Lesson plan

Stephen Root

Stephen Root (born 1951 or 1952) is an American actor. Known for his extensive work in film and television, he gained attention for his roles as Jimmy James on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999), as Milton Waddams in the comedy film Office Space (1999), and voiced Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on the animated series King of the Hill (1997–2010, 2025–present). Root has appeared in numerous Coen brothers films including 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). Other film roles include Dave (1993), Bicentennial Man (1999), Dodgeball (2004), Idiocracy (2006), Cedar Rapids (2011), Selma (2014), Trumbo (2015), Get Out (2017), and On the Basis of Sex (2018), as well as his voice roles in Ice Age (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), alongside performance capture in the video game Grand Theft Auto VI (2026). On television, he played supporting roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991), True Blood (2008–2009), Boardwalk Empire (2012–2013), Fargo (2014), The Man in the High Castle (2016–2019), Perry Mason (2020), and Succession (2021–2023).…

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Article summary

Stephen Root (born 1951 or 1952) is an American actor. Known for his extensive work in film and television, he gained attention for his roles as Jimmy James on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999), as Milton Waddams in the comedy film Office Space (1999), and voiced Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on the animated series King of the Hill (1997–2010, 2025–present). Root has appeared in numerous Coen brothers films including 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). Other film roles include Dave (1993), Bicentennial Man (1999), Dodgeball (2004), Idiocracy (2006), Cedar Rapids (2011), Selma (2014), Trumbo (2015), Get Out (2017), and On the Basis of Sex (2018), as well as his voice roles in Ice Age (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), alongside performance capture in the video game Grand Theft Auto VI (2026). On television, he played supporting roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991), True Blood (2008–2009), Boardwalk Empire (2012–2013), Fargo (2014), The Man in the High Castle (2016–2019), Perry Mason (2020), and Succession (2021–2023).…

Key claims

  1. date of birth: 1951 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of birth is "1951". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378662182

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.