Karl Diedrich Bader (December 24, 1966, Alexandria, Virginia, USA) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his comedic and voice acting roles. He has appeared as a series regular in television sitcoms The Drew Carey Show, American Housewife, and Outsourced, along with recurring roles in Better Things and Veep. His film credits include The Beverly Hillbillies, Office Space, and Napoleon Dynamite.
He has had a prolific voiceover career, playing characters such as Hoss Delgado in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Zeta in The Zeta Project, Tank Evans in the films Surf's Up and Surf's Up 2: WaveMania, Dr. Meridian/Mandroid in Transformers: EarthSpark, and provided the voice of Bruce Wayne / Batman in multiple animated films and television series, beginning in 2008 with Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Karl Diedrich Bader was born in Alexandria, Virginia, on Christmas Eve, 1966, the son of Gretta Bader (née Margaret Marie Lange; 1931–2014), a sculptor, and William B. Bader (1931–2016), a foundation executive and political activist. His patrilineal great-grandfather was Edward L. Bader, who served as the mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey. He is of German and Scottish descent.
When Bader was two years old, his family moved to Paris, but he returned to the U.S. to attend Groveton High School. He graduated from T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and attended college at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
After a few guest roles on popular television series such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Diagnosis: Murder, and Cheers, Bader's first major role was in the 1993 series Danger Theatre, playing The Searcher. He moved into cinema acting for the 1993 film version of The Beverly Hillbillies, and returned to television, playing Oswald on The Drew Carey Show starting in 1995. He appeared in the 1999 film Office Space as Peter's neighbor Lawrence, and in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite as Rex, the owner of a Taekwondo dojang. He performs in the 2004 film Eurotrip as a thief. In 2010, Bader took the role of Charlie on the television series Outsourced.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 
|
Bad Dog | Top Cat Begins |
| 2015 | 
|
Spitfire | Skylanders: SuperChargers |
| 2008 | 
|
Veteran Cat | Bolt |
| 2005 | 
|
John | Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone |
| 2002 | 
|
Oscar | Ice Age |