Philip Barker Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio on September 10, 1931. He did not originally intend to pursue an acting career. Hall first became a military man and an English teacher. When he got bored with his life, he moved to Los Angeles. Hall began his illustrious career in theater, where he appeared in numerous stage productions in Broadway such as The Skin of Our Teeth. He went on to gain roles in commercial films; the more recent ones include Bruce Almighty and Dogville. Russ is played by Philip Barker Hall on FOX's comedy series The Loop. Russ is the relentless and demanding boss of Sam.