Prison Break/Characters
 | Some or all of these characters need descriptions. A list of tropes is not a description. Please provide at least a few words telling how these characters differ from other characters with the same tropelists. |
Prison Break is a Drama series focusing on Lincoln Burrows, a man wrongly convicted of murdering the Vice Presidents' brother, and sentenced to death at Fox River Prison, and his younger brother, Michael Scofield, a genius engineer who gets himself thrown in the the same prison, and plans on breaking them both out. On the outside Linc's lawyer and ex-girlfriend, Veronica Donovan, tries to uncover the conspiracy behind the conviction. And that's just the first season.
The Fox River Eight
Michael Scofield
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"If you think I'm gonna leave my brother behind, you have massively underestimated me." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Agony of the Feet
- The Atoner
- Badass Bookworm
- The Chessmaster
- Chronic Hero Syndrome
- Crazy Prepared
- The Determinator
- Deadly Nosebleed
- Deadpan Snarker
- Guile Hero
- The Hero
- Heroic Sacrifice
- Honor Before Reason
- Manipulative Bastard
- Parental Abandonment
- The Stoic: Seriously this guy only shows any feeling around a handful of people and only then after a few near-death experiences.
- Tattooed Crook
Lincoln Burrows
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"The innocent people in your life, you have to keep them innocent. If that means walking away from them, that's what you gotta do." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Anti-Hero
- Badass
- The Big Guy
- Boisterous Bruiser
- He Who Fights Monsters
- Hot-Blooded
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold
- Parental Abandonment
- Papa Wolf
Theodore ‘T-Bag’ Bagwell
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"I am not the animal you think you see before you. I am the laws of karma all come down wrong. Do ya' understand?" |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Affably Evil: Has to be the most likeable paedophile, serial killer, rapist, bigot on TV.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg
- Ax Crazy
- Anything That Moves
- Badass
- Becoming the Mask
- Butt Monkey
- The Charmer
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder
- Combat Pragmatist
- Depraved Bisexual
- Even Evil Has Standards: He begs for the lives of Gretchen's daughter and sister despite everything she'd done to him.
- Freudian Excuse: His dad raped his down-syndrome sister, producing T-Bag. Not to mention what stuff he did to his son.
- Joker Immunity
- Kavorka Man
- Large Ham
- Made of Iron
- Manipulative Bastard
- Pet The Dog: He genuinely loved Susan Hollander and treated her children like his own. Even when he holds them captive it is made clear he means them no harm, attempting to assure Susan her family was safe and trying to tell her in the most gentle way possible that he just wanted to be part of the family again. When She rejected him he allowed them all to leave which for T-Bag is a remarkable act of kindness.
- Photographic Memory
- Politically-Incorrect Villain
- Prison Rape
- Unwitting Pawn: Michael always gets one over on him.
- Southern-Fried Genius
- Token Evil Teammate
- Wild Card
Fernando Sucre
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"Welcome to Prisneyland, Fish." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Bald of Awesome
- Butt Monkey
- Cosmic Plaything
- The Ditz
- Earn Your Happy Ending
- Nice Guy
- The Lancer
- Took a Level in Badass
- Yank the Dog's Chain: His constant attempts to be reunited with Maricruz are thwarted, time and time again.
John Abruzzi
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"Does not a warm handshake feel better than a cold... shank?" |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Absentee Actor: Had his throat slit by T-Bag and was in the hospital for six episodes because of Peter Stormare's obligations to shoot some weird Volkswagon commercials.
- The Atoner: For a short while after he experiences an attack of guilt when his henchman inadvertently kills a young boy.
- Back for the Dead
- Badass in Charge
- Deadpan Snarker
- Dropped a Bridge on Him
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones
- Even Evil Has Standards
- Evilly Affable
- Fake Nationality/Fake American: Peter Stormare is Swedish. Abruzzi's a Sicilian-American mob boss.
- Heel Face Revolving Door: Throughout Season 1.
- Heel Faith Turn
- Made of Iron: He survives his throat being slashed by T-Bag.
- The Mafia
- Manipulative Bastard
- Suicide by Cop
- Wild Card
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child
Benjamin Miles Franklin/C-Note
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"I served my country and my country served me up." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Back for the Finale
- Badass
- Black Dude Dies First: Averted - he's the only member of the Fox River Eight to be acquitted of all charges and allowed to live with his family in peace.
- Earn Your Happy Ending
- Friend in the Black Market
- Interrupted Suicide
- Papa Wolf
- Put on a Bus: Gets immunity and put into witness protection towards the end of season 2 and up until the final episode.
- Hidden Depths
- Honor Before Reason
- Scary Black Man
- The Scrounger: He can get anything you want for $100.
- The Sixth Ranger
David ‘Tweener’ Apolskis
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Played By: Lane Garrison |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Butt Monkey
- Dirty Coward: Borders on Lovable Coward sometimes.
- Deadly Change-of-Heart: He finally grows a backbone to protect the rest of the Fox River Eight, and is promptly killed by Mahone.
- Heel Face Revolving Door
- Prison Rape: He's a victim of this.
- Pretty Fly for a White Guy
- Tagalong Kid
- Too Dumb to Live
Charles ‘Haywire’ Patoshik
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"They think I have schizo-affective disorder with bipolar tendencies." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Abusive Parents: Implied to be the reason he killed them.
- Apologetic Attacker
- Cloudcuckoolander
- Driven to Suicide
- Insane Equals Violent
- Hyper Awareness
- Out of Focus: Probably gets the least focus of any of the prisoners that escape.
- The Rainman
Fox River Staff & Inmates
Warden Henry Pope
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"Son, it's better for me to owe you one in here than for you to owe me one, I can promise you that." |
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A description of the character goes here.
Bradley 'Brad' Bellick
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"There isn’t any flying under my radar." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Aborted Arc: Maybe not an arc, but we never did find out why he was at a 12-step meeting.
- The Artifact: Pushes this in season 2 but is definitely this from season 3 onward.
- Butt Monkey: From Season 2 onwards.
- Deadpan Snarker
- Dirty Cop
- Dirty Coward: Although he recovers from it in a rather magnificent way.
- Dying Moment of Awesome
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He loves his mother, particularly since his father died when he was just a kid.
- Momma's Boy
- Heroic Sacrifice
- Hidden Depths
- Interrupted Suicide: After failing to stop Michael escaping the county, and losing his job as a result, he heads home, with his shotgun tucked into his coat. He goes into his bedroom and prepares to kill himself, before his mother comes to the door and mentions the massive bounties on the Fox River Eight. *Cue Idea Bulb*
- Kick the Dog: Numerous times throughout Season 1, especially the part where he killed Westmoreland's pet cat and sent Tweener into the cell of sex criminal Avocado.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After being a total Jerkass in season 1, he falls hard in season 3, where he becomes the ultimate whipping boy.
- Took a Level in Badass
- Took a Level In Kindness
- The Sixth Ranger
- Smug Snake
Dr Sara Tancredi
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"When you first take the job, they tell you never to fall in love with an inmate..." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: She even lampshades this with a bit of self-deprecation.
- The Chick
- The Danza: Played by Sarah Wayne Callies, who originally wanted the name changed, but eventually warmed up to it.
- Deadpan Snarker: From time to time.
- Heroes Want Redheads
- Hospital Hottie
- The Medic
- Took a Level in Badass: In Season 4.
Charles Westmoreland
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"Outliving your wife, that's bad enough. Outliving your daughter, no man should have to do that." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Badass Grandpa
- Badass Moustache
- Back for the Finale: Visits Michael during a coma dream in the last season.
- Cool Old Guy
- Kindhearted Cat Lover
- The Old Convict
- Secret Stab Wound
Roy Geary
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Played By: Matt DeCaro |
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A description of the character goes here.
Katie Welsh
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Played By: DuShon Monique Brown |
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A description of the character goes here.
Characters Affiliated with the Fox River Eight
LJ Burrows
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Played By: Marshall Allman |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Butt Monkey
- Morality Pet: To his dad.
- Put on a Bus
Veronica Donovan
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Played By: Robin Tunney |
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A description of the character goes here.
Nick Savrinn
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Played By: Frank Grillo |
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A description of the character goes here.
Sofia Lugo
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Played By: Danay Garcia |
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A description of the character goes here.
- The Chick
- Ms. Fanservice: In one episode, the camera lingers on her as she takes her shirt off and zooms in on her breasts.
- Shallow Love Interest
- She's Got Legs
Maricruz Delgado
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Played By: Camille Guaty |
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A description of the character goes here.
- The Chick
- The Ditz
- Hot Mom: Eventually.
- Shallow Love Interest
Susan Hollander
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Played By: KK Dodds |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Genre Savvy: When T-Bag threatens to return once he gets out of prison, she moves house. No forwarding address, either.
- Morality Pet
Nika Volek
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Played By: Holly Valance |
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A description of the character goes here.
The Company
General Jonathan Krantz
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Played By: Leon Russom |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Badass Grandpa
- Bald of Evil
- Big Bad Duumvirate
- Cool Old Guy
- Deadpan Snarker: ‘Lincoln Burrows was outsmarted. Who could have predicted that?’
- Enemy Civil War
- Evilly Affable
- Hidden Agenda Villain
- The Man Behind the Man
- Manipulative Bastard
- Mind Rape
- Laser-Guided Karma
Christina Rose Scofield
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Played By: Kathleen Quinlan |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Ax Crazy: Even the General thinks she's utterly batshit.
- Badass
- Big Bad Duumvirate
- Enemy Civil War
- Evil Matriarch
- Hidden Agenda Villain
- Manipulative Bitch
- Not Quite Dead
President Caroline Reynolds
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Played By: Patricia Wettig |
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A description of the character goes here.
William ‘Bill’ Kim
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Played By: Reggie Lee |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Deadpan Snarker
- The Dragon
- Faux Affably Evil
- Hannibal Lecture: 'I had the honor of attending Mount Fort Military Academy, whose mission it is to ensure the greatness of this country and its future leadership, by encouraging patriotism, building a strong moral foundation, and providing a service of men committed to the values of honor and freedom of the country. But, first and foremost, they taught you this.'
- Smug Snake
- Villainous Breakdown
Paul Kellerman
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Played By: Paul Adelstein |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Affably Evil
- Badass
- The Danza: He's played by Paul Adelstein.
- Go Out with a Smile: "In the French resistance it was considered a high honor to face a Nazi firing squad...Meant you did your job. The highest honor was to smile when they shot you."
- Heel Face Turn
- Humiliation Conga: But he gets better.
- Karma Houdini
- The Men in Black
- Not Quite Dead
- Unperson: By Bill Kim's doing.
- Smug Snake
Gretchen Morgan AKA Susan B Anthony
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Played By: Jodi Lyn O'Keefe |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Action Girl
- Badass
- Depraved Bisexual
- Dark Action Girl
- Femme Fatale
- Heel Face Turn
- Hot Mom: Goddamn is she ever!!!
- May–December Romance: with the General, although 'romance' is perhaps not the best word.
- Ms. Fanservice: Season 4 has her dress up in a naughty school girl outfit as means to seduce the General.
- Wild Card
James Whistler
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"You know, uh, I am a fisherman. I am. I'm just maybe a little bit more connected then I let on." |
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A description of the character goes here.
Wyatt Mathewson
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Played By: Cress Williams |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Ax Crazy
- Badass
- Psycho for Hire
- Hannibal Lecture
- Scary Black Man
- Shut UP, Hannibal
- The Sociopath
- Soft-Spoken Sadist
- The Stoic
Terrence Steadman
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"I'm the Isle of Terrence, far off to sea." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Brother-Sister Incest
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Prior to his death being faked.
- Dirty Coward
- Driven to Suicide
- The Other Darrin
- Smug Snake
Danny Hale
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Played By: Danny McCarthy |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Guilt Ridden Accomplice
- Deadly Change-of-Heart: He tries to leave the One World Conspiracy with his wife and help Veronica, only to get killed by Kellerman before he can do any good.
Quinn
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Played By: Michael Gaston |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
- Deadpan Snarker
- Evilly Affable
- Hannibal Lecture
- Obfuscating Stupidity
- Smug Snake
Ralph Becker
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Played By: Raphael Sbarge |
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A description of the character goes here.
Downey
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Played By: Ted King |
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A description of the character goes here.
- The Dragon: to Christina.
- Dressed to Kill
- Undying Loyalty
The Government and Law Enforcement
Alexander Mahone
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"I'm so tired of playing games." |
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A description of the character goes here.
- The Atoner
- Anti-Villain
- Arch Enemy: To Michael before his Heel Face Turn
- Badass
- Breakout Character
- Functional Addict: In Season Two. Not so much when he's trapped in Sona during Season Three and turns to heroin.
- Going Cold Turkey: In Season Three.
- Hey, It's That Guy!: William Fichtner made his living off of this.
- Knight in Sour Armour
- The Lancer: becomes this to Michael.
- Papa Wolf: Shoots and kills the man who injures his son. Not to mention what he does to the guy who actually kills his son
- Room Full of Crazy
- Sanity Slippage
- Worthy Opponent: To Michael.
Don Self
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Played By: Michael Rappaport |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Brooklyn Rage
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He betrays Michael and the team, Trishanne/Miriam Hultz, Vikan the buyer for Scylla, the Representative...he just can't stop. He loves betraying people.
- Fate Worse Than Death
- Fiery Redhead
- Laser-Guided Karma
- Manipulative Bastard
- Hot-Blooded
- Smug Snake
Felicia Lang
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Played By: Barbara Eve Harris |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Action Girl
- All Love Is Unrequited: Except when it's not.
- Ascended Extra
- Badass
- Undying Loyalty
Mark Wheeler
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Played By: Jason Davis |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Hero Antagonist: to Mahone in season 4.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right
Richard Sullins
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Played By: Kim Coates |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Internal Affairs
- Hero Antagonist: to Mahone, frequently.
- Jerkass
Frank Tancredi
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Played By: John Heard |
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A description of the character goes here.
Miriam Hultz AKA Trishanne Smith
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Played By: Shannon Lucio |
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A description of the character goes here.
Bruce Bennett
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Played By: Wilbur Fitzgerald |
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A description of the character goes here.
SONA
Norman St John/'Lechero'
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Played By: Robert Wisdom |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Bad Boss
- Bald of Evil
- Goatee of Evil
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
- Face Death with Dignity
- Freudian Excuse
- Scary Black Man
- Smug Snake
Luis ‘McGrady’ Gallego
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Played By: Carlo Alban |
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A description of the character goes here.
Sammy
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Played By: Laurence Mason |
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A description of the character goes here.
- Badass
- Blood Knight: Shows many shades of this during his time in the third season.
- The Dragon: to Lechero.
- Hair-Trigger Temper
- Scary Black Man
- The Starscream
Carmelita
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Played By: Crystal Mantecon |
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A description of the character goes here.
Miscellaneous Characters
Roland Glenn
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Played By: James Hiroyuki Liao |
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A description of the character goes here.
Gregory White
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Played By: Michael Bryan French |
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A description of the character goes here.
- A Father to His Men
- Morality Chain: He acts an overly trusting father figure to T-Bag while he's pretending to be Cole Pfeiffer. The chain gets cut.
- Reasonable Authority Figure
- Back to Prison Break