List of The Office (American TV series) characters

The Office is an American television series based on the British television comedy of the same name. The format of the series is a parody of the fly on the wall documentary technique that intersperses traditional situation comedy segments with mock interviews with the show's characters, provides the audience access to the ongoing interior monologues for all of the main characters, as well as occasional insights into other characters within the show.
Notes
Michael Gary Scott (Steve Carell) is the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He is originally based on David Brent, his counterpart in the British version of The Office. However, Scott develops into a significantly different character from him as the series progresses.
Michael Scott departs the series during the seventh season, however he returns in the series finale to be a surprise guest at Dwight and Angela's wedding.
Dwight Kurt Schrute III (Rainn Wilson) is a salesman at Dunder Mifflin and the assistant to the regional manager for the majority of the series, until he becomes regional manager in Season 9. The character is based on Gareth Keenan of the original British version of the show. He is the only character to both appear and have dialogue in every episode of the series.
James Duncan "Jim" Halpert (John Krasinski) is introduced as a sales representative at the Scranton branch of paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin, before temporarily transferring to the Stamford branch in the third season. Upon the merger of Scranton and Stamford branches, he becomes Assistant Regional Manager, and later co-manager alongside Michael Scott during the sixth season. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office.
Pamela Morgan Halpert, née Beesly (Jenna Fischer). Her counterpart in the original British version of The Office is Dawn Tinsley. Pam begins the series as the receptionist at the paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin. Later on in the series, she becomes a sales representative and office administrator. She is the love interest of Jim Halpert, whom she later marries in season 6.
Ryan Bailey Howard (B. J. Novak), is based on the character of Ricky Howard from the original British version of The Office, as well as Neil Godwin during the fourth season. His role is expanded from the original British series to the extent that he's usually considered a main character.
Ryan Howard departs the series in the ninth-season premiere along with his love interest Kelly Kapoor, however they both return in the series finale to be at Dwight and Angela's wedding.
Andrew Baines Bernard (Ed Helms) is introduced in season 3 as the Regional Director in Charge of Sales at the Stamford branch of paper distribution company, Dunder Mifflin when Jim Halpert transfers there. He becomes Regional Manager at the Scranton branch, courtesy of Robert California, in the eighth season following the departure of Michael Scott. He is an original character created for the series, with no counterpart in the British original series.
Robert California (James Spader) is introduced in the seventh season after Michael Scott leaves his position as Regional Manager. In the eighth season, Robert managed to persuade Jo Bennett to appoint him CEO in her place. In the eighth-season finale, Robert departs from the company after David Wallace purchases Dunder Mifflin. He is an original character created for the series, with no counterpart in the British original series.
Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) is a sales representative at Dunder Mifflin. He is portrayed as a serious, perpetually grumpy and disgruntled employee. Stanley is known for working on crossword puzzles during work and the various staff meetings. He is also characterized by his general distaste for his job and life, with his ultimate goal being to retire, which he does during the series finale.
Stanley has generally good relations with most of his colleagues, especially Phyllis Vance, with whom he shares a desk cluster and often has lunch. However, Stanley dislikes his boss, Michael Scott, who often comments on Stanley's African American heritage and clientele. Stanley only thinly attempts to hide his disgust and disrespect for Michael, but rarely opposes him directly.
Stanley's second wife is Teri. He has two children from a previous marriage, including Melissa, who visits the office in "Take Your Daughter to Work Day". He is a diabetic. He is an original character created for the series, with no counterpart in the British original series.
Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) is a part of the accounting department at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. Kevin's counterpart in the British TV series is Keith Bishop, who shares Kevin's lack of communication skills, musical interest, and obesity.
Meredith Palmer (portrayed by Kate Flannery, and Henriette Mantel in the pilot) is the socially inappropriate and sexually promiscuous representative at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. In season 2, episode 15; season 8, episode 1; and season 9, episode 23, she is said to have the job of Supplier Relations; however, in the first season, her job was said to be an accountant. Her computer always displays the solitaire game found in the MS package. Little is known about her early and personal life, but, over the course of the series, some tidbits of information have been revealed. She has been married twice, with one of her ex-husbands leaving her for a woman who works as a garbage collector (who is addressed as "Mom" by Meredith's children). She has two children, a son named Jake (of whom she has custody) and a daughter named Wendy (described as "The good one") who is in the custody of one of Meredith's ex-husbands. Meredith is alleged to be an alcoholic, and it has been alluded to that she often arrives at work with a hangover, as she has complained that people talk too loudly and that the office lights are too bright in the morning. She is an original character created for the series, with no counterpart in the British original series.
Angela Noelle Martin (Angela Kinsey) is introduced as the senior accountant, head of the Party Planning Committee, and safety officer at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. She is based on Sheila from the original British version of The Office. Her character serves as the stuck-up and more professional face of the branch. She begins a relationship with co-worker Dwight Schrute, whom she begins secretly dating in the second season, has a child with in the eighth, and marries in the ninth.
Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) is an accountant at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. He is a rational and efficient worker who is frequently exasperated by the antics of the office. He is the son of Mexican parents and is a gay man. In the Season 3 premiere, Michael Scott inadvertently outs him to his co-workers. He is based on Oliver from the original British version of The Office.
Phyllis Vance (née Lapin) (Phyllis Smith) is a sales representative at the paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. She comes across as a quiet but friendly type who loves "girl talk" and gossip. But underneath her sweet, motherly exterior, she can sometimes be very vindictive and nasty, often to Angela Martin but sometimes even to someone as nice as Pam Halpert. She is often insulted and embarrassed by branch manager Michael Scott, who frequently describes her as non-feminine and old, despite having been classmates with her in high school. She looks to be in her late 40s, with short, dark red hair and large body.
Roy Anderson (portrayed by David Denman) is a warehouse dock worker at the Scranton branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. He was engaged to the office receptionist Pam Beesly for three years when the series begins. He also had a good friendship with warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin and the other warehouse workers, and even has a mostly amicable relationship with Jim Halpert despite him being a rival for Pam's affections. He often shares in the warehouse's typical blue-collar humor. Although generally written as boorish, inconsiderate, and selfish, his character is somewhat less cruel and verbally abusive than his UK counterpart, Lee. After Pam breaks up with him for good in season 3, Roy is fired from Dunder Mifflin as he attacks Jim, but later makes amends with both Jim and Pam, encouraging the latter to pursue Jim. Roy later grabs drinks with Jim and other former coworkers during the season 5 episode "Crime Aid" and eventually gets married in "Roy's Wedding", having become a successful entrepreneur.
Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) is the human resources rep for the Scranton branch of paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. Due to his position in HR, Toby has duties to ensure the company's procedures and rules of conduct are followed. As such, he is perceived as an enemy by lead character and Scranton branch manager Michael Scott, who constantly dismisses company procedure and rules of conduct in order to pursue fun and a personal relationship with his employees. A passive, soft-spoken character, Toby mostly has amicable relationships with his other coworkers, including Pam Beesly, on whom he has an unrequited crush. Toby is temporarily replaced by Holly Flax in season 5 after he moves to Costa Rica but returns after Holly is transferred. He is eventually fired by Dwight at the end of season 9 and becomes an author in New York City. He is an original character created for the series, with no counterpart in the British original series.
Kelly Rajanigandha Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) is the customer service representative at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. She is often romantically involved with Ryan Howard. Kelly departs the series in the ninth-season premiere along with her husband Ravi, a pediatrician. She returns in the series finale to be at Dwight and Angela's wedding. She is an original character created for the series, with no counterpart in the British original series.
Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton) is the middle aged, eccentric quality assurance representative for the Scranton branch with a shady past. He is usually seen participating in suspicious activities, such as stealing poker chips in "Casino Night" or implicitly hiding evidence of violent crimes throughout the series. Creed also has a poor memory, often forgetting his coworkers' names and even his own job responsibilities, and is prone to telling outlandish stories with little certainty as to their veracity. Despite his bizarre behavior, he is tolerated by his coworkers. It is revealed in season 5 that his real name is William Schneider, and that he took the identity of "Creed Bratton" from someone who stole from him (and is implied to have been killed). In season 7, he becomes the temporary acting manager after Dwight accidentally discharges a firearm in the office. He ultimately fakes his own death, before it is finally revealed he was a wanted criminal. In season 9, he is found living in a closet at the office. He briefly sings a song for his coworkers before he is arrested for his crimes.
Creed believes that his blog URL is www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts, but his "blog" is actually a Word document with the title expressly chosen to look like a URL, set up by Ryan Howard, wanting to "protect the world from being exposed to Creed's brain". Describing the content of the blog, Ryan says, "Even for the Internet, it's pretty shocking." NBC provided the character with an actual blog on the show's website.
Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson) is the warehouse foreman, later being moved by Jo Bennett to work in Jim's office after the latter's short tenure as co-manager. Among the warehouse employees, Darryl has the most prominent presence in the show and is friendly with most of the office personnel, becoming close friends with Andy Bernard in later seasons. He has a laid-back demeanor in social situations but takes his job seriously, especially in regard to safety, which Michael often disregards to Darryl's chagrin. During the final season, he quits his job at Dunder Mifflin to work for Athlead, a sports company that Jim founds. He also has a daughter named Jada, who he mentions throughout the series and is first seen in "Classy Christmas".
Gabriel Susan Lewis (Zach Woods) is the Coordinating Director of Emerging Regions for the Sabre Corporate headquarters. In season 7, he is assigned to watch over the newly acquired Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch, during which he briefly dates Erin before she breaks up with him. At the end of the season, he is assigned back into Sabre's headquarters in Florida, but in the following season he still appears, initially without explanation. It is revealed in "Trivia" that Corporate made an illogical deal with the Scranton office, which would have Gabe be in Tallahassee three days a week and in Scranton for two, resulting in having to fly every night of the work week between the locations. As revealed in "Moving On", he was terminated from Sabre following the company's liquidation, but is hired back at the Scranton branch as the new Management Consultant by Regional Manager Andy Bernard in a gambit to make Erin uncomfortable after she broke up with him. An online feature on the series that was posted after the finale revealed that Gabe had been hired by a Chinese company that "rented out" Caucasians dressed as executives to Chinese companies so that the companies would have an in with Western firms, and that Gabe's job is to be "seen and not heard".
Clark Green (Clark Duke) is one of the new customer service representatives introduced in season 9 after Kelly quits. He is immediately given the office-moniker of "New Dwight" as he bears a passing resemblance to young Dwight. Dwight uses this and enlists Clark's help on a variety of sales posing as a father/son team. Including spending a week on vacation with Jan to close a sale to the Scranton whitepages. He is eventually hired by Dwight as a junior salesman after Dwight realizes none of his friends are qualified for the job.
Pete Miller (Jake Lacy) is one of the new customer service representatives introduced in season 9 after Kelly quits. He is given the nickname "Plop" by Andy, much to the former's discomfort. He is initially called "New Jim" due to their similar appearances, though the two quickly realize that they have no common interests. After Erin breaks up with Andy, she and Pete start dating.
David Wallace (Andy Buckley) is the CFO, later CEO of Dunder Mifflin. Despite his differing lifestyle from the members of the Scranton branch, David tolerates and understands the eccentricities and flaws of Regional Manager Michael Scott, and appreciates employees Jim Halpert and Toby Flenderson. He is let go in the sixth season following the absorption of Dunder Mifflin by Sabre. He later sells his patent for a toy vacuum, called "Suck It", to the U.S. military for $20 million and later acquires Dunder Mifflin for an undisclosed sum of money and becomes CEO in the eighth-season finale, "Free Family Portrait Studio".
Deangelo Jeremitrius Vickers (Will Ferrell) was Michael's replacement as Regional Manager during the end of season 7, since Michael Scott was moving to Colorado with his fiancée, Holly. His character debuted in a story arc that lasted four episodes, with the first three episodes being Steve Carell's final three shows as a main cast member and then the first post-Michael Scott episode, "The Inner Circle". In the character's appearances, he is shown to be largely incompetent at filling Michael's position, as he has proven himself to be a biased manager, a terrible salesman, and a poor host of the annual Dundies award show. In "Goodbye, Michael", he reveals to Andy that he was not hired for his business experience, but because he helped prevent the theft of one of CEO Jo Bennett's dogs.
Despite his affinity for the American Southwest, Deangelo is originally from Maine. Similarly to Toby, when he was a child, his mother divorced his father, and he was forced to choose between them. He has four children himself, including at least one boy, whom he seems to resent for an unknown reason. Deangelo was once morbidly obese, until he made a pact with himself to get into shape and lost 203 pounds (according to Michael in "Michael's Last Dundies"; however, this conflicts with the NBC biography, which says Deangelo lost 176 lbs). Throughout "Goodbye, Michael", Deangelo starts to show signs of a nervous breakdown due to his desire to start eating junk food again. He later starts breaking down in front of the entire staff, during a farewell party for Michael, by sticking his hands into Michael's goodbye cake, and angrily yelling at it.
In his final episode, "The Inner Circle", after bragging about his ability to dunk a basketball, Jim calls him out on the matter, which leads to an accident requiring Deangelo's hospitalization and departure from Dunder Mifflin. At the end of the episode, it is implied that he has sustained brain damage, and is said in the subsequent episode to be in a coma. In "Lotto", he is referred to as being brain dead, but technically still alive.
Ferrell has previously appeared in several films with Carell, and with numerous other Office cast members, including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy with Carell and David Koechner.
Joleen "Jo" Bennett (Kathy Bates) is the CEO of Sabre, the company that buys Dunder Mifflin in season 6. In season 8 she gives up the CEO position but remains chairman of the board. She is a forthright and stubborn Southern woman who has authored an autobiography titled Take A Good Look. She owns two harlequin Great Danes and a white Cadillac Escalade Hybrid; she is also a breast cancer survivor, a licensed pilot and a friend of Nancy Pelosi.
Jo first appears in a video chat in "Sabre" and in person in "The Manager and the Salesman", when she visits the Scranton office for the first time. On her last day in Scranton in "St. Patrick's Day", Darryl impresses her with an idea for improving shipping and she rewards him by giving him Jim's old office. That evening, when she's still working while the rest of the staff is desperate to leave and enjoy the holiday, she shows her respect for Michael after he tells her he's allowing his employees to leave. In "Whistleblower", the season finale, Jo comes to Scranton determined to find out who leaked information to the press about Sabre's printers catching on fire. She eventually zeroes in on Michael, who refuses to speak and brings him to her private airplane to get him to confess, but in reality, Jo is able to sense that Michael is going through a rough patch and the two have a heart-to-heart conversation. During the conversation, Michael volunteers to accept public responsibility for the scandal and speaks to the press. Jo thanks Michael and says that if there's anything he needs, she'll be happy to help, prompting Michael to joke about bringing Holly back to Scranton, to which Jo says "Let me see what I can do" (and Holly does return in season 7).
In season 7, following the departure of Michael and his replacement Deangelo Vickers, Jo makes Dwight the interim regional manager in "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager", but replaces him with Creed (Scranton's most senior employee) after Dwight accidentally fires a gun in the office. She appears in "Search Committee" and reveals that she is old friends with one of the applicants for the manager job, Nellie Bertram. When Jo finds out about Gabe's current personal issues concerning Erin and Andy, she decides to transfer him back to the Florida headquarters. She also tells the committee to grant Dwight an interview, saying she likes "a little bit of crazy".
In the eighth-season premiere, "The List", Jim recounts to the camera crew how Robert California was hired as branch manager over the summer, but immediately quit, drove all the way to Sabre headquarters in Florida, and then convinced Jo to give him her position as the company's CEO (in reality, Bates left The Office due to her commitment to Harry's Law). However, Jo remains as chairman of the board, and Robert still refers to Jo as his boss. Later in season 8, Nellie Bertram re-appears, having been hired (off-screen) by Jo as Sabre's President of Special Projects. At the end of season 8, it is announced that Jo Bennett has sold Dunder Mifflin to David Wallace. Jo further plans to liquidate all of Sabre's assets, thereby effectively permanently dissolving the company.
Joshua "Josh" Porter (Charles Esten) is the former Stamford Regional Manager. The character is first mentioned in the "Pilot", and makes his debut in "Valentine's Day". During his time as the Stamford manager, he is seemingly a more responsible and competent boss than Michael, being held in higher esteem by Jan Levinson, although it is often implied that Michael's branch is more productive than Josh's, and Michael is a more accomplished salesman. Josh becomes Jim's boss in Season 3 after Jim transfers to Stamford. Michael resents Josh due to his favored position in the company, and initially because he feels that Jim prefers Josh's friendship to his own.
In deleted scenes from the episode "The Convention", Josh states that he once spent time working in Israel, and also tells Dwight that he was once a member of the United States Coast Guard.
In "Branch Closing", when the Scranton branch is set to close, Josh is offered a promotion to become the manager of Dunder Mifflin's newly formed Northeast region. However, he leverages the offer to obtain a senior management job with Staples, throwing plans for the Scranton branch closing into disarray. As a result of Josh's maneuvering, the Stamford branch is closed instead. Disgusted, Jim later says of Josh's double-dealing, "Say what you will about Michael Scott – but he would never do that".
Charles Miner (Idris Elba) appears in the fifth season, as the Vice President of Northeast Sales for Dunder Mifflin, having taken over the position vacated by Ryan and Jan. Before coming to Dunder Mifflin, he was previously employed by Saticoy Steel, and came from an accounting background. He is introduced in the episode "New Boss", where his no-nonsense management skills clash with Michael's laid-back demeanor, and upon meeting Jim, immediately develops a dislike towards him. His handsome appearance and firm attitude causes both Angela and Kelly to develop an immediate attraction to him, later stating that "(he) was aware of the effect he had on women" and wasn't interested in pursuing either of them. Charles soon causes Michael to quit after Charles cancels a party celebrating Michael's 15th anniversary with the company. Charles repeatedly expresses contempt for Jim and also lets Dwight know that he's impressed by his work and plans to give him more to do. In "Broke", fretful over Michael's new company poaching several clients, Charles meets with David Wallace at the branch, and shamelessly sucks up to David, which Jim notices. Charles tries to have Jim barred from a meeting where David Wallace had specifically invited Jim to attend, referring to Jim as "a disappointment" and giving more credence to Dwight, but soon finds out that he was wrong about both Dwight's great ability and Jim's weaknesses, and Jim recognizes this and both loses his fear/hope for respect with Charles and starts to make his own case over Michael's company and how to handle it with confidence. This soon prompts Charles to immediately turn to Jim over Dwight during negotiations with Michael. When Charles tries sucking up to Wallace again, Jim bluntly says that Charles failed to do anything to stem the damage Michael had caused, leaving him speechless. When Michael is later re-hired in the episode, he demands that Charles be fired, but David refuses, stating that Charles is "valuable". Charles does, however, leave Scranton and return to corporate headquarters. Upon his departure, his attempt to give a parting speech is coldly shut down by Michael, who tells him he's done and that he needs to leave, which he does. Charles reappears in "Company Picnic", where he is again condescending to Jim and heavily competitive in the volleyball game against the Scranton branch. However, it is also confirmed that Charles no longer has any authority over the Scranton office.
In "The Banker", Pam states that Michael is now the highest ranking employee in what remains of Dunder Mifflin following termination of executive leadership due to mismanagement. While this strongly implied that Charles has lost his job, this is not confirmed until "Viewing Party", when Michael names Charles as one of the many bosses he has outlasted.
Idris Elba was the second former cast member of the HBO drama The Wire, after Amy Ryan, to be hired for a recurring role on The Office.
Edward "Ed" Truck (Ken Howard) was the former Regional Manager of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch, for whom Michael worked until Ed retired. He was responsible for hiring Creed, Phyllis, and Darryl, as well as ending the mandatory retirement age that the company instituted, by filing an age discrimination lawsuit. In the episode "The Carpet", Michael believes that the fecal matter left on his office carpet was left there because he is disliked by his employees. He tricks Truck into meeting with him (by claiming that they need to discuss his pension), and asks for his opinions on the situation. As Ed reveals, someone had defecated on his office carpet, as well, and his advice to Michael is "Why can't you just let your workers be your workers, your friends be your friends, and your family be your family?" (the joke here is that Michael has no real friends or family, and his employees serve as reluctant surrogates).
In "Grief Counseling", Jan informs Michael that Ed has recently died. While he is surprised at the news, Michael does not appear to mourn Ed's death, until Creed informs him of the gruesome way Ed had died: He was apparently "drunk as a skunk", and driving on Route 6, when he managed to go under an 18-wheeler, decapitating himself. Michael soon expresses feelings of extreme remorse, and he requests that a statue of Ed be erected in his memory, but Jan nixes the suggestion, stating that corporate would not like it. As a compromise, there is a plaque honoring him, which hangs between Michael's office and the Conference room.
Dan Gore (Dan Cole) is the Regional Manager of the Buffalo branch. He was first introduced in "Valentine's Day" attending the meeting with the new CFO, David Wallace. He also attended Wallace's cocktail party in "Cocktails", and was seen in "Launch Party" trying to see if his branch's camera was working. He was one of the company leaders who attended Ryan's wilderness retreat, along with Toby (and not the pointedly un-invited Michael Scott). It is announced in "Company Picnic" that the Buffalo branch is closing due to the terrible recession hitting the U.S. economy.
Craig (Craig Anton) is the incompetent, boorish Manager of the Albany branch who appears in "Valentine's Day". He resents Jan, and his relationship with Michael is soured when they argue over their opinions of Jan. Craig tries to save face by leaking Michael's relationship between the two in front of David Wallace. Michael later jokes that Craig "is not the sharpest tool in the shed" in an attempt to defend Jan.
In "Survivor Man", Craig is not invited on Ryan's Regional Manager retreat or otherwise mentioned, possibly meaning that he no longer works in that position. In a deleted scene from "Stress Relief", it is mentioned that the Albany branch is closing, which confirms that Craig has been fired from the company.
Troy L. Underbridge (Noel Petok) is a corporate executive who works in banking, and is notorious for encouraging Ryan's partying and cocaine abuse. Due to his short height, Dwight is convinced that he is actually a hobbit. Troy first appears in "The Deposition", and reappears, with a more pivotal role, in the episode "Night Out". In a deleted scene, from "Goodbye, Toby", he arrives at the Scranton branch, but is reluctant to reveal why he came instead of Ryan; Jim is eager to deliver an unfriendly message to Ryan via Troy, but Troy says that he now reports to Wallace instead of Ryan, and Jim asks "What is going on?". After the YouTube video of Ryan being arrested for fraud is discovered, Troy is asked if he has any information on the arrest, but merely states, "Maybe I do". He is later seen in Michael's film, Threat Level Midnight, in the episode of the same name, playing one of Goldenface's henchmen. His middle initial is revealed on the Threat Level Midnight website, which is supposed to be read like "troll under bridge".
Since he worked for the Dunder Mifflin corporate office, it is presumed that he was fired from the company, along with all of the other corporate executives, after Dunder Mifflin was bought out by Sabre. However, Troy later resurfaces in "Junior Salesman" as one of the bizarro job applicants applying for a part-time sales position at the Scranton branch. Troy exhibits strange behavior along with the rest of the group, such as shotgunning a soda during lunch. He is later seen in a group paintball photo, raising the finger to Dwight when it's revealed that Dwight's interviewing of the applicants was just a ruse to keep Clark from getting the job and joining them in letting Dwight know they permanently hated him.
Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones) is introduced as a sales representative at the Stamford branch of Dunder Mifflin, before moving to the Scranton branch as part of a merger. During this time, she also dates Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), another salesman. In the third season finale, she and Jim both travel to New York to interview for a job at corporate. Neither of them get the job and she soon leaves Jim and Scranton. Later, she is seen as the regional manager of the Utica branch where she is eight months pregnant. She also marries a dermatologist named Dan (Dan Goor). Her character is based on Rachel from the original version of The Office.
In an article titled "The Office's Best Characters, Ranked" published on MSN, Karen was ranked seventeenth. The article described her as "...Clever, ambitious employee whose only mistake was dating Jim and therefore stepping in front of the unstoppable Jim-and-Pam love locomotive." A second article entitled "The Office: 5 Female characters Who Got the Respect They Deserved (& 5 Who Didn't)" published on Screen Rant said "There was nothing wrong with Karen, and, in many ways, she was a good match for Jim."
Danny Cordray (Timothy Olyphant) is a traveling salesman of Dunder Mifflin and former rival salesman of the company. He is introduced in "The Sting", where, after stealing a potential client, Michael, Dwight and Jim set up an in-building sting to copy his skills as a salesman, but Danny eventually discovers the operation. While he is initially angry with them, he decides to accept Michael's job offer. In "Costume Contest", he impresses his fellow employees by inviting them all to a Halloween party at Public School, the bar he owns. When Jim discovers that Danny briefly dated Pam, while he was in Stamford, Jim pesters Danny to reveal why he did not call her back, and he eventually admits that he found Pam "kind of dorky", something which bothers Jim more than it does Pam. He is found to be very attractive by many members of the office, including Meredith who tries to seduce him. In "Michael's Last Dundies", he wins the "Hottest in The Office" Dundie, defeating reigning champ Ryan, and appeared in a deleted scene, accepting his award from pre-recorded footage.
A.J. (Rob Huebel) is an affable salesman at the Nashua branch who becomes Holly's boyfriend after she's transferred there from Scranton and breaks off her relationship with Michael. Michael meets him on his Lecture Circuit and becomes devastated when he learns Holly is dating him. Michael awkwardly calls out A.J. during his presentation about Holly, but A.J. doesn't react. He is seen again at the Company Picnic along with Holly, whom he is still dating. A.J. tells Michael they've started designing a house for themselves. Michael makes a number of joking insults at A.J., who doesn't respond to them. After Michael and Holly's disastrous presentation, coupled with the obvious affection the two still have for each other, Michael maturely lets Holly leave with A.J. as he is not going to force anything to happen between them. After Holly is temporarily transferred back to Scranton in season 7, she reveals to other women in the office that she and A.J. are going through problems and that she is upset that he has not proposed to her yet. At their suggestion she decides to give A.J an ultimatum to either propose to her by New Year's or end their relationship. A.J. surprises Holly at the office Christmas party in "Classy Christmas". In "Ultimatum", Holly returns to work and reveals that A.J. did not propose to her, but she has decided to continue dating him anyway. However, she soon becomes upset that she did not follow through with the ultimatum and calls A.J. to say she wants a break between them. Soon after she ends their relationship and begins dating Michael again.
Ben Nugent (voiced by writer Lester Lewis) is the top salesman at the Utica branch, whom Michael calls and unsuccessfully attempts to poach, in the episode "Branch Wars". The character's name was based on a real-life writer who was dating Mindy Kaling when the episode was produced.
Todd Packer (David Koechner), based on Chris Finch of the British version, is the boorish, alcoholic and sexually promiscuous Outside Sales Representative, who tells obscene, disrespectful jokes, which tend to offend everyone except Michael. He is first heard over a phone call in the pilot episode, while his first physical appearance is in the season 2 episode "Sexual Harassment". In the season 7 episode "Todd Packer", he applies for a desk job at the Scranton branch, much to the consternation of the staff save Michael. Jim and Dwight scheme to get rid of him by pretending that Sabre is offering a job in Tallahassee, Florida, which he accepts. When Michael learns of the deception, he plans to tell Packer, but when Packer insults Holly he changes his mind, finally coming to share the others' view that Packer is "an ass". In the season 8 episode "Tallahassee", it is revealed that Packer actually got a position at Sabre's Tallahassee office, where he is being employed as part of Nellie Bertram's special project team. However, he was fired shortly after when Jim managed to stall Dwight from presenting the Sabre store project to the board, prompting Packer to volunteer for the VP position, receiving the termination that was destined for Dwight. He made a return appearance in Season 9 in order to pretend to be making amends for his terrible behavior by handing out gourmet cupcakes to his former co-workers, when he had really laced the goodies with a wide variety of noxious substances and was pleased he'd be causing the people who fired him some serious discomfort.
Cathy Simms (Lindsey Broad) is the young and attractive temporary office worker who was filling in for Pam while she was on her maternity leave. It is later revealed her ethics are questionable. She remained employed at the company for a short period of time after Pam returned.
During her time at the office, Cathy maintained a fairly inconspicuous presence, and while the members of the staff who bothered to pay her any heed often maligned or trifled her (Dwight in particular), she was able to find common ground with Jim, with whom she developed a rapport. However, in "Pool Party", there are subtle implications to suggest that her feelings towards him are more than platonic. Her infatuation with him is ultimately confirmed at the end of "Special Project", when, after being selected to travel for a three-week business trip to Florida with Jim and four others, she privately informs a friend, via her cell phone, of her intentions to seduce Jim, despite his marriage and children. In a deleted scene from the same episode, she also worries about losing her job, now that Pam has returned, and implies that, in the future, she might be desperate enough to consider marrying a man she knows, named Doug, just for the financial stability he could provide.
In "After Hours", Cathy puts her plan to seduce Jim into action. She shows up at his hotel room, in rather skimpy leisure wear, claiming that the hotel maintenance crew is working in her room. While Jim initially agrees to her request to stay with him for a while, he becomes increasingly uncomfortable with her presence, especially after she uses his shower and reappears in a short robe. After she shows off her legs to him, Jim finally tells her that he is happily married and not interested in her. In response, Cathy feigns shock and tells him that she had no romantic intentions whatsoever. Embarrassed for apparently having misread the situation, he apologizes and agrees to relax. However, when he returns from the bathroom, and finds her lying under his covers with the robe on the floor, he firmly demands that she leave, despite her protests. Dwight then bursts in with chemicals to spray for bed bugs, and Jim tells him a bug is following Cathy. Dwight proceeds to chase her from the room, while Jim enjoys her distress.
In a deleted scene from the next episode, she is upset that Jim is now acting awkwardly around her, though a talking-head interview shows that she is still under the delusion that she has a chance at a romantic relationship with him. In a subsequent interview with the object of her affection, Jim tells the camera crew that he thinks she is "crazy". However, in "Last Day in Florida", it appears that she may no longer care for Jim, as she laughs along with Dwight when Dwight repeatedly insults him (although, it is also possible that she was only doing this because Dwight was vice president to Nellie Bertram at the time). She is not shown returning from Florida with her co-workers, and in the next episode, her desk appears to be cleaned out. On March 19, 2012, Broad confirmed that Cathy would not be returning, stating, via a Twitter message, that "Cathy has finished [temping] at Dunder Mifflin".
Hunter (Nicholas D'Agosto) was Jan's assistant. He first appeared in the episode "The Negotiation", during which he causes Michael to feel threatened by his youthful good looks. In "Women's Appreciation", Hunter listened in on a sensitive phone conversation between Michael and Jan, and Jan tells Michael to tell Hunter if he is visiting her that night, so he can purchase more vodka. He makes another appearance in "The Job", in which he is made uncomfortable by Michael, when he asks him to tell Jan that "[He] want[s] to squeeze them". After receiving her termination, Jan wishes Hunter luck with his band, and tells him, "Don't let them change you". In "Dinner Party", it is revealed that Ryan fired Hunter not long afterwards (perhaps for his complicity in Jan's negligence of her job); however, Hunter has since released a CD with his band, The Hunted, implying he may have taken up a career as a musician. The lyrics to one of the songs, entitled "That One Night", as well as Jan's behavior when she listens to it, seems to imply Hunter may have had sex with Jan, and quite possibly lost his virginity to her. On Jan's website, "serenitybyjancandles.com", she lists one candle as "Hunter Green", and writes, "This youthful, firm scent will leave your mouth watering. While designing this candle I felt like a college girl again. Just as Eve was tempted by a decadent apple, you'll be tempted by the most erotic scent of my collection, 'Hunter Green'", further implying a sexual relationship between them. In the Season 9 episode "The Whale", we learn that Hunter was 17 when he worked for Jan.
Rolando (Adam Jamal Craig) is the receptionist at the Dunder Mifflin, Utica branch. He first appears in "Branch Wars", and reappears in "Lecture Circuit", in which he greets Michael and Pam when they arrive at the Utica branch, and also scoffs at Michael's suggestion that the two receptionists go on a "friend date".
Stephanie (Laurel Coppock) is a friendly receptionist at Sabre Headquarters, who appears in the eighth-season episode, "Trivia". When Dwight physically apprehends Gabe, because he mockingly rejected Dwight's pitch, Stephanie ignores Gabe's cries for help, allowing Dwight to continue harassing him, uninterrupted.
Jordan Garfield (Cody Horn) was the new executive assistant hired by Deangelo Vickers in "The Inner Circle", mainly to prove to the staff that he was not sexist. She had no business background and little experience, leaving her co-workers to assume Deangelo hired her because of her model-level looks. In "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager", Dwight informed her that her co-workers think of her as a joke because she was only hired due to her looks; she appeared irritated but not particularly surprised. In a deleted scene, her behavior when she talks to the camera crew about Jim implies that she was developing a crush on him.
Jordan is not seen in the eighth season, with no explanation of what became of her. Paul Lieberstein later confirmed that she would not return to the show, but did not explain why.
Ronni (Dale Raoul) was Pam's temporary replacement as receptionist, hired when Pam went to art school in New York City in the episode "Weight Loss". During her short time at the office, Ronni quickly grew unpopular; Michael was openly unappreciative of her and, during an office party, her question "does anyone want to dance?" was met with unanimous disgust. Michael later fired her and replaced her with Ryan, partly because Michael had felt she was "boring". She later makes a cameo in the episode "Shareholder Meeting", in a flashback.
Lonnis "Lonny" Collins (Patrice O'Neal) is a dock worker. Lonny joins his friend Darryl in open displays of irritation by and intimidation toward Michael. He became a vocal supporter of Darryl in trying to establish a union, citing the low pay they receive in comparison to the office employees. He is best known for yelling at Michael after Michael trashed the entire warehouse. He also insulted Michael in front of the staff during Darryl's safety training seminar, after Michael frequently interrupted the presentation with his obnoxiousness, and made fun of Michael anew during the office staff's own workplace safety lecture. Kelly insults him, referring to him as "Sea Monster" because he is overweight.
Madge Madsen (Karly Rothenberg) is a dock worker. Madge is a warehouse employee who played against the office team during the "Basketball" game (which led to Michael's crude reference to her as "the East German gal"). When Michael led the male office workers into the warehouse for some "guy time", Madge excused herself from the proceedings. Initially Michael did not understand why she was leaving, indicating that he had not realized that she was a woman. Michael mistook her name by calling her "Pudge" and later "Padge", not knowing her real name. Michael and Dwight stole her uniform when heading out to prank the Utica branch during "Branch Wars", and Jim ended up wearing it during the whole fiasco. Madge makes a brief appearance in "Heavy Competition" when Dwight mistakes her for Michael as she walked by him. In "Secret Santa", it is revealed that the warehouse employees refer to her as "Garfield" for her affection for lasagna. In "Costume Contest", after the warehouse workers are allowed to make sales, it is said that Madge had made her first sale. When she and the rest of the warehouse employees win nearly a million dollars in a winning lottery ticket during "Lotto", Madge quits her job on the spot.
Glenn (Calvin Tenner) is a dock worker. He first appears in "Sexual Harassment", where he watches a sexual harassment video sent from corporate, and reappears in "Boys and Girls", when Michael holds a seminar in the Warehouse for all the male staff members. In "Grief Counseling", after Michael holds a funeral for a deceased bird (which, in truth, represents his grief for the recent passing of his former boss, Ed Truck), and the bird's makeshift "coffin" is let afire, Dwight orders Glenn and Phillip to clean up the burned ashes. In the fourth-season premiere, he participates in Michael's Fun Run for Rabies, and appears to have been the second person to cross the finish line. In "Weight Loss, Andy Bernard spits on his shoe before a weigh-in. In "Secret Santa", he attends the office Christmas party, and in "St. Patrick's Day", he tells Darryl to go back to his office in the Warehouse. In "The Cover Up", he is seen talking to Darryl in his office, where Darryl tells him "Look, I'm not down there anymore, so if the guys start making fun of you, you gotta' start standing up for yourself". In "Lotto", he quit his job, along with the rest of the Warehouse crew, when they win the lottery. He also moons the Scranton branch employees when the Warehouse staff runs wild in the office after receiving the news of their winnings. Both he and Hide invest their winnings in an energy drink for Asian homosexuals, which ultimately loses all their money, resulting in the two begging Darryl for their jobs back in "Free Family Portrait Studio". He later appears in "Lice" with his nametag now saying Glenn.
In his early appearances, the character's nametag read Lester, although this was changed in later episodes.
Jerry DiCanio (Matt DeCaro) is an older dock worker. In the episode "Basketball", Michael, knowing that his team is winning, claims that Jerry's inadvertent elbow hit to Michael's face is an intentional foul. Michael then declares that their "friendly" game has led to violence, and abruptly ends the game, declaring his team the winner. Nearly a decade later, in the ninth-season episode "Work Bus", it is mentioned that Jerry has died.
Phillip (Phillip Pickard) is another older dock worker. He first appears in "Basketball", and is later seen in "The Alliance". He is present when Michael holds a seminar in the Warehouse for all the male staff members, in "Boys and Girls", and is also present at the Warehouse during "Casino Night". In "Grief Counseling", after Michael holds a funeral for a deceased bird, and the bird's makeshift "coffin" is let afire, Dwight orders Philip and Glenn to clean up the burned ashes. He later appears in a deleted scene in "The Merger", is also present at Bob Vance's bachelor party in the Warehouse in the episode "Ben Franklin", and also attends the inventory party in "Back from Vacation". Phillip is last seen in "Safety Training", attending the Warehouse and office safety seminars.
Michael (Lamont Ferrell) is a dock worker who once gave Michael Scott a ride home, getting stuck for an hour in traffic, only to find that Michael had forgotten his name the following week in "Stress Relief".
Matt (Sam Daly) works at the Dunder Mifflin warehouse. It is presumed that he started work there shortly before December 2009. It is revealed in "Secret Santa" that Oscar secretly has a crush on him, and that Matt is also gay. Pam spends the whole Christmas party trying to get Oscar and Matt to bond. In the episode "Happy Hour", Oscar invites the warehouse crew and the office to drinks in an effort to hang out with Matt. The only real interaction between the two is when Matt invites Oscar to play basketball with him which Oscar gladly accepts despite the fact that he is terrible at basketball, confirming Darryl's accurate impression that Matt has nothing in common with Oscar. After that point, Matt does not appear in the show anymore.
Hidetoshi "Hide" Hasagawa (Hidetoshi Imura) is a Japanese warehouse dock worker. He is first seen in the first-season episode "Basketball", and is subsequently introduced to the camera crew by Darryl in the sixth-season episode "Happy Hour".
Hide claims that he was once a heart surgeon in Japan, and he boasts that he was "the best" due to his steady hands. He performed surgery for a yakuza boss, who needed a new heart. However, the Yakuza boss died during the operation. Hide fled from the Yakuza, hid in a fishing boat, and escaped to America, where Darryl hired him and "save[d his] life". Hide later reveals that he killed the yakuza boss on purpose.
In "Body Language", with Dwight's help, he applies for Sabre's minority executive training program, but he loses the position to Kelly.
In "Lotto", Hide is one of the warehouse employees who share a million-dollar winning lottery ticket. Triumphant, he immediately quits his job. Glum, Darryl hires new warehouse staff to replace those who quit, and he jealously wonders how the former warehouse staff will invest their winnings. Darryl muses that Hide will use his money to make a drink for Asian homosexuals.
In "Free Family Portrait Studio", Hide and Glenn lose their winnings after their energy drink investment fails, and they beg Darryl for their former jobs. In the season 9 episode "The Target", Hide makes a brief appearance impatiently watching and ridiculing Pam as she paints her warehouse mural.
Gary Trundell is a former warehouse worker that left prior to the start of the series. It is revealed in "Branch Closing" that he agreed to sleep with Meredith on the last day of work.
Val Johnson (Ameenah Kaplan) is a new Warehouse worker, first appearing as an applicant in the episode "Lotto". In "Doomsday", both Gabe and Darryl develop attractions to her; when Gabe asks her out, she politely declines and tells him that she does not date co-workers, causing Darryl to decide not to pursue her as more than a friend. In "Pam's Replacement", she compliments Andy, Darryl and Kevin's band, and later helps them realize that Robert California and his friends have ousted them out of their original band. In "Christmas Wishes", Darryl invites her to the office Christmas Party. However, she arrives formally dressed, having misunderstood Darryl's statement about the dress code. While she is embarrassed, Darryl convinces her to stay by dressing in a tuxedo. In "Special Project", she knits Darryl a hat for a Valentine's Day gift. Darryl believes this to be a sign of affection, but later discovers that she knitted a hat for everyone in the warehouse. Later in the episode, Val lies to Darryl and tries to convince him that her mother got her a vase of flowers, but Darryl earlier had discovered that it was her boyfriend that sent them. This then convinces Darryl that the hat is a "beanie of love". In "After Hours", Brandon, Val's boyfriend, arrives at the Scranton branch, and accuses Darryl of having an affair with his girlfriend, after having read Darryl's text messages to her. After reading his text messages aloud, everyone agrees that his text messages are suggestive of Darryl wanting to be with Val, but both of them brush it off as being ridiculous. When they are alone, however, Darryl tells Val that a potential relationship is not ridiculous, leaving her shocked. In the eighth-season finale, "Free Family Portrait Studio", Darryl declares to Val and Brandon that he is officially pursuing her. While Brandon insults Darryl for this, Val looks impressed by Darryl's bravado. Later, when Darryl is having his portrait taken with his daughter, Jada, he invites Val to be in the picture. She joins them, and affectionately grabs Darryl's hand. Their relationship is continuing in Season 9, with Val accompanying Darryl to the early-morning weekday wedding of his former co-worker Roy.
Nate N. Nickerson (Mark Proksch) is a dimwitted, but well-meaning, warehouse worker, who used to be Dwight's handyman. He is introduced in the opening to the season 7 episode "Sex Ed", when Dwight hires him from a group of undocumented immigrant day laborers and has him remove a hornet's nest from the Dunder Mifflin parking lot (which he attempts to do using a blowtorch and then a baseball bat, leading to him getting severely stung). Nate responds to Dwight in very broken Spanish when the two first meet, though later on, he seems to have become more fluent when he translates for Dwight in "Jury Duty". In "WUPHF.com", he helps Dwight run the Hay Place attraction in the parking lot. In "China", he helps Dwight turn the office toilet paper to half-ply as a cost-cutting measure, and goes with him to check out the "new building" that Pam claims to have found. In the opening of "Classy Christmas", he takes the staff Christmas photo. Nate re-appears in the season 8 episode "Lotto", where he applies for a warehouse position with Dunder Mifflin after the rest of the warehouse staff quits. It is revealed in this episode that "while he does not technically have a hearing problem, sometimes when many sounds are occurring at once, he hears them as one big jumble". He is seen working in the warehouse in "Doomsday". He also appears in several episodes in season 9, including the series finale, though part of his performance in episode 9, "Dwight Christmas" was removed for containing blackface, in 2020.
Gideon (Michael Daniel Cassady) is a part-time dock worker. He first appears in "Lotto", as an applicant for a position in the Warehouse, which he was eventually hired for, and reappears in the episode "Doomsday". As mentioned in his debut episode, he has a PhD, and is studying North America's diminishing blue collar workforce. Aside from his job at the Warehouse, he also works as a teacher.
Bruce (Mike Winfield) is highly flamboyant dock worker. He first appears in "Lotto" as an applicant for a position in the warehouse, which he was eventually hired for, and reappears in "Doomsday", where he unsettles Gabe with an extremely enthusiastic greeting.
Frank (Brad William Henke) is a truculent and unruly warehouse worker, who defaces Pam's mural by painting lewd pictures on it, in the episode "Vandalism". Pam initially tries to be civil and talk things out with him, along with Toby and Nellie, but Frank is very disrespectful towards them and does not apologize for what he did, as they have no authority over him. Pam and Dwight then take revenge by painting childish pictures on his beloved truck (albeit with washable paint). Frank, incensed by the payback, later confronts Pam in the parking lot, where he shows signs that he is going to physically assault her. Before he has the chance, however, Brian, the documentary crew's boom mic operator, breaks protocol and intervenes by hitting the warehouse employee across the face with his mic. The two end up in a scuffle, but Frank is restrained by two other documentarians. In the end, the audience learns that both Frank and Brian have been terminated from Dunder Mifflin and the documentary, respectively.
Louanne Kelley worked in the Annex along with Toby and Kelly. She had the desk near the kitchen door which faces toward Toby's desk. She had no lines and is seen only in passing in the first three seasons. In Season 1, her hair is red, but by Season 2, she is seen with gray hair. She does not participate in meetings or almost any other event. She was never seen again after the season 3 episode "Back from Vacation", but her desk and other belongings are apparently still in use.
Devon White (Devon Abner) is an office worker in Supplier Relations. He is an office employee who sits across from Creed (who is directly responsible for getting Devon fired, to save his own job). Devon (dressed as a hobo) is reluctantly laid off by Michael on "Halloween", and takes it badly, smashing a pumpkin on Michael's car in retaliation. The episode marks his only dialogue in front of the camera. When Michael later receives a $3,000 Christmas bonus in "Christmas Party" because Dunder Mifflin saved money through downsizing, he considers calling Devon to thank him, saying "some good came of it".
Devon is also warned by Dwight in "The Dundies" to keep his speech short. A deleted scene from "Diversity Day" shows Devon with a "West Nile" sign on his forehead, as he escapes the seminar for a smoke. A deleted scene from "Valentine's Day" shows Michael walking down the street in New York City, when a seemingly homeless pedestrian seems to recognize him and then chases him down the street. In the following scene, Michael reveals that it was Devon chasing him, and cluelessly reflects that it was nice to see Devon again and get closure on their whole story. In the series finale, it is revealed that Devon has been rehired by Dwight because Dwight always thought he was a good worker, ironically to replace Creed.
Kendall (John Hartmann) is the Human Resources representative for corporate. He was mentioned in the episode "The Job", during Jim's interview, by David Wallace, who called him an "irritating HR guy", and informed Jim that Kendall will probably be the only person that Jim will not like, mirroring Michael's dislike of Toby. In "Business Ethics", when Holly learns that Meredith is trading sexual favors for supply discounts, Kendall not only is not upset by the news, but believes that Meredith is doing the company a good turn, and angrily tells Holly that she has failed to just get the review forms signed, and tells her that if she cannot do that, then they will need another discussion. Given Kendall's authority over Holly, it is reasonable to assume that he is not merely the HR representative for the corporate office but a more senior HR representative, possibly the department head.
Kendall makes his first on-screen appearance in "Stress Relief", and appears again in "Company Picnic", in which he and Toby talk about past Human Resources stories, showing a similar personality to Toby. Since he was the corporate HR representative, it is presumed that he lost his job or was transferred out of New York to a new Sabre branch that needed its own HR person on hand.
Sadiq (Omi Vaidya) does tech support. First appearing in "E-mail Surveillance", he is sent by management to teach Michael how to monitor office email. Sadiq attends Jim's barbecue (to the consternation of Michael, who wasn't invited and still doesn't appear to trust Sadiq's motives). In "Fun Run", Sadiq cleans a computer virus from Pam's computer. He is a Sikh but resents being only classified by his religion, telling a meeting during "Fun Run" that he likes listening to hip hop and National Public Radio, and is restoring a 1967 Corvette. When the company is acquired by Sabre, Sadiq presumably loses his job, as a new IT Technician, Nick, takes his place. Dwight tells Sadiq's angrily departing successor Nick that they liked Sadiq for two reasons: he kept to himself, and they were afraid to cross him because they thought he might actually be a terrorist.
Nick (Nelson Franklin) was the IT administrator brought in by Sabre corporate (however, Franklin made a previous cameo in "Job Fair" as "Graphic Design Guy".). Reserved but amiable, he is regarded as a "nerd" by Michael, and the rest of the staff often treated him badly, often forgetting his name, and even his occupation within the office. He ultimately quits his job in the sixth-season finale, in order to join Teach for America in Detroit, but, after the employees once again misremember who he is, and Dwight insults him, he tells off the entire staff for their poor treatment of him and for not even having the common courtesy to just take the time to remember his name. He vengefully reveals a number of personal secrets that various office members have kept hidden on their computers, and gives everyone "the finger" as he leaves. Nick is later mentioned, along with all the other former IT administrators, in "WUPHF.com", but is only referred to as "glasses", showing that, even after his ireful final encounter with them, the Scranton branch employees are still unable to recall his name.
The reason behind Nick's departure was due to Franklin leaving the show in order to star on the short-lived television series Traffic Light, which also starred Office veteran David Denman.
Tony Gardner (Mike Bruner) was a morbidly obese bespectacled employee at the Stamford branch, and is one of the six employees that were transferred to Scranton during "The Merger". Tony also has a tendency to whine, as shown in his first appearance in the "Diwali" episode, when his chips get stuck in a vending machine, and he asks Karen to use her "skinny little arms" to help him get them out. Before even meeting Tony, Dwight tries to persuade Michael to fire him on his first day in order to scare the new employees straight. On Tony's first day, he can hardly take Michael's antics, but he hits his breaking point when Michael and Dwight tried to lift his large person onto a table for an orientation demonstration (Michael refers to his leg as a "hock"). Humiliated and angry, Tony quits, admitting that he was not completely sure about transferring to begin with, but mostly blaming Michael's management style. Michael is so angry that he overrides Tony's resignation and officially fires him, which in turn angers Jan because the firing means Dunder-Mifflin now has to pay Tony a large severance. Later, in "Lecture Circuit" Michael regrets firing him and briefly considers finding him and getting closure, but reconsiders because he is "too fat", calling him "Pepperoni Tony" as Pam looks at him with undisguised disgust. Tony has a cameo appearance in Michael's film Threat Level Midnight (in the episode "Threat Level Midnight") as a pianist. In an Officetally.com Question and Answer discussion, show co-star and executive producer B. J. Novak implied that Michael did end up apologizing to Tony, by offering him a role in the movie.
Martin Nash (Wayne Wilderson) was the Supplier Relations representative at the Stamford branch, and one of the six employees transferred to Scranton in "The Merger". According to a deleted scene from "The Merger", Martin is 37 years old. Before working at Dunder Mifflin, he served time in prison after getting busted for insider trading (which Kevin says is strangely similar to what he does). However, since he was put in a minimum-security facility, Martin claims his time in prison was just really boring. When he was released, he was hired by Josh through a federal reformed convict employment program, which allows Dunder Mifflin to receive rebate checks. Michael made a bad first impression on Martin, when he told the African-American employee, "I will show you where all the slaves work". He attempted to befriend Stanley, but failed. In "The Convict", when Martin's past is revealed to the office, Michael overly stresses his trust in Martin to everyone, worried that people would see him as a racist for looking at him as an ex-convict. However, since Martin's tales from prison were generally positive, everyone actually envies his experience compared to their jobs, frustrating Michael. Martin is the second employee from the Stamford branch to leave because of Michael's management style, particularly after Michael makes his prison sentence the focal point of one of his seminars.
Hannah Smoterich-Barr (Ursula Burton) was an Accountant at the Stamford branch, and was one of the six employees transferred to Scranton. In "The Merger", Hannah had unpleasant encounters with Ryan (who found it impossible to concentrate while she was using a breast milk pump) and Creed (who photographed her left breast and made it his computer's desktop wallpaper; Michael at first thinks it's a squid eye, and when he asks how Creed was able to photograph her breast, he replies, "Right place at the right time.") In "The Convict", she dresses her infant son in pink, claiming it's his "favorite color", and is offended when anyone assumes the child is female. In "A Benihana Christmas", Hannah is one of the only employees to attend Angela's Christmas party. Hannah quits her job while Michael is on vacation at Sandals in Jamaica, after complaining of the hostile environment and claiming harassment, making her the third transferred employee from the Stamford branch to quit at Scranton. The character is very similar to Anne from the British series; both are women who have traditionally been presented as likeable and friendly on TV shows (Hannah being a new mom, Anne being pregnant), but Hannah and Anne come across as snippy and unlikeable. They also only appeared in a few episodes each, with Anne being told off for her nasty attitude, and Hannah quitting under hostile circumstances.
In the season 7 finale "Search Committee: Part 2", Jim, Toby and Gabe interview several applicants for the position that had been held by Michael Scott (and briefly filled by Deangelo Vickers). The applicants included Andy, Dwight, Kelly, and Darryl; Nellie Bertram, who was not hired but was later placed in a different position at Sabre; Robert California, who was offered the position and accepted it, only to immediately quit to become CEO of Sabre; and the following others.
Hank Tate (Hugh Dane), also known as Hank the security guard, is head of security at the office park. Hank is quiet and stern, and unenthusiastically carries out his duties from his desk at the front door of the office park. Since Dwight purchased the building, Hank's duties have expanded to include running “Dwight’s Caffeine Corner” the ramshackle coffee counter that was installed in the lobby which serves coffee and baked goods for unreasonable prices. He is first seen sitting at his desk as Michael exits the building at the end of "Halloween". In "Drug Testing", Michael "pulls a few strings" and makes Dwight official Security Supervisor for the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. In "Night Out", Jim forgets to let Hank know that the office workers would be working late and Hank locks them and their cars behind the parking lot's gate. Unsure of Hank's name, Jim calls Hank's number on Toby's cell phone to ask him to come and unlock the gate. The other office workers realize that they never tipped Hank last Christmas (Jim forgot to collect it) and Hank will probably not come help them. Later, the Scranton Business Park cleaning crew arrives to unlock the gate, and Hank arrives some time later to find everyone had left without notifying him. When Toby Flenderson leaves the office at the end of Season 4, Michael brings Hank to escort him out, to Toby's annoyance. He plays the guitar in "Crime Aid" while selling CD's to help repay for the robbery; he uses the stage name "Hank Doyle". Hank is also called upon by Michael to decide what the Dunder Mifflin staff should do with extra money in "The Surplus" but is abruptly dismissed after not being able to make a quick decision. During "Two Weeks", Hank is ordered by Charles Miner to physically remove Michael from the office, which becomes slightly awkward for Hank. He also owns a 1/8 share of a rental property in Pittson, of which Dwight is 1/8 proud. During the Finale Table Read on the Season 9 DVD, Hank's last name is said to be "Doyle".
Hank was heavily featured in a deleted cold open intended for the series finale. The scene, which was cut due to its length, sees Hank play "Dorpheus" in an elaborate prank by Jim and Pam to trick Dwight into believing the Matrix is real. The plan backfires, however, when Dwight elects to take the blue pill rather than the red pill as Jim expected. The complete, deleted scene was released on YouTube on January 1, 2021, and features a dedication at the end to the since deceased Hugh Dane.
William "Billy" Merchant (Marcus A. York) is the property manager of Scranton Business Park, the office park in which the Dunder-Mifflin Scranton branch office is located. Billy is physically disabled, and has used a wheelchair since the age of four. Throughout his appearances, he is seen as a calm and professional man, and seems to disregard Michael's immaturity and rudeness, while still extending generosity to him. He first appears in "The Injury", in which Michael, after having burned his foot on a George Foreman Grill, invites Billy to the office to speak about being disabled. While there, Michael's remarks offend Billy, causing him to leave, and while departing, he informs Jim that Dwight might have a serious concussion. Billy reappears in the episode "Casino Night", attending the event of the same name, with his girlfriend, whom Michael mistakes for his nurse. In "Initiation", it is revealed that, once a year, Billy arranges for a pretzel cart to be brought into the lobby of the Scranton Business Park to give away free pretzels, "as a thank-you for [the] loyal tenants". In "Fun Run", he participates in Michael's fun run, and eventually passes Michael, later in the race. In "Dream Team", he assists Michael in setting up an office (which is essentially a janitorial closet) for his new paper company. Billy is neither mentioned nor seen after Dwight purchased the building at end of Season 6. Billy shares his last name with original series co-creator Stephen Merchant.
Leo and Gino (portrayed by writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, respectively) are deliverymen for Vance Refrigeration. The two first appear in a deleted scene from "Halloween", in which they attempt to gain the attention of the camera crew, while riding in an elevator with Michael, and reappear in "Valentine's Day", delivering Phyllis's Valentine's Day gifts from Bob Vance, and, in a deleted scene, flirting with Pam. In a deleted scene from "Drug Testing", it is revealed that Leo and Gino were responsible for smoking the joint that was found in the parking lot. In "Goodbye, Toby", the two assist Phyllis in organizing Toby's farewell party. In "Frame Toby", they con Michael out of 500 dollars by selling him what he believes to be marijuana, but is actually a bag of Caprese salad. In "Cafe Disco", when Kelly and Erin start dancing in Michael's Cafe Disco, Leo and Gino are shown to be eager to dance with them. Gino also makes a cameo appearance in "Threat Level Midnight", acting in Michael's movie of the same name, portraying a bar patron.
Brenda Matlowe (Brenda Withers) is a corporate trainer, who is sent to the Scranton branch to evaluate Michael's "Leadership Training Exercise", in the episode "Booze Cruise". In "The Carpet", Jim leaves her a voicemail, in which he asks her out on a date. In a deleted scene from "Drug Testing", she calls Jim back. However, as he is jinxed by Pam, he cannot answer. In a talking-head interview, he writes on a piece of paper, "She'll call back". Brenda was not referenced again for the remainder of the show.
Vikram (Ranjit Chowdhry) is a sales representative who worked with Michael at the Lipophedrine diet pill telemarketing company. Vikram is Indian and claims he was a surgeon back in India. He is a wise and diligent worker, seen winning the sales bonus at the telemarketing company and concerned about losing prime selling hours during his brief membership in the Michael Scott Paper Company. He is first seen in the episode "Money" when Michael tries telemarketing at night to earn extra income. He is friendly towards Michael, sharing his dinners and giving him good advice. Michael later recruits Vikram to work in his own company in "Dream Team" only to have Vikram give up on the idea and return to his job after finding out how ill-conceived Michael's plan was.
Al Brown (played by producer/writer Larry Wilmore) is a consultant sent by corporate to mediate a healthy discussion of diversity issues with the office staff after receiving complaints about Michael's inflammatory impersonation of a Chris Rock speech, in the episode "Diversity Day". Mr. Brown is later seen in "Gay Witch Hunt", giving the Stamford branch the same diversity training he gave the Scranton Branch; he alludes to incidents at the Scranton branch as the reason he is in Stamford.
Elizabeth (Jackie Debatin) is a stripper whom Dwight hired to be the "entertainment" at Bob Vance's bachelor party in "Ben Franklin". After both Bob and Michael refuse to accept lap dances from her, Dwight has her sit at Oscar's vacant desk to answer phones for the day. When Michael feels bad about betraying Jan, he asks Elizabeth (referring to her as "stripper") whether he should tell her. She replies, "Secret secrets are no fun, secret secrets hurt someone". When the office needs a medical person to receive a check for the proceeds of their fund-raiser, Elizabeth is hired to come back dressed as a "nurse" and receive Michael's check to help cure rabies during the Season 4 opener, "Fun Run". She is later seen flirting with Darryl. She returns in the series finale as the stripper at Dwight's bachelor party, and Dwight confuses her for a waitress.
Fern Widgale (portrayed by Office showrunner, writer and series developer Greg Daniels) is Michael's snippety neighbor who resides in a condominium near Michael's former one. He appears in a deleted scene from the episode "Office Olympics", in which he encounters Michael and Dwight, and is perturbed by Michael's personality. When asked what his profession is, he replies that he sells yarn, something that Michael and Dwight cannot help laughing at.
In a 2008 Office Comic Con panel, it was revealed that Fern is gay, and writer Lester Lewis stated that he portrayed the character's boyfriend, but that his part was cut.
There is a child actor in Threat Level Midnight with a similar name (Ferd Winkdale).
The Prince Family, consisting of members Roger Prince, Sr. (Dan Desmond), who started the company after returning from the Vietnam War; his wife Linda (Sharon Blackwood); their son Roger Jr. (Dan Bakkedahl), and Roger Jr.'s young daughter Rebecca (Emily Rae Argenti), operate a rival paper company somewhere near the Scranton region. In "Prince Family Paper", David Wallace asks Michael to investigate Prince Paper; when Michael visits the company, posing as a potential customer, the remarkably kind and overly trusting family gives him a list of their best clients to use as a reference, which Dwight eventually coerces Michael to send to David Wallace. In "Two Weeks", Michael calls Prince Paper, and is greeted with a voicemail recording revealing that the company has gone out of business.
Brandon (Jerry Minor) is Val's boyfriend. Brandon owns his own restaurant, and is prone to extreme agitation and jealously if he thinks someone is attempting to court Val. He is first introduced in "Special Project", when he calls Darryl asking for the address of the Warehouse, so that he may send flowers to his girlfriend. However, Val later tells Darryl that the flowers were from her mother, despite him pointing out the caller had had a deep voice and said his name was Brandon, possibly indicating that Val is interested in Darryl. Brandon makes his first appearance in "After Hours", in which he arrives at the office and accuses Darryl of having an affair with Val, after having read Darryl's text messages to her, although Val eventually convinces him there is nothing going on between her and Darryl. Brandon reappears in "Free Family Portrait Studio", in which he visits Val at the Warehouse, and overhears Darryl talking positively about her. Once again, he accuses him of being interested in her, but this time, Darryl admits to pursuing her. Later in the episode, Val joins Darryl and his daughter when they are having their family portrait taken, and she takes his hand in hers, suggesting that she is leaving Brandon for him. This is confirmed in the subsequent season, during which she is shown to be dating Darryl.
Justin Spitzer (Stephen Saux) is a character first seen on a date at the Hibachi table in the episode "A Benihana Christmas". In "Crime Aid", Justin bids in the warehouse auction and he can also be seen in "Goodbye, Michael", exiting the elevator with a delivery man as Michael leaves the office for the last time. This character was named after The Office writer Justin Spitzer, who went on to create and produce the NBC sitcom Superstore.
Megan (Elvy Yost) is a high school student, who appears in a deleted scene from the episode "Job Fair", where she is interested in an internship at Dunder Mifflin, but turned away by Oscar, who is attempting to spare her from the presumed misery she would endure by working at the office. She later reappears in "Gossip", as one of the three summer interns at the Scranton branch, where, true to Oscar's prediction, she, along with her fellow interns, suffers from the antics of the staff.
Deborah Shoshlefski (April Eden) was a model, with whom Michael became enamored, in the episode "Chair Model", after seeing her in an office supply catalog. Dwight tracks her down for him, but discovers that she is now deceased, having crashed her car into an airplane hangar while under the influence of cannabis. Michael is devastated by the news, and, wanting closure, later visits her gravesite along with Dwight (which culminates with the two singing American Pie together throughout the night and unintentionally dancing on her grave).
According to her tombstone, she was born in 1966, and died in 2003.
Tom Witochkin (Greg Tuculescu) is a former childhood friend of Jim's. He appears in "The Seminar", attending Andy's seminar on starting a small business, where his presence causes Jim, who was originally one of the guest speakers, to abruptly pull out and spend all day outside of the office. Pam later forces him to explain why he is acting so strange, and he reveals Tom's past friendship with him, and that he and Tom were placed in separate reading groups in school, with Jim being in the superior one. After his mother told him to spend time with his "smart" friends, Jim told Tom that his mother "thinks [he's] too dumb to hang out with". Jim eventually bumps into him in the break room, and attempts to laugh off their history, but Tom mocks Jim for not being as successful as his superior intellect would have indicated, using the snarky remark, "Where's your jet pack, Zuckerberg?".
George Howard Skub, nicknamed "The Scranton Strangler" by the media, is a serial killer who, as his moniker would suggest, strangles his victims. Although never seen on-screen, he has been referred to several times, starting with the sixth season episode "The Delivery", in which a newspaper headline reads "The Scranton Strangler Strikes Again". In a deleted scene from "Happy Hour", Michael tries to impersonate the Scranton Strangler to impress Pam's friend. In "Body Language", Dwight talks to Kelly about the best possible move to fight the Scranton Strangler. In the seventh season episode "Costume Contest", Dwight dresses like the Strangler for Halloween. In the opening of "Viewing Party", the office staff are watching a live broadcast of a police chase of the Scranton Strangler, and they get excited when the cars pass by on the road in front of the office building. In "Classy Christmas", Toby is chosen as a juror for the Scranton Strangler's trial, which forces him to take a leave of absence and results in Holly Flax being appointed his temporary replacement. In "Michael's Last Dundies", Toby states that the man he helped convict as the Scranton Strangler has been sentenced to the death penalty, but that Toby is starting to have second thoughts about whether or not the man was actually guilty. The Strangler is not mentioned again until the ninth season Christmas episode "Dwight Christmas", in which Toby reveals the name of the convicted murderer, whom he still believes to be innocent. A few episodes later, however, in "Moving On", after Nellie tells Toby to either do something about it or stop talking, he goes to see Skub in prison, and is nearly strangled, finally putting to rest the mystery of whether the right man was convicted.
Gordon (Andrew Daly) is an impersonator hired by Jim to portray Ben Franklin in the eponymous episode. He is introduced by Michael to the female staff, during which he mistakenly remarks that Ben Franklin was a president. Gordon, in character, replies "I never was president", but Michael insists that Ben Franklin was, thinking that Gordon is breaking character. Initially underwhelmed by his presence, the ladies find Gordon quite fun. Jim tries to convince Dwight that Gordon is the real Ben Franklin; to prove Jim wrong, Dwight asks Gordon questions relevant to Franklin’s time, but Gordon answers without hesitation. Gordon breaks character in order to hit on Pam, but Pam is not interested.
The documentary film crew is a camera crew that has been filming the lives of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch employees since the beginning of the series. Their presence has been met with widely different reactions and levels of comfort from the people they film, although, over the course of the series, the staff has gradually grown to accept the crew's presence as a part of their environment.
The crew often intrudes on the personal lives of the office workers, such as filming at social or private events, and have been known to take rather extreme measures in order to capture footage, sometimes secretly filming the employees, even if they tell the crew that they do not want to be on camera. While they mainly observe the action around them, the camera operators have, on occasion, intervened, such as when Pam asks one to alert her if they see any indications to suggest that Dwight and Angela are in a relationship, which the camera operator does, or when the crew shows Jim and Pam recent footage of the two kissing, in order to elicit an explanation from them. However, they have also done the exact opposite, even in critical situations, such as when Dwight tricks his co-workers into believing that the building is on fire, and the crew neglects to inform everyone that it is just a safety drill even though it results in a massive panic, and a member of the crew gets trampled by the staff.
While they remain mostly unseen, the crew members have appeared in the background in the episodes "Health Care", "Office Olympics", "The Fire", "The Fight", "The Secret", "Branch Wars","Survivor Man", and "Customer Survey". The ninth-season premiere marked the first time the audience has heard one of them speak, as when Pam and Jim finish their interview outlining their summer, Pam brings up the crew's lengthy stay at the office, asking the cameraman "Don't you guys have everything? I mean, it's just a paper company", to which the interviewer (voiced by David Rogers) replies "Well, we're more following you guys, to see how you turn out".
During a 2007 Writer's Block Question and Answer session at The Office Convention, the writers half-jokingly suggested that the original reason for the camera crew filming the staff's lives was to see how the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch handled the suicide of a co-worker (that employee being Tom Peets), but the crew changed its focus upon realizing that the daily events in the office would make a more captivating documentary.
Brian (Chris Diamantopoulos) was the film crew's boom operator. He was not seen until the episode "Customer Loyalty", in which he comforts a tearful Pam after a fight with Jim, ordering the cameras to be shut off while doing so. In “Junior Salesman”, Pam apologizes to him, as his actions caused him to be reprimanded by his superiors, although he tells her not to feel guilty about it. In "Vandalism", Brian is fired from the documentary after breaking protocol by hitting the warehouse worker Frank across the face with his mic when it appears that he is going to physically assault Pam. Shortly after his termination, he tells Pam that, should she ever need anything, to just let him know, leaving her grateful, but confused. In "Couples Discount", the Halperts plan to have lunch with Brian and his wife, Alyssa, to thank him for protecting Pam from Frank. When they arrive, they are surprised to be meeting only with Brian, who reveals that he is getting a divorce. He and his wife had been fighting for a while. In "Promos", Pam visits Brian at his apartment, and tells him that upon seeing the old footage she thinks Jim's feelings for her have largely faded, and Brian agrees. When she asks about what the crew filmed, he tells her that every important moment was captured even when not wearing their microphones. Realizing the extent to which their privacy has been violated, Pam storms out of Brian's house.
Fictional character biographies were adapted from Dunderpedia: The Office Wiki, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license.