The fourth season starts with Michael avenging Sara's "death", before learning that Gretchen did not kill her as he thought. Michael also learns the truth about Whistler, that he has secretly been working alongside Mahone to take down the Company. A Company operative takes Whistler's life shortly after this. Sona has burned down and Sucre, Bellick and T-Bag have escaped during the chaos. After returning to Chicago to look for Sara, Michael is arrested and recruited by Don Self (Michael Rapaport), a Department of Homeland Security agent, to help bring down the Company in exchange for his freedom. Lincoln, who was arrested in Panama is transferred to Chicago along with Mahone, Sucre, and Bellick with whom a deal is made. Also joining the group are Sara, who escaped from Gretchen which resulted in Gretchen's own imprisonment by the Company, having failed to secure a valuable item, and Roland (James Hiroyuki Liao), a hacker who was assigned to help them after getting arrested for identity theft. Together, they devise a plan to retrieve Scylla, believed to be the Company's 'little black book', from the Company that will help to destroy it. In the meantime, Wyatt (Cress Williams), an agent from the Company, attempts to track down Michael and Lincoln. Mahone later murders Wyatt as revenge for murdering his son Cameron. Bellick sacrifices his life in order to save the Scylla break-in. When the group eventually succeeds in stealing Scylla, Self betrays them and tries to sell Scylla, but fails. Right before the mid-season break, it is revealed that Michael and Lincoln's mother is still alive and has obtained Scylla. The 2nd part of the season began on April 17. In the episode "SOB", Michael's mother Christina tells them that Lincoln is not really his brother. She then frames Lincoln and Michael for the killing of the son of India's Prime Minister, in order to precipitate a war between China and India, from which she will profit by selling weapons technology from Scylla to both sides. At the end of the episode "Cowboys and Indians" Michael has acquired Scylla, but Lincoln has been captured by Christina's security and Sara is taken by The General, so Michael must choose between exchanging Scylla for either Sara's life or Lincoln's. In the final two episodes, Michael manages to save Sara by luring the company away from her, then they rescue Lincoln by blowing up the area where he is held. They manage to get help from ex-secret service agent Paul Kellerman and his old friends in order to bring Scylla to the UN. Everyone gets exonerated except for T-Bag, whom the gang decide to send back to Fox River and Krantz, who is sent to the electric chair. The series end with a coda that flashes forward four years to the team meeting to mark the anniversary of Michael's death after the events of the TV movie "Prison Break: The Final Break" in which Michael sacrifices his life to facilitate Sara's escape from prison.
The third season follows both Michael inside Sona and Lincoln on the outside in Panama. Sona is a prison that has been run by the inmates and guarded only from the outside since a riot the year before. Burrows is quickly contacted by Gretchen Morgan (a Company operative who was in charge of operations in Panama) who kidnapped his son LJ (Marshall Allman) and Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), the woman Michael loves. He is told that The Company wants Scofield to break James Whistler (Chris Vance) out of Sona. The season follows Michael and Whistler's trials in formulating an escape plan, as Michael has to deal with extreme tension and as Lincoln deals with the Company's operative Gretchen Morgan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). Sucre gets a job at the prison to aid Michael in his escape plan. When Lincoln attempts to rescue Sara and LJ following a clue provided by Sara, Gretchen claims to have beheaded Sara and sends Lincoln a head in a box as a warning. As the season ends, the pair manage to escape along with Mahone, and another inmate McGrady leaving behind several accomplices including T-Bag and Bellick. Sucre's identity is discovered by a prison guard and is thrown into Sona just after the escape. LJ and Sofia (who was captured for a guarantee that Whistler would go with her) are traded for Whistler, and Michael is out for revenge against Gretchen for Sara's death.
The second season begins eight hours after the escape, focusing mainly on the escapees. Series creator Paul Scheuring describes the second season as "The Fugitive times eight" and likens it to the "second half of The Great Escape". The fugitives split up and journey to locations across the country with the authorities close behind them as they each pursue their individual goals. Brad Bellick (Wade Williams) gets fired from the prison where he worked as a guard and chases after the inmates himself for the reward money. Several of the escapees reunite in search of a large cache of money buried long ago by another prisoner. Federal agent Alexander Mahone (William Fichtner) is assigned to track down and capture the eight fugitives, but is revealed to be working for The Company, which wants all eight men dead. When Sara discovers her dead father, Governor Frank Tancredi, she meets with Michael, remaining with him as the brothers try to bring down the current President, a Company member. To ensure the brothers' safety, Sara allows herself to be arrested and faces trial. During the trial, the testimony of former Secret Service agent Paul Kellerman, who used to work for the Company-controlled President, exonerates Lincoln and Sara. Several of the escapees are killed or recaptured, but the brothers make it to Panama. Michael, T-Bag, Mahone and Bellick are arrested by the Panamanian authorities and imprisoned at the Penitenciaría Federal de Sona.
The first season follows the rescue of Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), who is accused of murdering Terrence Steadman (Jeff Perry), the brother of the Vice President of the United States. Lincoln is sentenced to death and is incarcerated in Fox River State Penitentiary where he awaits his execution. Lincoln's brother, brilliant structural engineer Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), is convinced of Lincoln's innocence and formulates an escape plan. In order to gain access to Fox River, Michael commits armed robbery. Michael befriends the prison doctor Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies) when he pretends to suffer from Type 1 diabetes, in order to gain daily access to the prison's infirmary. The brothers' fight to ward off the execution is aided by their lifelong friend Veronica Donovan (Robin Tunney), who begins to investigate the conspiracy that put Lincoln in jail. However, they are hindered by covert agents, members of an organization known as The Company. The Company was responsible for framing Lincoln, and they did so because of Lincoln's father, Aldo Burrows, and his former connections to the company. The brothers, along with six other inmates, Fernando Sucre (Amaury Nolasco), Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell (Robert Knepper), Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin (Rockmond Dunbar), David "Tweener" Apolskis (Lane Garrison), John Abruzzi (Peter Stormare), and Charles "Haywire" Patoshik (Silas Weir Mitchell), who come to be known as the Fox River Eight, escape in the season finale.
- Wentworth Miller as Michael Scofield (Season 1–4): Michael is Lincoln's brother and worked as a structural engineer before devoting full-time to his brother's case. In order to save his brother's life, Michael creates an elaborate plan to help his brother escape from prison. In an interview, Paul Scheuring recalled that most of the actors who tested for the role "would come in playing mysterious, but it was so cheesy and false." A week before the start of production, Miller auditioned for the role and impressed Scheuring with his performance; he was cast the following day.
- Dominic Purcell as Lincoln Burrows (Season 1–4): Lincoln is a high school drop-out and a convicted felon, who is wrongfully accused of and charged with the murder of Terence Steadman, the brother of the Vice President of the United States. Purcell was cast three days before the start of production and consequently, he was the last actor to join the original cast. He auditioned for the role while he had a recurring role as Tommy Ravetto on North Shore. Since working on John Doe, Purcell has had an amiable relationship with Fox. Hence, he was sent the pilot script of Prison Break. Scheuring's first impression of Purcell did not convince him as a fit for the role since the actor went to the audition with his hair styled and a tan. However, Purcell's acting won the role. He arrived on the set on the first day of filming with a shaved head, which amazed Scheuring with the physical likeness of the series' two leading actors.
- Robin Tunney as Veronica Donovan (Season 1–2): Veronica is Michael and Lincoln's childhood friend and decides to review Lincoln's case at Michael's insistence. She becomes Lincoln's lawyer and appears as a major character in the first season.
- Marshall Allman as Lincoln "L. J." Burrows Jr. (Season 1–4): L. J. is the teenage son of Lincoln Burrows and is greatly affected by his father's death sentence. He is forced into hiding after he becomes the target of the people who want Lincoln dead.
- Amaury Nolasco as Fernando Sucre (Season 1–4): Sucre develops a friendship with Michael during time at Fox River State Penitentiary, where he was his cell-mate. He becomes Michael and Lincoln's ally, and provides comic relief to the show. His character's story focuses mainly on his wish to reunite with his girlfriend. Upon receiving the pilot script, Nolasco's first thought was that it was "one of those failed pilots that the network did not really want" since most of the series pilots would have started production by that time. Admitting that he does not like to read, Nolasco was amazed that the script was a "huge page-turner". Prior to his last audition for the role, Nolasco recalled his nervousness, which grew when Paul Scheuring told him that he was their favourite choice. Subsequently, he was cast in the role.
- Robert Knepper as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell (Season 1–4): T-Bag appears in all four seasons of the series as a cunning, violent and manipulative psychopath, consistently underestimated by those around him. T-Bag will stop at nothing to get what he wants and lets nothing stand in his way.
- Peter Stormare as John Abruzzi (Season 1-2): Due to his role as the leader of a Chicago mafia, Abruzzi became a prominent figure at Fox River State Penitentiary. He agrees to provide an escape plane for Michael in exchange for the location of the eyewitness to his crimes, Otto Fibonacci. He appears regularly in the first half of the first season and makes selected appearances towards the end of the first season and the beginning of the second season.
- Rockmond Dunbar as Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin (Season 1–2, 4): Desperate for his family, C-Note blackmails Michael at Fox River to join his escape team. He appears in the series as a major character in the first and second seasons.
- Wade Williams as Brad Bellick (Season 1–4): Appearing in all four seasons, Bellick was introduced as the captain of Fox River's correctional officers. After reading the pilot script, Williams initially did not want to portray the role of Bellick because the character was "horrible and despicable". His reluctance stemmed from being the father of a four-year-old daughter. However, his manager persuaded him to audition for the role and Williams landed the role of Bellick.
- Sarah Wayne Callies as Sara Tancredi (Season 1–2, 4): Sara is the prison doctor at Fox River and the daughter of Governor Frank Tancredi, who is linked into the plot that brings Lincoln to Fox River. She takes a liking to Michael and eventually aids his escape. She ultimately joins them on the run. Callies was the first actress the producers saw at the audition for the role of Sara Tancredi and was also the first to become a principal cast member.[30][32]
- Paul Adelstein as Paul Kellerman (Season 1–2, 4): Kellerman was introduced as a Secret Service agent working for the Vice President to make sure that the execution of Lincoln Burrows goes smoothly. Eventually, his character changes from that of a villain to an ally to Michael and Lincoln. He appears as a major character in the first and second seasons.
- William Fichtner as Alexander Mahone (Season 2–4): Introduced as an FBI agent in the second season, Mahone's assignment was to locate the fugitives. Mahone is intellectually matched with Michael and his background unfolds as the series progresses. In season 3 he finds himself incarcerated with Michael in Sona and is eventually forced to become his ally through season 4.
- Chris Vance as James Whistler (Season 3-4): Whistler is incarcerated in Sona for the murder of the Mayor's son and appears as a major character in the third season. He also stars in the first episode of Season 4.
- Robert Wisdom as Norman "Lechero" St. John (Season 3): Appearing as a major character in the third season, Lechero is a prisoner at Sona who rules the prison as a dictator and a Panamanian drug kingpin. And was killed by T-bag at the end of season 3
- Danay Garcia as Sofia Lugo (Season 3-4): Sofia was introduced in the third season as Whistler's girlfriend, at the beginning of season 4 it is revealed she has started to date Lincoln Burrows.
- Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Gretchen Morgan (Season 3–4): Introduced as "Susan B. Anthony", Gretchen is an operative for the company who is in charge of ensuring the escape of James Whistler.
- Michael Rapaport as Donald Self (Season 4): Introduced in season 4, Self is a Department of Homeland Security special agent who teams up with the gang to take down The Company.
William Edward Fichtner
November 27, 1956
East Meadow, New York, USA
William Edward "Bill" Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on Invasion, as Alexander Mahone on Prison Break and as Ken Rosenberg in the video games Grand Theft Auto Vice City and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.
Fichtner also had a small role as the Gotham National Bank manager in the feature film The Dark Knight, and as Jurgen in Equilibrium; both action movies feature Christian Bale.
Personal life
Fichtner was born in East Meadow, New York, and raised in Cheektowaga, New York, where he graduated from Maryvale High School. He is the son of Patricia and William E. Fichtner. He has German ancestry. He has four sisters, one of whom is a Colonel in the US Air Force while his nephew was a member of the band Sleepaway. After graduating from [Farmingdale State College in 1976 with a associate degree in criminal justice, he attended [SUNY Brockport]] and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice in 1978, Fichtner decided to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Fichtner credits his Farmingdale State College admissions counselor, Don Harvey, with his decision to study acting. Harvey, who became a lifelong friend, took Fichtner to his first Broadway show. On 18 May 2008, Fichtner was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by his alma mater, Farmingdale State College.[citation needed] He is an Anaheim Ducks fan and periodically blogs for NHL.com.
Career
Fichtner began his acting career as "Josh Snyder" in As the World Turns in 1987. Fichtner's film credits include Contact, Heat, Armageddon, Go, Equilibrium, Black Hawk Down, The Perfect Storm, The Longest Yard, Crash, Ultraviolet, and The Dark Knight. Mainly a character actor, one of Fichtner's few leading roles is in Passion of Mind, also starring Demi Moore and Stellan Skarsgard. For his role in Crash he won a Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance Award and a "Best Acting Ensemble" Award from Broadcast Film Critics Choice.
Credited as "Bill Fichtner", he lent his voice to the character Ken Rosenberg in the popular video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. From 2005-2006, Fichtner also starred in the science fiction drama series Invasion as Sheriff Tom Underlay. After Invasion was cancelled, Fichtner was chosen to play Agent Alexander Mahone in the second, third and fourth seasons (2006-2009) of Prison Break. Later that year, he also presented an award at the National Hockey League award show. He also appears in The West Wing episode, "The Supremes" as Christopher Mulready, a brilliant conservative judge nominated to the Supreme Court.
In June 2009, Fichtner signed on to guest star on Entourage playing TV producer Phil Yagoda, who is trying to remake his hit 1990s teen series.
Born October 10, 1978
Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey, US
Early life
O'Keefe was born in Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey, the daughter of Noreen, a homemaker, and Jack O'Keefe, a director of labor relations for Merck. She has Irish, Czech, Austrian, Polish and Swedish ancestry. When she was a child, the youngest of three sisters, she had a bowl haircut and was self-described as a "dork". Her older sister was a model and she decided that she wanted to do the same. She did, and says the modelling job brought her more confidence and more friends. She attended a Catholic school and grew from being the shortest in the class to one of the tallest (at 5 feet 8 inches/1.73 metres), which is the height at which she now stands.
Career
Midway through her junior year high school she left school to star on the soap opera Another World, playing Marguerite “Maggie” Cory. She then got a role on Nash Bridges, playing Cassidy, the daughter of Don Johnson’s title character. She and her mother moved to Hollywood, so Jodi completed her schooling by mail.
She made her big screen debut in 1998 in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and later starred in such films as The Crow: Salvation, Whatever It Takes and Devil In The Flesh 2. In 1999, she starred in the teen flick, She's All That (1999) alongside Freddie Prinze Jr and Rachael Leigh Cook. When asked if it was hard to play her character, a high school prima donna, she replied, “Everybody knew a Taylor Vaughan in high school. Working in show business, you meet girls like that every day.”
O'Keefe kept on filming both movies and Nash Bridges until the series ended in 2001. Later films have been Out For Blood where she played a vampire named Layla Simmons and Venice Underground. In 2005, she appeared for three episodes in the first season of Boston Legal.
O'Keefe was also in 3 Doors Down's video "Let Me Go", alongside Jesse Metcalfe of Desperate Housewives. She joined the cast of Prison Break in 2007.
She also appeared in episodes of the television series Charmed, The Evidence, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Dharma & Greg. She also appeared in an episode of the short-lived 2003 television series Tru Calling. In 2009 she also appeared in Red Alert 3 Uprising as Kelly Weaver
Robert Lyle Knepper
born; July 8, 1959
Fremont, Ohio, U.S.
Early life
Born in Fremont, Ohio, Knepper was interested in acting from an early age due to his mother's involvement at a community theater. He was raised in Maumee, Ohio, near Toledo, by his mother and father, who was a veterinarian. Knepper spent many years of his youth working in the community theater and high school productions. After graduating from Maumee High School in 1977, he attended Northwestern University to study drama. During this time, Knepper also obtained professional roles in plays in Chicago. Nearing the completion of his degree, Knepper quit Northwestern and went to New York City, where he continued to work in theater. Although Knepper never intended to work in film and television projects, he began his television and film career in 1986 with The Paper Chase and That's Life!.
Career
Making his feature film debut in Blake Edwards' That's Life, Knepper's additional feature film credits include Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You, D.O.A., Renegades, Young Guns II, Gas Food Lodging, Hostage, The Transporter 3, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Good Night and Good Luck.
Knepper has made numerous television guest appearances on series such as Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, La Femme Nikita, New York Undercover, Tour of Duty, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, ER, L.A. Law, Profiler, South Beach, Murder, She Wrote, CSI: Miami and The West Wing and had a recurring role as radio journalist Tommy Dolan on Carnivale. He starred in the 2007 film adaption of the Hitman game series, and was a main character on Prison Break until the series ended, where he plays "Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell", his biggest role yet.
It was revealed on 3rd June 2009, following the success and final episode of Prison Break, that Knepper would be joining the cast of NBC's Heroes, playing the season 4 villain "Samuel".
