The Office is one of the most beloved sitcoms of our time. While it was popular throughout its run on NBC, it has found a devoted fan following through Netflix in recent years. Message boards, fan sites, and subreddits have been created to honor the fandom behind The Office and the legacy it left on the TV industry.
Of course, the magic of the show wouldn't have been possible without a stellar cast behind it– and The Office had a truly stellar cast, indeed.
10 Steve Carell Partook In Historical Reenactments
Steve Carell led a very interesting childhood. He played sports like lacrosse & hockey in high school (showing off his skating skills throughout The Office) and even played the fife. But perhaps the most interesting detail of his childhood is that he partook in historical reenactments, often portraying the 10th (North Lincoln) Regiment of Foot. This was a line infantry regiment that engaged in the likes of the Nine Years' War, the American War of Independence, and the Second World War.
9 Rainn Wilson Was Briefly Raised In Nicaragua
Wilson was born in Seattle in 1966 to yoga teacher Shay Cooper and novelist Robert G. Wilson. He lived in Seattle until he was three years old. This is when he moved to Nicaragua with his father and stepmother. His family remained in Nicaragua until Rainn was five years old, upon which they returned to Seattle. Wilson would remain in Seattle throughout his teenage years and graduated from the city's University of Washington in 1986.
8 John Krasinski & B.J. Novak Went To High School Together
John Krasinski and B.J. Novak knew each other long before they were co-stars on The Office. They both attended Newton South High School in Newton, Massachusetts, and Krasinski appeared in a school play that Novak had written. They graduated together in 1997– eight years before The Office premiered in 2005. Novak later reacted positively to their work and time together, calling it "too good to be true."
7 Jenna Fischer Struggled To Find Work
Fischer grew up in Missouri, having been born in Fort Wayne, raised in St. Louis, attended elementary school in Manchester, high school in Webster Groves, and university in Kirksville.
She left Missouri behind and moved out to Los Angeles in 1998 to pursue an acting career. Unfortunately, she struggled to break into the TV & film industry and suffered for three years. Her first paying role was a sex ed video for psychiatric patients.
6 Ed Helms Had Heart Surgery At 13
Ed Helms did not enjoy a healthy childhood. He was forced to undergo open heart surgery when he was just thirteen years old due to supravalvular aortic and pulmonic stenosis. Aortic stenosis is the dangerous pinching of the left ventricle, and pulmonic stenosis is when the blood flow between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery is obstructed. The surgery reportedly lasted nine hours, and Helms was forced to stay in the ICU for a week after the surgery.
5 Leslie David Baker Worked For Chicago's Department Of Public Health
Leslie David Baker had his own office job long before starring on The Office. Baker earned a Master of Science in human services administration and eventually taught special education. He later worked for the city of Chicago, serving on the city's Board of Education, the Office of Cable and Communications, and even the Department of Public Health. He eventually moved out to L.A. in the late 90s and began a career in acting.
4 Kate Flannery Is A Twin
Kate Flannery portrayed Meredith Palmer, the provocative drunk of the office.
Flannery comes from a large Pennsylvania family and has five sisters and one brother. While appearing on The Wendy Williams Show in 2012, Flannery revealed that she has a twin sister who was born three minutes before her. Her sister currently works as a social worker.
3 Angela Kinsey & Paul Lieberstein Were In-Laws
Angela Kinsey and Paul Lieberstein, who play Angela and Toby respectively, were in-laws during the early scenes of The Office. Kinsey married Paul's brother Warren Lieberstein in June 2000, roughly five years before The Office began airing. They had a child together in May 2008, but they separated the following February. In February 2009, The Office was in the middle of its fifth season.
2 Oscar Nunez's Parents Went To School With Fidel Castro
Nunez was born in Colón, Cuba to Cuban parents. These parents attended the University of Havana at the same time as Fidel Castro, who would later serve as Prime Minister and President of Cuba from 1959 to 2008. Castro studied law at the university and began his studies in 1945. Nunez was born in 1958, and his family moved to the United States when he was very young. They moved to Boston and again to New Jersey before Nunez was naturalized in 1964 at the age of six.
1 Phyllis Smith Was A Cheerleader & Burlesque Dancer
Phyllis Smith graduated from university in 1972, but she never utilized her degree in elementary education. Throughout the 70s and 80s she worked in various provocative professions, including cheerleading and burlesque dancing. She served as a cheerleader for the St. Louis Cardinals, a football team who played in St. Louis from 1960 to 1987 before relocating to Arizona and becoming the Arizona Cardinals.
