Chris Keller
Encyclopedia
Chris Keller is a fictional character
on the HBO series Oz
, portrayed by Christopher Meloni
from 1998 to 2003.
, two counts of attempted murder
, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery
, driving under the influence
and reckless driving. Sentence, 88 years, with the possibility of parole in 50. Convicted in 2002 of Murder in the first degree and was sentenced to death, Overturned in 2003.
A charming sociopath
, Keller is extremely cunning and adept at manipulation. Throughout the series, he has a complicated, intimate relationship with fellow inmate Tobias Beecher
.Keller has been married and divorced four times. As a young man he spent time in prison where he met, and had a sexual relationship with, Vern Schillinger.
Keller is frequently presented as immoral and untrustworthy,manipulating and destroying anyone who tries to get close to him. He has a strong desire for dominance in any relationship and often chooses partners based on how he can treat them and still have them love him. Despite his sociopathic tendencies, Keller is a more complex individual. He appears to feel genuine love for Tobias Beecher but cannot express it and is very well aware of how despicable his actions can be. He has deep self-loathing,once telling Sister Pete that he is "a piece of shit".
gang, "owing" the gang's leader, Vernon Schillinger
, who protected him as a 17-year-old during a previous sentence, in exchange for sex. Schillinger arranges for the bisexual Keller to meet Tobias Beecher
, Schillinger's former sex slave, with the intent of gaining his trust and seducing him. A mutual attraction instantly forms between them, and the two eventually exchange confessions of love. Unbeknownst to Beecher, however, Keller has betrayed him to Schillinger and the Aryans, who beat him so mercilessly that they break both his arms and legs. Keller enjoys the beating, but is briefly seen experiencing a moment of regret when he returns to his empty cell.
, Sister Peter Marie "Sister Pete" Reimondo, as a ploy to win back Beecher's favor. During the meetings, Keller first tries to make her feel ineffective as a psychiatrist; then through various sexual provocations, forces her to question her commitments as a nun. When Sister Pete discovers that his confessions are insincere, she turns her back on him.
Keller briefly allies himself with Ryan O'Reily
for protection against the Aryans, who now hate him for becoming Beecher's lover and for turning himself in (as Beecher requested), implicating Schillinger. Combined, he and O'Reily, an inmate equally devoid of conscience
, are a force to be reckoned with, plaguing Schillinger and, along with Beecher, playing a role in the death of Schillinger's son, Andrew
.
Keller eventually does get a chance at a kind of moral redemption when he saves Beecher's life after Schillinger stabs him and Beecher requests that Keller be moved back into their old familiar cell; they share a happy reunion on New Year's Eve
.
liar." Unbeknownst to Beecher, Schillinger contracts his son, Hank, to kidnap Beecher's children, Gary and Holly. Mad with fear and grief, Beecher believes false rumors claiming that Keller is responsible for the kidnappings. An attempt on Keller's life in retaliation ends their brief reunion, and the two spend the rest of the season attempting ways to hurt one another. Beecher delves into promiscuity, and Keller kills Beecher's lovers, including inmate Mondo Browne
, to discredit the new manager of Em City, Martin Querns
.
After killing Browne, Keller takes up with his former cellmate/lover, Ronald Barlog
, to hurt Beecher. Barlog then secretly makes a deal with FBI Agent Pierce Taylor to give evidence against Keller and have him convicted of three murders in exchange for his own freedom. Beecher is immediately suspicious of Barlog and warns Keller, who dismisses the warning as mere jealousy. But Keller soon starts to have his own suspicions and eventually murders Barlog, snapping his neck while receiving oral sex
from him. Just before killing Barlog, Keller confesses that he had indeed committed the murders the FBI suspected him of, and that his victims — all young, gay
men — represented something within himself that he hated. When the police discover that Schillinger's other son, Hank
, had been murdered and that the hit was ordered by an inmate from within Oz, Keller takes responsibility for the crime to protect Beecher and his family. He is then sent to Massachusetts
to stand trial for this murder.
's office tries to convict him of an unsolved murder (which he had indeed committed). While in protective custody, he begins an affair with one of the guards, Officer Claire Howell, but soon tires of her and begins rejecting her advances. Enraged, Howell brutally beats him, putting him in the infirmary
, and tells her superiors that he attacked her. After he recuperates from his injuries, he is found guilty of the murder charge, and sentenced to death
.
d, he shows his gratitude to Keller by helping him appeal
his death sentence, which is subsequently overturned. At about this time, Beecher's father is stabbed to death in a suspiciously empty hall. While Keller's relationship with Beecher is by now somewhat estranged, he tries to show his former lover that he still cares by killing Franklin Winthrop, the inmate who had murdered Beecher's father to advance in the Aryan Brotherhood.
Keller then concocts a plan to ensure that he and Beecher can be together again; he asks Beecher to deliver a package of illegal medicine for his dying ex-wife. Beecher hesitates, but eventually agrees and takes the package. Shortly after Beecher leaves the room, Keller makes an anonymous telephone call to tip off the police, getting Beecher caught and sent back to Oz. Furious, Beecher rejects Keller once and for all. At this time, Beecher is offered a deal from the FBI to set Keller up and he seriously considers it. Meanwhile, Keller seems to get on friendly terms with Schillinger again.
A production of Macbeth
is being put on by a number of prisoners with Schillinger in the lead role and Beecher as Macduff. Keller takes a job backstage managing the props. He tells Schillinger that they will kill Beecher then later tells Beecher that he is being friends with Schillinger to keep Beecher alive. He then kisses Schillinger and tells him that he will switch Schillinger's prop
knife with a real one so he can kill Beecher onstage. However, during the final fight scene, Keller switches Beecher's knife with a real one. Beecher stabs Schillinger unintentionally during a fight scene, thinking the knife in his hand is a prop. Keller claims to have no idea how a real knife got onto the set. Schillinger's death is considered an accident.
Afterward, Beecher returns to his cell, only to find that Keller is his new cellmate and discovers that Keller, despite their past, still believes they should be together. Keller reaffirms his love for Beecher and explains that he eliminated every obstacle between them, referring to Schillinger. He also claims to have taken care of the entire Aryan Brotherhood to keep Beecher safe from any retaliation. However, during a heated conversation Beecher demands to know whether Keller had set him up with the illegal drugs; when Keller admits the truth, Beecher rejects him for the final time. During the ensuing confrontation in Em City Beecher pushes Keller away; Keller then leans forward towards Beecher, tells him he loves him and falls over a railing, while screaming, "Beecher, DON'T!" The fall breaks Keller's neck and kills him. Beecher possibly faces the death penalty, but whether he is found guilty of murder or not is not revealed.
At the same time, a package arrives from a friend of Keller's, containing an unknown contaminant. When opened by the Aryans in the mail room, the contents are released into the air, killing the inmates and two guards in the room and resulting in a total evacuation. In the final scenes, the entire prison is empty and several buses leave the premises loaded with prisoners and staff, and the camera focuses on Beecher, who can't help but smile knowing who was responsible.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the HBO series Oz
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
, portrayed by Christopher Meloni
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Early life:Meloni was born the youngest of three children in...
from 1998 to 2003.
Character overview
Prisoner ID 98K514. Convicted June 16, 1998 - felony murderFelony murder
The rule of felony murder is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions that broadens the crime of murder in two ways. First, when an offender kills accidentally or without specific intent to kill in the course of an applicable felony, what might have been manslaughter is escalated to murder...
, two counts of attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
, driving under the influence
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...
and reckless driving. Sentence, 88 years, with the possibility of parole in 50. Convicted in 2002 of Murder in the first degree and was sentenced to death, Overturned in 2003.
A charming sociopath
Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
, Keller is extremely cunning and adept at manipulation. Throughout the series, he has a complicated, intimate relationship with fellow inmate Tobias Beecher
Tobias Beecher
Tobias Beecher is a main character on the television show Oz, played by Lee Tergesen. He is one of only eight regular characters to survive the entire run of the show...
.Keller has been married and divorced four times. As a young man he spent time in prison where he met, and had a sexual relationship with, Vern Schillinger.
Keller is frequently presented as immoral and untrustworthy,manipulating and destroying anyone who tries to get close to him. He has a strong desire for dominance in any relationship and often chooses partners based on how he can treat them and still have them love him. Despite his sociopathic tendencies, Keller is a more complex individual. He appears to feel genuine love for Tobias Beecher but cannot express it and is very well aware of how despicable his actions can be. He has deep self-loathing,once telling Sister Pete that he is "a piece of shit".
Season 2
Upon his arrival, Keller allies himself with the Aryan BrotherhoodAryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as The Brand, the AB, or the One-Two, is a white supremacist prison gang and organized crime syndicate in the United States with about 20,000 members in and out of prison...
gang, "owing" the gang's leader, Vernon Schillinger
Vernon Schillinger
Vernon Schillinger is a fictional character, played by American actor J. K. Simmons, on the HBO series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #92S110. Convicted October 21, 1992 – Aggravated assault in the first degree. Sentence: Eight years, eligible for parole in five...
, who protected him as a 17-year-old during a previous sentence, in exchange for sex. Schillinger arranges for the bisexual Keller to meet Tobias Beecher
Tobias Beecher
Tobias Beecher is a main character on the television show Oz, played by Lee Tergesen. He is one of only eight regular characters to survive the entire run of the show...
, Schillinger's former sex slave, with the intent of gaining his trust and seducing him. A mutual attraction instantly forms between them, and the two eventually exchange confessions of love. Unbeknownst to Beecher, however, Keller has betrayed him to Schillinger and the Aryans, who beat him so mercilessly that they break both his arms and legs. Keller enjoys the beating, but is briefly seen experiencing a moment of regret when he returns to his empty cell.
Season 3
Keller later tries to seek Beecher's forgiveness, but Beecher rebuffs him, refusing to have anything further to do with him unless he confesses his role in the attack to prison authorities. Keller complies, but Beecher still rejects him. Keller begins attending counseling sessions with the prison psychiatristPsychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, Sister Peter Marie "Sister Pete" Reimondo, as a ploy to win back Beecher's favor. During the meetings, Keller first tries to make her feel ineffective as a psychiatrist; then through various sexual provocations, forces her to question her commitments as a nun. When Sister Pete discovers that his confessions are insincere, she turns her back on him.
Keller briefly allies himself with Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily is a main character in the television series Oz. He was portrayed by Dean Winters from 1997 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P904. Convicted July 12, 1997 - Two counts of vehicular manslaughter, five counts of reckless endangerment, possession of a controlled substance,...
for protection against the Aryans, who now hate him for becoming Beecher's lover and for turning himself in (as Beecher requested), implicating Schillinger. Combined, he and O'Reily, an inmate equally devoid of conscience
Conscience
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. Moral judgement may derive from values or norms...
, are a force to be reckoned with, plaguing Schillinger and, along with Beecher, playing a role in the death of Schillinger's son, Andrew
Andrew Schillinger
Andrew Peter Schillinger, played by Frederick Koehler, is a fictional character in the HBO drama Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner 99S333. Convicted February 16, 1999 - Murder in the second degree, possession of narcotics...
.
Keller eventually does get a chance at a kind of moral redemption when he saves Beecher's life after Schillinger stabs him and Beecher requests that Keller be moved back into their old familiar cell; they share a happy reunion on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
.
Season 4
Keller and Beecher's renewed relationship does not last in the face of Vern Schillinger's machinations. In the season premiere, Keller was shot in the shoulder and Beecher pulls him to safety and his shooter kills two inmates and one guard, setting the alarm before Keller got hit; the shooter then kills himself. Sister Pete, upon hearing that Keller desires to see Beecher after his discharge from the hospital ward, tells Beecher that Keller is "a manipulative, sociopathicAntisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
liar." Unbeknownst to Beecher, Schillinger contracts his son, Hank, to kidnap Beecher's children, Gary and Holly. Mad with fear and grief, Beecher believes false rumors claiming that Keller is responsible for the kidnappings. An attempt on Keller's life in retaliation ends their brief reunion, and the two spend the rest of the season attempting ways to hurt one another. Beecher delves into promiscuity, and Keller kills Beecher's lovers, including inmate Mondo Browne
Mondo Browne
Raymond "Mondo" Browne, played by Gano Grills, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #00B563. Convicted April 10, 2000 - First degree murder...
, to discredit the new manager of Em City, Martin Querns
Martin Querns
Warden Martin Querns is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Reg E. Cathey.-Character overview:He is an African American prison unit manager who has a vast experience of handling various prison units. He is hired by Warden Leo Glynn after he is asked to find a competent black unit...
.
After killing Browne, Keller takes up with his former cellmate/lover, Ronald Barlog
Ronald Barlog
Ronald "Ronnie" Barlog was a prisoner on HBO's Oz in Season 4. He was played by Brian Bloom.-Character overview:Barlog was arrested for grand theft auto and sentenced to 13 years in prison. When he was brought to Oz, he recognized an old acquaintance, Chris Keller...
, to hurt Beecher. Barlog then secretly makes a deal with FBI Agent Pierce Taylor to give evidence against Keller and have him convicted of three murders in exchange for his own freedom. Beecher is immediately suspicious of Barlog and warns Keller, who dismisses the warning as mere jealousy. But Keller soon starts to have his own suspicions and eventually murders Barlog, snapping his neck while receiving oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
from him. Just before killing Barlog, Keller confesses that he had indeed committed the murders the FBI suspected him of, and that his victims — all young, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
men — represented something within himself that he hated. When the police discover that Schillinger's other son, Hank
Hank Schillinger
Henry "Hank" Schillinger, played by Andrew Barchilon, is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz.-Character overview:His father Vern Schillinger is an inmate who runs the Aryan Brotherhood within Oz. An amoral drug addict, Hank, like his younger brother Andrew, has been raised on white...
, had been murdered and that the hit was ordered by an inmate from within Oz, Keller takes responsibility for the crime to protect Beecher and his family. He is then sent to Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to stand trial for this murder.
Season 5
Keller is transferred back to Oz the following year, after Agent Taylor proves he lied about his involvement in Hank Schillinger's murder. He is then put in protective custody while the District AttorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
's office tries to convict him of an unsolved murder (which he had indeed committed). While in protective custody, he begins an affair with one of the guards, Officer Claire Howell, but soon tires of her and begins rejecting her advances. Enraged, Howell brutally beats him, putting him in the infirmary
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, and tells her superiors that he attacked her. After he recuperates from his injuries, he is found guilty of the murder charge, and sentenced to death
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
.
Season 6
When Beecher is paroleParole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
d, he shows his gratitude to Keller by helping him appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
his death sentence, which is subsequently overturned. At about this time, Beecher's father is stabbed to death in a suspiciously empty hall. While Keller's relationship with Beecher is by now somewhat estranged, he tries to show his former lover that he still cares by killing Franklin Winthrop, the inmate who had murdered Beecher's father to advance in the Aryan Brotherhood.
Keller then concocts a plan to ensure that he and Beecher can be together again; he asks Beecher to deliver a package of illegal medicine for his dying ex-wife. Beecher hesitates, but eventually agrees and takes the package. Shortly after Beecher leaves the room, Keller makes an anonymous telephone call to tip off the police, getting Beecher caught and sent back to Oz. Furious, Beecher rejects Keller once and for all. At this time, Beecher is offered a deal from the FBI to set Keller up and he seriously considers it. Meanwhile, Keller seems to get on friendly terms with Schillinger again.
A production of Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
is being put on by a number of prisoners with Schillinger in the lead role and Beecher as Macduff. Keller takes a job backstage managing the props. He tells Schillinger that they will kill Beecher then later tells Beecher that he is being friends with Schillinger to keep Beecher alive. He then kisses Schillinger and tells him that he will switch Schillinger's prop
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
knife with a real one so he can kill Beecher onstage. However, during the final fight scene, Keller switches Beecher's knife with a real one. Beecher stabs Schillinger unintentionally during a fight scene, thinking the knife in his hand is a prop. Keller claims to have no idea how a real knife got onto the set. Schillinger's death is considered an accident.
Afterward, Beecher returns to his cell, only to find that Keller is his new cellmate and discovers that Keller, despite their past, still believes they should be together. Keller reaffirms his love for Beecher and explains that he eliminated every obstacle between them, referring to Schillinger. He also claims to have taken care of the entire Aryan Brotherhood to keep Beecher safe from any retaliation. However, during a heated conversation Beecher demands to know whether Keller had set him up with the illegal drugs; when Keller admits the truth, Beecher rejects him for the final time. During the ensuing confrontation in Em City Beecher pushes Keller away; Keller then leans forward towards Beecher, tells him he loves him and falls over a railing, while screaming, "Beecher, DON'T!" The fall breaks Keller's neck and kills him. Beecher possibly faces the death penalty, but whether he is found guilty of murder or not is not revealed.
At the same time, a package arrives from a friend of Keller's, containing an unknown contaminant. When opened by the Aryans in the mail room, the contents are released into the air, killing the inmates and two guards in the room and resulting in a total evacuation. In the final scenes, the entire prison is empty and several buses leave the premises loaded with prisoners and staff, and the camera focuses on Beecher, who can't help but smile knowing who was responsible.