Paul Kellerman
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| Prison Break character | |
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| Paul Kellerman | |
| Role(s) | Secret Service agent (S1 - S2); Rogue agent (S2) |
| Current status | Active |
| First appearance | Pilot (1x01) |
| Season | 1, 2 |
| Portrayed by | Paul Adelstein |
Paul Kellerman, played by Paul Adelstein, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. The character was introduced to the series as a Secret Service agent in the series pilot but the actor was not listed as a regular cast member until the third episode. The character's role is most prominent in the series' conspiracy plot.
After graduating with honors from West Point Academy, Paul Kellerman served in the Gulf War in the U.S. Army Special Forces; achieving the rank of Major.[1] Although he had a promising future in the military, he received a better offer from the federal government: a leadership position within the Secret Service. He was eventually assigned to Vice President Caroline Reynolds (Patricia Wettig), whom he has served for fifteen years. Due to his commitment to her plans, he became a key figure in the conspiracy that framed Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) for murder. Officially, as revealed in episode "The Rat", he is no longer listed as a member of the Secret Service or even as an employee of the Federal Government. Kellerman is at least 35 years old.[2]
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[edit] Appearances
The character of Paul Kellerman was first introduced in the show's pilot episode. Although he is one of the principal characters of the series, he has not appeared in every episode of the show. Prior to "The Killing Box", Michael, Sucre and the other convicts except Lincoln were the only main characters who had not met Kellerman. Even Brad Bellick met "Roy Hawkings" after Kellerman failed to kill Lincoln in "The Key" and had to pretend to be a witness to the "car crash" that was supposed to kill Lincoln.
[edit] Season 1
Along with his partner Danny Hale, Kellerman had gone to great lengths to fulfil his duty for the Vice President. Kellerman believes that Reynolds is the best choice as the next president and that he is doing what's best for his country. It soon becomes apparent that he will kill anyone that threatens the conspiracy. To this end, Kellerman and the all the more reluctant Hale were instrumental in the plot that framed Lincoln Burrows. In accordance with Caroline Reynolds' orders in episode "The Old Head", they killed Lisa Rix and Adrian, who were LJ Burrows' mother and step-father, and attempted to kill LJ (Marshall Allman). In earlier episodes, they had also killed Leticia Barris whose late boyfriend was involved in the frameup. However, their attempt to kill Veronica (Robin Tunney) and Nick (Frank Grillo) was foiled.
Kellerman was eventually forced to kill Hale with a headshot after he caught Hale surrendering information to Veronica Donovan in episode "End of the Tunnel". Having earlier killed innocent people without remorse (in the case of Quinn even with a hint of sadistic glee), Kellerman was visibly upset about having to kill Hale, who had been a friend of his ever since their time in the academy together. It was ultimately his hurt feelings about Hale's betrayal that convinced him to ignore his friend's tearful pleas for his life and pull the trigger.
It is later revealed in episode "J-Cat", Kellerman lives under the name Owen Kravecki, a sales manager for a company that makes buffalo jerky. LJ discovered his alias and went to Kellerman's home with a gun to confront him. However, the police arrested LJ after he had tried to shoot Kellerman dead. The Company suspended him from duty after this, but Reynolds continued to keep Kellerman around anyway. When Kellerman and Reynolds discovered that The Company had a hidden agenda regarding Burrows, they conspired to secretly have him killed as quickly as possible. Kellerman forced the prison transport carrying Burrows off the road and attempted to suffocate him. His plan failed when Burrow's father arrived and knocked Kellerman unconscious.
His relationship with Vice President Reynolds is peculiar as he is very familiar with her when they are privately conducting their conversations. Kellerman genuinely cares for Reynolds as he continually supports her, especially after "The Company" threatened her in "Tonight". When Reynolds became President at the end of the season, Kellerman remained at her side.
[edit] Season 2
Kellerman's first appearance in the second season was in episode "Scan". Instead of directly involving himself in the manhunt for the "Fox River Eight", Kellerman decides to track Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), who he thinks will lead him to Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln Burrows. The next two episodes follow Kellerman as he attempts to befriend Sara, identifying himself as a homosexual drug addict named "Lance". While he continues to report to President Reynolds in "Scan", Kellerman is disallowed from contacting her directly from the fifth episode onwards. Patricia Wettig, who plays Caroline Reynolds, does not appear until towards the end of the season as she is involved with another television series, Brothers & Sisters. Hence, a new character is introduced to act as Kellerman's supervisor - William Kim (Reggie Lee).
Although Kellerman dislikes Agent Kim, he continues to follow his orders. In "Buried", Kellerman's cover as Lance is compromised after Sara's father, Frank Tancredi (John Heard), spots him at the White House. While Kim arranges for both Sara and her father to be killed, Kellerman reconfigures his strategy and targets L. J. Burrows instead. After this fails, Kellerman returns to the coded messages Sara received. In addition, Kellerman's storyline converges with the storyline of Alexander Mahone (William Fichtner) in "Unearthed", where it is revealed that Mahone is blackmailed to work for Kellerman and "The Company".
In the next three episodes, Kellerman tracks Sara down with the help of Mahone and tortures her for the information about her father's hidden USB drive. Sara's escape prompts Kim to authorize a total disavowal of Kellerman and erasure of all records pertaining to him. In the final episode of 2006 in the United States, "The Killing Box", Kellerman, in a move of self-preservation, shoots Mahone, thus helping both Michael and Lincoln escape. He also offers to help them to take down President Reynolds and reveal the conspiracy.
The next part of the character's storyline revolves around him and the two protagonists as they work together to find evidence that may help to exonerate Lincoln and destroy "The Company". The episode "John Doe" marks the first time Adelstein has worked directly with the two actors who play the protagonists of the series. When their attempt to capture Terrence Steadman (Jeff Perry) fails after his suicide, Kellerman, Michael and Lincoln contact Sara via a television broadcast. Sara joins the trio in the episode, "Chicago". After the protagonists retrieve the USB drive which holds a recorded conversation between Reynolds and Steadman two weeks after his supposed murder, Kellerman is left on his own.
Following this, Kellerman decides to target the woman who had betrayed him, President Caroline Reynolds. In the eighteenth episode, he obtains a sniper rifle and makes a final visit to his sister, who he has not seen for fifteen years. Towards the end of the episode, Kellerman is shown getting ready to assassinate the President, forming one of the cliffhangers of the episode. However, Kellerman fails to get a clear shot, and leaves when he sees Michael arrested by the Secret Service. He is then shown watching the President's press conference, where she unexpectedly announces she is resigning due to a "malignant form of cancer".
With nothing to lose, Kellerman dresses himself in his Army uniform and prepares to commit suicide. His pistol jams, however, and he calls his sister Kristine, who convinces him he can start life again with a clean slate. Kellerman then comes forward to testify at Sara's trial for aiding and abetting.
[edit] Characteristics
Throughout the series Kellerman is depicted as someone who believes what he is doing for the good for the country. In one of the first season episodes he remarks to President Reynolds that everything he has done has been for her, her family and most importantly this country. Furthermore according to Paul Adelstein, who portrays Paul Kellerman, the character's moral compass told him that Reynolds was the best leader for the country, and that anything or anyone who jeopardizes her position must be eliminated, "He is a patriot, if a misguided one."[3]
[edit] Concept and creation
[edit] Character creation
The character was initially conceived to be a merely stereotypical villain. However creator Paul Scheuring comments that the complexity Adelstein has added to Kellerman's character have convinced the writers to make the character more of a regular and a fulcrum of the second season’s second half.[3]
[edit] Portrayal
Paul Adelstein initially auditioned for the role of Lincoln Burrows. Scheuring said the Burrows character needed to possess heart and yet be a physically imposing presence in prison. However, Adelstein portrayed a vulnerability that sufficiently impressed the directors to hire Adelstein for Kellerman's role.[3]
[edit] Trivia
- Kellerman is one of four characters in the series to share part of his name with the actor who portrays him. The others are Sara (played by Sarah Wayne Callies), Agent Danny Hale (played by Danny McCarthy) and a minor character, C.O. Keith Stolte (played by Christian Stolte).
[edit] References
- ^ Indicated by his uniform in S2E21, "Fin Del Camino"
- ^ S2E16, "Chicago", Kellerman asks President Reynolds' impersonator a personal question regarding what restaurant they spent his 35th birthday at.
- ^ a b c Manly, L, "His Character Pursues Fugitives, an Actor Breaks Out Too". New York Times. Jan 22, 2007. Retrieved on March 1, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Agent Kellerman's biography at Fox.com
- Ryan, M, "Getting out was the easy part: Season 2 of 'Prison Break'", Chicago Tribune. August 18, 2006.
| Production: | Season 1 | Season 2 | Broadcasters | DVD releases | Mobisodes |
|---|---|
| Miscellaneous: | The Company | Escape plan | Europeangoldfinch.net | Fox River State Penitentiary | Reynolds-Again.com |
| Characters | |
| Main: | John Abruzzi | Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell | Brad Bellick | Lincoln Burrows | L. J. Burrows | Veronica Donovan Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin | Paul Kellerman | Alexander Mahone | Michael Scofield | Fernando Sucre | Sara Tancredi |
| Secondary: | List of minor characters |
