Many characters portrayed by
The Office cast are based on the British version of the show. While these characters normally have the same attitude and perceptions as their British counterparts, the roles have been redesigned to better fit the American show. The show is known for its generally large cast size, with many of its actors and actresses known particularly for their
improvisational work.
Main •
Steve Carell as
Michael Scott, Regional Manager of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch. Loosely based on
David Brent, Gervais' character in the British version, Scott is a dim-witted and lonely man, who attempts to win friends as the office comedian, usually making himself look bad in the process. •
Rainn Wilson as
Dwight Schrute, who, based upon
Gareth Keenan, is the office's top-performing sales representative. •
John Krasinski as
Jim Halpert, a sales representative, assistant manager, and prankster, who is based upon
Tim Canterbury, and is in love with
Pam Beesly, the receptionist. •
Jenna Fischer as
Pam Beesly, who is based on
Dawn Tinsley. She is shy, but in many cases a cohort with Jim in his pranks on Dwight. •
B. J. Novak as
Ryan Howard, based on Ricky Howard and Neil Godwin, who at the end of the fourth season was arrested while acting as Vice President, North East Region and Director of New Media, returns to Scranton as a temp on the fifth season. On the episode "
Frame Toby", Novak's character leaves the office to travel to Thailand. Novak actually took a leave of absence from the show to appear in
Quentin Tarantino's film,
Inglourious Basterds, although he resumed his role later in the season.
Starring " •
Ed Helms as
Andy Bernard, a preppy salesman with anger issues. •
Melora Hardin as
Jan Levinson, a former Dunder Mifflin employee and Michael's ex-girlfriend, who is only present at the beginning of the season. •
Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson, a grumpy salesman. •
Brian Baumgartner as
Kevin Malone, a dim-witted accountant, based on
Keith Bishop. •
Creed Bratton as Creed Bratton, the office’s strange quality assurance officer. •
Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer, the
promiscuous supplier relations representative. •
Mindy Kaling as
Kelly Kapoor, the pop-culture obsessed customer service representative. •
Angela Kinsey as
Angela Martin, a judgmental accountant and Dwight’s main love interest. •
Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson, the sad-eyed human resources representative who left to Costa Rica on the fourth-season finale, who returns to replace Holly Flax. •
Oscar Nunez as
Oscar Martinez, an intelligent accountant, who is also gay. •
Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin, the warehouse manager. •
Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Vance, a motherly saleswoman.
Special guest stars •
Amy Ryan as
Holly Flax, Michael's love interest. •
Idris Elba as Charles Miner, the new Vice President of the North East Region.
Recurring •
Andy Buckley as
David Wallace, Dunder Mifflin’s CFO. •
Bobby Ray Shafer as Bob Vance, Phyllis’ husband, who runs Vance Refrigeration. •
Hugh Dane as Hank Tate, the building’s security guard. •
Lisa K. Wyatt as Lynn, Kevin's love interest. •
Ellie Kemper as
Erin Hannon, the new receptionist after Pam left for the Michael Scott Paper Company. She is the new love interest of Andy.
Notable guests •
David Denman as Roy Anderson, a former warehouse worker and Pam’s ex-fiancé, who now works at a vitamin store. •
Wendi McLendon-Covey as Marie, a concierge at a hotel in Canada. •
Dan Bakkedahl as Roger Prince Jr., the son of the owner of Prince Family Paper. •
Rick Overton as William Beesly, Pam's father. •
Rashida Jones as Karen Filippelli, Jim’s ex-girlfriend, who is now regional manager of the
Utica branch. •
Rob Huebel as A.J., Holly's boyfriend at the Nashua branch. •
Katie Aselton as the Glove Girl, an unnamed woman that Michael meets at a blood drive. •
Ranjit Chowdhry as Vikram, a telemarketer that Michael used to work with. •
Connie Sawyer as "Nana" Scott, Michael's grandmother. ==Reception==