Michael Scofield | |||||||||||||
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Prison Break character | |||||||||||||
Portrayed by |
Wentworth Miller Dylan Minnette (Young Scofield) |
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First appearance | "Pilot" | ||||||||||||
Profile | |||||||||||||
Other names | Fish (in Fox River) Uncle Mike (by L.J.) Papi (by Sucre) Snowflake (by C-Note) Pretty (by T-Bag) College Boy (by Bellick) Path (by Haywire) Phineas McClintock (S2E01) Tattoo (S2E08) by T-Bag Wayne Merrick (S2E09) Michael Crane (S2E15) Michael Angelo (S2E21) Superstar (S3E01) Waterboy (S3E04) Blanco (In Sona by Sami) Engineer (S3E11) Officer Mathers (S4E04) Kevin (Hospital; Season 4) Kaniel Outis (In Ogygia; Season 5) |
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Occupation | Structural Engineer | ||||||||||||
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Father | Aldo Burrows |
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Mother | Christina Rose Scofield |
Siblings | Lincoln Burrows |
Wife |
Sara Tancredi Nika Volek (ex-wife by Vegas marriage) |
Children | Michael Scofield, Jr. |
Nephews | L. J. Burrows |
Michael J. Scofield, portrayed by Wentworth Miller, is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists of the American television series Prison Break. The character first appeared in the series pilot, in which he deliberately sends himself to prison so as to break his elder brother, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), out before his execution for a crime he did not commit. The storyline of the first season revolves around the two brothers and Michael's plan to help Lincoln escape his death sentence. Later seasons detail their life on the run and their quest for the truth behind Lincoln's imprisonment. As the principal character, Michael has been featured in every episode of the series. Although both Lincoln and Michael are the main protagonists of the series, Michael has been featured more extensively than Lincoln, especially in the first season and the third.
Various flashbacks from subsequent episodes provide further insight into the relationship between Michael and his brother, and the reasons behind Michael's determination in helping Lincoln to escape his death sentence. In the episode flashbacks, the younger Michael is played by Dylan Minnette.
It is later revealed that Michael has low latent inhibition, a psychological condition in which one sees the world as pieces, rather than mere objects.
The opening scene of the series shows Michael's final preparation of his plan to infiltrate Fox River State Penitentiary; a tattooist is applying the finishing touches to Michael's tattoo, which is prominently featured in the first season. In order to get into Fox River, Michael robs a bank at gun point and pleads no contest at his trial, and requests that he be sent to the prison nearest to his home. Michael begins his sentence on April 11, exactly a month before Lincoln is set to be executed. Once there, he scrutinizes every detail regarding the prison and its inhabitants.