# In Praise of Stephen Root and others of his clan **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016 "2010-03-19T15:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/1 "2010-03-19T15:04:25Z")
Perhaps by virtue of his role in _24_ of the nosy “parole officer” [Stephen Root](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/) has been mentioned several times lately in various threads here. There’s even one I saw just now about the red stapler he made famous in [Office Space (1999)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/) as the unforgettable Milton Waddams. If he’s had a starring role I have yet to see it, and would appreciate the mention of that show or film. But his presence in a movie is about as sure to hit the spot as any done by Strother Martin, Jack Elam, or pre-fame Billy Bob Thornton. This thread is for the praise of others in Stephen’s category of superb character actors and their pivotal roles. Old, new, dead, alive, movie, TV, or whatever, if he or she was the unsung hero in more than a few such jobs, or made a standout appearance in just one or two, here’s a place to brag on them. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/2 "2010-03-19T15:20:54Z")
I agree - any time Stephen shows up in a movie or a TV show I just love his character. You’re a fan of _Newsradio_ too, I hope? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/3 "2010-03-19T15:34:52Z")
Big fan. He was great in _Newsradio_. And also as the blind DJ in _O Brother Where Art Thou?_. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/4 "2010-03-19T15:36:22Z")
Bill Dauterive and Milton are of course my favorite of his characters, but he was great as a pathetic closeted married gay guy who became a pathetic reclusive openly gay vampire in _True Blood_. I won’t spoil the series but in one dream sequence Jason (the character played by the b-e-a-U-tiful Ryan Kwanten) wakes up naked in bed next to a naked Stephen Root (you don’t actually see Stephen’s root or anything), and later in the season he’s asked to dance by an entranced William “Larry/E.B. Farnum” Sanderson who’s wearing boxers, which caused a debate twixt me and my friends “If you _had_ to do one or the other- dance with William Sanderson in his underwear or wake up with a naked Stephen Root- which would it be?” (We ultimately decided Root because at least his Jimmy James character was kind of sexy; nothing’s sexy about Sanderson.) Speaking of, he was hysterical as Jimmy James. My favorite _News Radio_ scenes were between him and Dave Foley. “See these sprinkler heads… yep… they’re not connected to anything, I hired a college kid to gorilla glue 'em in place to help with the codes and insurance”, or the exchange: Dave: I have an idea on our budget problems sir. Jimmy: Yeah, I have an idea about them too… Dave: Well okay, let’s hear your’s first. Jimmy: Yeah let’s, since that’s the one we’re gonna be using… And of course the blind record producer in _Oh Brother Where Art Thou_: “That was some mighty fine pickin’ and a singin’…” Root’s also very generous. He’s given a lot of money to the theater department at Florida State (his alma mater) and to non-profit theater groups in L.A… ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/5 "2010-03-19T15:38:32Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I agree - any time Stephen shows up in a movie or a TV show I just love his character. > > You’re a fan of _Newsradio_ too, I hope? Sorry, but no. In fact, I realized after looking over Stephen’s list of credits on [Filmography by votes for Stephen Root](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/filmovote) that I have only seen: 185,130 No Country for Old Men (2007) 153,759 Finding Nemo (2003) 90,727 O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) 77,376 Office Space (1999) 62,757 Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) 48,796 Ghost (1990) 20,125 Dave (1993) 15,924 ‘Crocodile’ Dundee II (1988) 15,518 Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) 15,255 Black Rain (1989/I) 13,235 White Oleander (2002) 12,665 RoboCop 3 (1993) 11,921 The Soloist (2009) of his top rated things, and I’m not sure I even remember him from some of them. He’s your basic chameleon, like Billy Bob before BB got rocketed to the big time. [M. Emmet Walsh](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001826/)is as close as I can come to anybody with the same qualities Stephen has. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/6 "2010-03-19T15:41:09Z")
I just saw Stephen Root in a guest appearance as a motivational expert (in an old rerun obviously) on _Just Shoot Me._ He was great, as usual. Others I put in this category are Michael J. Pollard, James Hong, Tony Todd, and M. Emmet Walsh. Edit: Ha! Zeldar added M. Emmet while I was composing. GMTA. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/7 "2010-03-19T15:43:49Z")
He was great in a small role as the judge in “Idiocracy.” “Now, I’m fixin’ to commencerate this trial up in here.” ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/8 "2010-03-19T15:44:56Z")
Stephen Root is the rare character actor who creates entirely new characters for each role, unlike many who are hired for their particular personality. I think I first noticed him as Chris Kraft in _[From The Earth To The Moon](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120570/)_, then as Milton in _[Office Space](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/)_. But when I saw him as the radio station owner in _[O Brother, Where Art Thou?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190590/)_ that I specifically began to look for him in movies. From the campaign manager in _[The West Wing](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200276/)_ to the insane judge in _[Idiocracy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/)_, this is an actor with range! While was adding links, other folks sniped my movies. I’ll see you all in Hell! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/9 "2010-03-19T15:46:56Z")
Stephen also did a nice turn as villainous Dwight Dixon in several episodes of _Pushing Daisies_. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/10 "2010-03-19T15:47:08Z")
I love Stephen Root in basically everything, but I think my favorite of his characters are a toss-up between his role in **True Blood** and Mr. Strickland. “I’m addicted to the good times, Hank!” ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/11 "2010-03-19T15:49:25Z")
Charles Durning is another fantastic character actor who is a pleasure to watch. He’s got over 200 roles listed in imdb. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/12 "2010-03-19T15:56:28Z")
I didn’t realize until I read his bio that Stephen is from Florida. Some other SEC guys with decent acting chops include: [Walton Goggins](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0324658/) [Michael Rooker](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740264/) [Lucas Black](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0085407/) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/13 "2010-03-19T16:44:03Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Sorry, but no. In fact, I realized after looking over Stephen’s list of credits on [Filmography by votes for Stephen Root](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/filmovote) that I have only seen: > > \ > > of his top rated things, and I’m not sure I even remember him from some of them. He’s your basic chameleon, like Billy Bob before BB got rocketed to the big time. [M. Emmet Walsh](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001826/)is as close as I can come to anybody with the same qualities Stephen has. If you really like Stephen Root - and you must, you started this thread! - you have to start watching _Newsradio_. It’s got a great ensemble cast, but Root’s character, the station owner, stands out. If you haven’t seen _Newsradio_ you’re missing an awful lot of quality Stephen Root. Lucky for you, it finally came out on DVD! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/14 "2010-03-19T16:49:21Z")
I didn’t realize until this thread that Milton = Jimmy James. It’s not a particularly significant connection, but a mindblowing one all the same. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/15 "2010-03-19T17:07:42Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I didn’t realize until I read his bio that Stephen is from Florida. Some other SEC guys with decent acting chops include: > > [Walton Goggins](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0324658/) > [Michael Rooker](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740264/) > [Lucas Black](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0085407/) Rather than just using my memory for the SEC states producing quality character actors, I sought help from Wikipedia and selected these folks from the various “Actors by US State” articles. I avoided “stars” and personalities better known for other genres than “character actor” but some of these might ring a bell for further investigation: Category:Actors from Alabama R. G. Armstrong Pat Buttram Wayne Rogers Category:Actors from Arkansas Trevor Bardette Jay C. Flippen Category:Actors from Florida William H. Macy Andrew Prine Category:Actors from Georgia Claude Akins Luke Askew Stephen Dorff Ray McKinnon Robert Patrick Category:Actors from Kentucky Ned Beatty James Best Jennifer Carpenter Billy Ray Cyrus Charles Napier Warren Oates Harry Dean Stanton Category:Actors from Louisiana Patricia Clarkson Sean Patrick Flanery John Goodman Jared Leto Tim McGraw Pruitt Taylor Vince Carl Weathers Category:Actors from Mississippi James Earl Jones Stella Stevens Sela Ward Category:Actors from South Carolina Will Patton Leon Rippy Category:Actors from Tennessee Kathy Bates David Keith Johnny Knoxville Sondra Locke William Sanderson Frank Sutton Fred Thompson James Westerfield ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/16 "2010-03-19T17:10:47Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > If you really like Stephen Root - and you must, you started this thread! - you have to start watching _Newsradio_. It’s got a great ensemble cast, but Root’s character, the station owner, stands out. If you haven’t seen _Newsradio_ you’re missing an awful lot of quality Stephen Root. > > Lucky for you, it finally came out on DVD! 😃 Is it available these days in rerun somewhere? I confess no knowledge of the show! Blasphemy, I’m sure, but true. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/17 "2010-03-19T17:17:02Z")
Root is a great actor who has done some great roles. Unfortunately now, I’m kind of at the “Hey it’s that guy” (or possibly “Hey it’s Jimmy James!”) stage when I see him. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/18 "2010-03-19T17:22:47Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Root is a great actor who has done some great roles. > > Unfortunately now, I’m kind of at the “Hey it’s that guy” (or possibly “Hey it’s Jimmy James!”) stage when I see him. I’m that way with Milton, and when he’s without the coke bottle glasses, he’s harder to recognize. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/19 "2010-03-19T17:27:37Z")
I think I liked him most in No Country For Old Men, because he was so decidedly **NOT** a fun character in that. He was so icy. It was a nice change from his generally sillier roles. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/20 "2010-03-19T17:28:00Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > If you really like Stephen Root - and you must, you started this thread! - you have to start watching _Newsradio_. It’s got a great ensemble cast, but Root’s character, the station owner, stands out. If you haven’t seen _Newsradio_ you’re missing an awful lot of quality Stephen Root. > > Lucky for you, it finally came out on DVD! 😃 **NewsRadio** really was one of the best sitcoms ever. It even made Andy Dick look funny. Jimmy James rules! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016.md?page=2)