'Boardwalk Empire' Adds 'Justified,' 'True Blood' Actor as Recurring Lawman

Stephen Root

After a sophomore season that featured the death of a handful of series regulars, HBO's Boardwalk Empire is continuing to rebuild its ranks, with Stephen Root joining the drama.

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The premium cable network announced Friday that Root will recur as Gaston Means, a forger, swindler and murder suspect who became a Special Investigator for the United States Department of Justice under Attorney General Harry Daugherty (Christopher McDonald).

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The news comes a week after Bobby Cannavale joined the period drama from Terence Winter and Martin Scorsese as a series regular, playing Gyp Rosetti -- a charming but ruthless gangster who challenges Nucky (Steve Buscemi).

In its second season, Boardwalk killed off co-star Michael Pitt's Jimmy Darmody, Dabney Coleman's Commodore and Aleksa Palladino's Angela Darmody. In addition, the series opted not to renew its option on Paz de la Huerta, with new mom Lucy likely also joining the list of Boardwalk's departing characters.

The casting reteams Root with HBO, where he guest starred on True Blood as Eddie, a vampire who supplied Lafayette with V. His credits include Justified and Rango.

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