation (AS)](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/acaba-de-confirmar-que-esta-en-gta-6-y-ya-tiene-otro-gran-motivo-de-celebracion-ha-ganado-su-primer-emmy-a-los-74-anos-f202609-n/)
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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 Ro to Sa*
*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