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Dominic Haakon Myrtvedt Purcell (born February 17, 1970) is a British-born Australian actor most active in the United States. He also holds an Irish passport by means of his ancestry. He is best known for his roles as the title character on John Doe and as Lincoln Burrows on Prison Break. Purcell studied at The Australian Theatre for Young People and then later enrolled at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where he studied alongside fellow actor hopeful, Hugh Jackman. In 1997, Purcell landed his first major role in an Australian television series called “Raw FM”, a Generation-X drama set at a radio station. The exposure he received from “Raw-FM” helped Purcell land other television gigs, but his real big break came in 2000, when he was cast in a small role in John Woo’s blockbuster hit “Mission: Impossible 2” starring Tom Cruise. While Purcell’s role in “M:I2” was not a particularly meaty one, the film did set the actor’s career on the right path and was significant enough to garner him the attention of American casting directors, who took notice of the actor’s brooding good looks and strong, able delivery. Purcell was born in Wallasey, Merseyside, England, the eldest of five children. He moved to Sydney with his family when he was two, where he was raised by his father and Irish mother, Maureen, in the Western Suburbs. Purcell attended St Dominic's College, Penrith. Purcell's father, who had previously served in the Norwegian Merchant Navy, installed air-conditioning ducts for a living, but later separated from the family. raised in Australia by his Norwegian father and Irish mother, Purcell was a bored landscaper who decided to attend a drama school. He became a TV star in Australia before debuting in America as the title character in "John Doe" (2002). In 2000, he won the Green Card lottery and now lives in Los Angeles with his family. Purcell's paternal grandfather, Haakon, was from Bergen, and his paternal grandmother, Martha, a New York-born Irish-American according to herself, her family and her birth certificate. His middle name Haakon and his other surname Myrtvedt are both Norwegian. After quitting his high school education at Blaxland High, Purcell was employed as a landscaper. Although he never contemplated being an actor, and thought that "people in the arts - actors, ballet dancers, musicians, whatever - were weird", he decided to try "that acting thing" on impulse. He applied and was accepted to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) where Purcell studied alongside fellow actors, Hugh Jackman and Frances O'Connor. After graduating in 1996, Purcell obtained his first acting role as Granger Hutton, a leading role in the Australian television series Raw FM. In 1997, Dominic scored a role in the TV series "Raw FM" (1997) and then landed a part in Mission: Impossible II (2000), which was filmed in Australia. He was soon spotted by a US talent scout and went off to LA. Since then, Dominic has been working constantly with roles in the movie Equilibrium (2002), the TV show "John Doe" (2002), Blade: Trinity (2004), and in the upcoming thriller Three Way (2004) and a new police television drama, Strut. After relocating to the United States, Purcell debuted on American television as the title character in John Doe in 2002. He got his first big break into mainstream stardom when he played the character of Drake in Blade: Trinity. Purcell's theatre credits include Antony and Cleopatra, Angels in America, Romeo and Juliet and The Pillars of Society. Purcell currently has a starring role as Lincoln Burrows in the Fox network television drama series, Prison Break. He also guest-starred in a first season episode of House, "Fidelity". Following “John Doe”’s untimely cancellation, Purcell continued working in features, turning up most notably in 2004’s “Blade: Trinity” (also known as “Blade 3”.) In that film, Purcell played Drake, a modern-day reincarnation of the legendary vampire lord, Dracula. This time, however, Purcell’s performance fall a bit flat, thanks in part to a poor script and a derivative storyline. To no one’s surprise, this lackluster final installment in the “Blade” series performed only modestly at the box office, plunging a stake into the heart of the franchise at least, for the time being. Purcell re-emerged in 2005 no worse for wear, this time cast in the highly anticipated Fox drama, “Prison Break” (2005 - ). In it, Purcell played Lincoln Burrows, a wrongly accused death-row inmate whose younger brother (Wentworth Miller) has also been incarcerated in the same facility. One of the most hyped new shows of the 2005-06 season, “Prison Break” premiered to strong critical praise and highly respectable ratings. He was a classmate of Hugh Jackman at the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts. Left high school to form a landscape gardening venture with some friends. His pre-acting stints also included surfing. Has four children: Joseph (b.1999), Audrey (b.2001) and twins Lily-Rose and Augustus (b. July 7th 2003). Did all of his stunts in the sword fight scene against Blade in Blade: Trinity (2004). His mother is Maureen (she's Irish). He's the oldest of five children. Sibling's names: Damian Purcell, Jaime Pucell, Patrick Purcell and Marie-Therese Purcell. Has two nieces named Claudia and Eilisha (Marie-Therese's daughters). Son-in-law of David Williamson. Whilst in Ireland at Christmas 2007 he and his brother saved the life of a 16 month old boy, who was choking, by slapping his back to dislodge an onion ring and then giving CPR until he started breathing again. In 2000, he won a green card lottery and now resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Rebecca Williamson, and their four children: Joseph (b. 1999), Audrey (b. 2001), and twins Lily and Augustus (b. 2003). In 2006 and 2007 Purcell spent the Christmas period in Louth Village, Co. Louth, in Ireland, the home area of his mother and drew considerable attention in the local press. On October 21, 2007, Purcell and his wife Rebecca Williamson separated. On December 29, 2007 while driving to Strandhill, Co Sligo on Ireland's Atlantic coast to go surfing, Purcell and his brother Damien were waved down by a woman carrying a child, who was choking to death. They saved the child's life by performing CPR until the paramedics arrived. The sixteen month old baby - who made a full recovery - was choking after an onion ring became lodged in his throat. |
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