Like musician Stephen Stills, actress Faye Dunaway, former footballer Emmitt Smith, and politician Marco Rubio, character actor Stephen Root graduated from the University of Florida. The Sarasota native is known for his versatility — playing everything from nerdy employee Milton in the cult fave Office Space (1999) to the evil Jim Hudson in the thriller Get Out (2017). In between, Stephen could be seen in the sports comedy DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004) and heard on the animated series King of the Hill (1997-2010). After making his movie debut in Crocodile Dundee II (1988), the prolific performer scored roles in Martin Ritt’s Stanley & Iris (1990), Ridley Scott’s Black Rain (1989), Ivan Reitman’s Dave (1993), Joe Wright’s The Soloist (2009), Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar (2011), and the Coen Brothers movies: 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). Of course, the real tragedy is the lack of Stephen’s onscreen skin! Granted, he’s exposed his wide… range on film (Bombshell, Ghost, Leatherheads, RoboCop 3, Selma, Trumbo) and on TV (24, Boardwalk Empire, Harts of the West, Idiotsitter, Justified, Ladies Man, The Man in the High Castle, Pushing Daisies, The West Wing) but where’s his fab flesh? Many may recognize Stephen from the sitcom NewsRadio (1995-1999), yet we prefer his topless turn on the more recent comedy Barry (2018-present) wherein he wears a towel! Obviously, Mr. Man is rooting to see Mr. Root’s root!
