The cast is full of great actors who brought the show’s complex antiheroes and despicable villains to life, and they all have impressive filmographies outside the series. revolves around the bond between two brothers and their plot to break out of jail. Along the way, they're helped out by the prison doctor, their childhood friend and lawyer, and a handful of fellow inmates who also want to break free. The producers of found the perfect actor to play each part in the cast.
Traditionally, TV shows set up a main cast with several major characters that the audience can check in on every week. But
was far from a traditional TV show. Lincoln Burrows and his loyal brother Michael Scofield are the only characters who appear in every episode of . Thanks to constant character deaths, the cast is always changing. Headlined by Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller, the cast includes alums from The CW’s Arrowverse, AMC’s universe, and the franchise.
Dominic Purcell leads the cast as Lincoln Burrows, a high school drop-out who is wrongfully convicted of the murder of the U.
S. vice president’s brother. Purcell is best known for his recurring superhero role as Mick Rory, a.k.a. Heat Wave, in The CW shows and . He also played a different comic book role as . Purcell starred as Lewis “Lew” Brookbank in the 2004 neo-noir crime thriller and played Jeremy Niles in the 2011 remake of the classic thriller .
Lincoln’s brother, Michael Scofield, is played by Wentworth Miller. Michael is a structural engineer who masterminded his brother’s escape plan.
Miller was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his turn as Michael. He’s also known for playing Dr. Adam Lockwood in , Chris Redfield in , and Luke Seacord in . Miller reunited with co-star Dominic Purcell to join the cast of The CW series and its spinoff , playing the role of Leonard Snart, also known as Captain Cold. He made his screenwriting debut with the 2013 psychological thriller .
Amaury Nolasco appears in the cast as Fernando Sucre, Michael’s friend and cellmate at Fox River State Penitentiary who wishes to reunite with his fiancée on the outside.
Nolasco is also known for playing Orange Julius in , Detective Cosmo Santos in , Jack Lupino in the film adaptation of the video games, and ACWO Jorge “Fig” Figueroa in the first live-action movie. His other TV roles include Rodrigo Suarez in and Lt. Det. Rafael Martinez in the revival of .
Theodore Bagwell, better known as “T-Bag,” a violent and duplicitous psychopath, is played by Robert Knepper. The actor has played other memorable TV roles like Angus McDonough in The CW series
, Samuel Sullivan in the final season of NBC’s , and Rodney Mitchum in Showtime’s revival of . His movie roles include Yuri Marklov in , Johnson in , General Harkness in , and Antonius in both of parts of . He voiced Keith in and Kronos in .
Sarah Wayne Callies appears in the cast as Sara Tancredi, the prison doctor at Fox River who aids Michael and Lincoln’s escape plan. Besides her role in , Callies is best known for playing Lori Grimes in the first three seasons of the AMC zombie drama series
. She also played Anita Dyck in the Crave sitcom , Margaret Sanders in the CDC drama , Robin Perry in the NBC drama , and Birdie in the ABC drama .
Lincoln’s teenage son, Lincoln Burrows Jr. – also known as “L.J.” – is played by Marshall Allman. L.J. is deeply impacted by his dad’s prison sentence and has to go into hiding when people who want Lincoln dead come after him. Allman is best known for playing teenage shapeshifter Tommy Mickens in the HBO horror drama series
. He also played Milo Khoury in the Channel 4 sci-fi series , Julian Howe in the prequel series , and Kevin Kelly in the Bruce Willis action thriller .
William Fichtner joined the cast in season 2 with the role of FBI agent Alexander Mahone, who ultimately teams up with Michael when they're imprisoned at Sona together. Fichtner is recognizable as Roger Van Zant in , Colonel Willie Sharp in , SFC Jeff Sanderson in , and the gun-toting bank manager from the opening heist sequence of
. His other TV roles include Jameson Henthrop in , Phil Yagoda in , and Adam Janikowski in .
Robin Tunney as Veronica Donovan - Michael and Lincoln’s childhood friend who becomes Lincoln’s lawyer after reviewing his case. Robin Tunney made her film debut with the role of Ella in and went on to play Debra in and Teresa Lisbon in the TV series .
Peter Stormare as John Abruzzi - The head of the Chicago mafia. Peter Stormare is best known for playing Gaear Grimsrud in the movie
, Uli Kunkel in , Lev Andropov in , , and the Ghost in .
Wade Williams as Brad Bellick - The captain of Fox River’s correctional officers. Outside the cast of , Wade Williams is known for playing Father Cronin in and voicing Two-Face in the two-part direct-to-video animation .
Paul Adelstein as Paul Kellerman - The Secret Service agent sent to supervise Lincoln’s execution. Paul Adelstein is best known for playing pediatrician Cooper Freedman in the ABC medical drama . He also played David Sweetzer in the short-lived NBC sitcom and created and starred as Shelley Cohen in the Bravo dark comedy series
.
Rockmond Dunbar as Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin - Rockmond Dunbar plays Benjamin Miles “C-Note” Franklin, who blackmails Michael at Fox River. Dunbar also played Kenny Chadway in Showtime’s , Sheriff Eli Roosevelt in FX’s , and FBI Agent Abe Gaines in Hulu’s .
Chris Vance as James Whistler - Chris Vance appears in the cast as James Whistler, who is incarcerated at Sona for the murder of the mayor’s son. Vance starred as Frank Martin, the role originated by Jason Statham, in , and played Commander Harry Langford in and Dalton Walsh in season 5.
Robert Wisdom as Norman "Lechero" St. John -
Panamanian drug kingpin Norman “Lechero” St. John, the prison ringleader at Sona, is played by Robert Wisdom. The actor is known for playing psychological warfare expert and Harold Conway in the Hulu movie .
Danay García as Sofía Lugo - Whistler’s girlfriend. Danay García is best known for playing Luciana Galvez in and Alma Diaz in the video game .
Jodi Lyn O’Keefe as Gretchen Morgan - An operative for The Company introduced as “Susan B. Anthony.” Jodi Lyn O’Keefe first rose to prominence with the role of Cassidy Bridges in the police procedural and went on to play Taylor Vaughan in and Josette Laughlin in
.
Michael Rapaport as Donald Self - Introduced to the cast in season 4, Homeland Security special agent Donald Self is played by Michael Rapaport. The actor is best known for his movie roles as Dick Ritchie in and Tom Scoggins in . He also played the recurring roles of Phoebe’s boyfriend Gary in and Frank Stump on .
Mark Feuerstein as Jacob Anton Ness - The rogue CIA operative responsible for Michael’s disappearance. Mark Feuerstein is also known for his recurring TV roles as Joe DeStefano in , Clifford Calley in , and Dr. Hank Lawson in .
Inbar Lavi as Sheba - Introduced to the cast in season 5 as a Yemen freedom fighter and Lincoln’s love interest, Inbar Lav also played Vee in the Fox series
, Maddie Jonson in the Bravo series , and Eve in the last three seasons of the Netflix series .
Augustus Prew as David "Whip" Martin - T-Bag’s illegitimate son and Michael’s cellmate, introduced in season 5. Outside the cast of , Augustus Prew is best known for playing Sean in and Médhor in . He also replaced Evan Peters as Todd Haynes in .
