Which character is played by John Ross Bowie?

The character played by John Ross Bowie is Barry Kripke.

Barry Kripke is a recurring character on The Big Bang Theory and a colleague in the show’s scientific world. He works in plasma physics and frequently clashes with Sheldon Cooper, whose competitive personality makes Kripke an especially entertaining rival. Bowie first appeared as Kripke in the second-season episode “The Killer Robot Instability.”

Kripke is recognizable for his distinctive pronunciation: because of rhotacism, he generally pronounces “R” and “L” sounds as “W.” The speech pattern becomes a recurring source of jokes, misunderstandings, and occasional plot points, including scenes involving voice-recognition technology.

A common mix-up is confusing Kripke with other scientists at Caltech. Leslie Winkle is a physicist and Sheldon’s rival, while Bert Kibbler is a geologist played by Brian Posehn. Kripke is the plasma physicist played by Bowie, and his rivalry with Sheldon is usually more antagonistic than Sheldon’s relationship with most colleagues. The character is also identified as Barry Kripke, PhD, in franchise reference material.