Robert Lyle Knepper is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actor. He is best known for starring as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell in the Fox

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 network's drama series Prison Break

Prison Break

Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...

, for which he was nominated a Satellite Award. He has also appeared in the films Hitman

Hitman (2007 film)

Hitman is a 2007 film directed by Xavier Gens and based on the video game series of the same name. A gun-for-hire "Hitman" is a genetically-engineered assassin known as Agent 47. He is hired by a group, 'The Organization' and becomes ensnared in a political conspiracy. He finds himself pursued by...

 (2007) and Transporter 3

Transporter 3

Transporter 3 is a 2008 French-English action film, and is the third installment in the Transporter film series, as well as the first not to be distributed by 20th Century Fox in the United States. Both Jason Statham and François Berléand reprised their roles, as Frank Martin and Tarconi,...

 (2008), and joined the cast of Heroes

Heroes (TV series)

Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...

 for its fourth season and final season as Samuel Sullivan

Samuel Sullivan

Samuel Sullivan, portrayed by Robert Knepper, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes, being the primary antagonist of Volume 5: Redemption. Samuel has the ability of terrakinesis. The mysterious leader of a carnival ring, "Sullivan Bros...

. He joined the cast of Stargate Universe

Stargate Universe

Stargate Universe is a Canadian-American military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way...

 for its second season, which has started airing in the US in the 2010 fall season. Knepper reprised his role as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell in the first season of Breakout Kings

Breakout Kings

Breakout Kings is an American drama television series created by Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead, which airs on the A&E network. The series premiered on March 6, 2011. The series was picked up for a second season on July 6, 2011, which is expected to begin in 2012.-Premise:In order to catch escaped...

.

Life and career

Born in Fremont, Ohio

Fremont, Ohio

Fremont Public Schools enroll 4,450 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers 9 public schools including seven elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, Fremont Ross. In addition, the city is home to one private catholic high school, Saint Joseph...

, Knepper was interested in acting from an early age due to his mother's involvement at a community theater. He was raised in Maumee, Ohio

Maumee, Ohio

Maumee is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Toledo along the Maumee River. The population was 14,286 at the 2010 census. Maumee was also declared an All-America City by the National Civic League in June 2006.-Geography:...

, near Toledo

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

, by his mother and father, who was a veterinarian

Veterinarian

A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....

. Knepper spent many years of his youth working in the community theater and high school productions. After graduating from Maumee High School

Maumee High School (Ohio)

Maumee High School is a public high school in Maumee, Ohio, southwest of Toledo. It is the only high school in the Maumee City Schools district. Their mascot and sports teams are known as the "Maumee Panthers"...

 in 1977, he attended Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

 to study drama

Drama

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

. During this time, Knepper also obtained professional roles in plays in Chicago. Nearing the completion of his degree, Knepper quit Northwestern and went to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, where he continued to work in theater. Although Knepper never intended to work in film and television projects, he began his television and film career in 1986 with The Paper Chase

The Paper Chase (TV series)

The Paper Chase is a television series based on a 1970 novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr., as well as a 1973 film based on the novel. It follows the lives of law student James T. Hart and his classmates at Harvard Law School.-Production:...

 and That's Life!

That's Life! (film)

That's Life! is a 1986 film with Jack Lemmon and Julie Andrews, directed by Blake Edwards.The film was made independently by Edwards using largely his own finances and was distributed by Columbia Pictures...

.

He recently guest-starred in Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...

 in the Season 6 episode, 'Reflection of Desire' as Rhett Walden, an insane serial killer who believes that his dead mother is actually alive.

On August 26, 2011, Knepper, along with three others, was honored by the Maumee Alumni Association during an awards dinner and at the opening Maumee High School varsity football game.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1986	That's Life! That's Life! (film) That's Life! is a 1986 film with Jack Lemmon and Julie Andrews, directed by Blake Edwards.The film was made independently by Edwards using largely his own finances and was distributed by Columbia Pictures...	Steve Larwin
1987	Tour of Duty Tour of Duty (TV series) Tour of Duty is an American drama television series on CBS. It ran for three seasons from September 1987 to April 1990 as 58 one–hour episodes. The show was created by Steve Duncan and L. Travis Clark, and produced by Zev Braun....	Racist Soldier	TV episode: "Burn, Baby, Burn"
	Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...	Wyatt Miller	TV episode: "Haven"
	Wild Thing Wild Thing (film) Wild Thing is a 1987 film directed by Max Reid, screenplay by John Sayles, and story by Larry Stamper.-Cast:*Robert Knepper as Wild Thing*Kathleen Quinlan as Jane*Robert Davi as Chopper*Maury Chaykin as Jonathan Trask*Betty Buckley as Leah...	Wild Thing
	The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)	Alonzo	TV episode: "Joy Ride Joy Ride (The Twilight Zone) Joy Ride is the first segment of the thirty-third episode Joy Ride is the first segment of the thirty-third episode Joy Ride is the first segment of the thirty-third episode (the ninth episode of the second season (1986-1987) of the television series The New Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:... "
1988	D.O.A. D.O.A. (1988 film) D.O.A. is a 1988 very loose remake of the 1950 film noir of the same name, sharing the same premise but otherwise having a different story and characters....	Nicholas Lang
1989	Renegades Renegades (1989 film) Renegades is a 1989 crime film starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Kiefer Sutherland. Floyd Red Crow Westerman debuted in this film as "Red Crow", Hank Storm's father....	Marino
1990	E.A.R.T.H. Force E.A.R.T.H. Force E.A.R.T.H. Force is an American action adventure television series starring Gil Gerard. The series aired 3 episodes on CBS from September 16, 1990, to September 29, 1990, before being canceled due to low ratings...	Dr. Peter Roland
	Young Guns II Young Guns II Young Guns II is a 1990 western film, and the sequel to Young Guns . It stars Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christian Slater, and features William Petersen as Pat Garrett. It was written and produced by John Fusco and directed by Geoff Murphy.It follows the life of...	Deputy Carlyle
1991	Session Man
1992	Gas Food Lodging Gas Food Lodging Gas Food Lodging is a 1992 movie directed by Allison Anders about a waitress trying to find romance while raising two daughters in a trailer-park. It stars Brooke Adams, Ione Skye, and Fairuza Balk. The film was adapted from the novel Don't Look and It Won't Hurt by Richard Peck...	Dank
1992	Red Shoe Diaries Red Shoe Diaries Red Shoe Diaries is an erotic drama series that aired on the American cable television network Showtime from 1992 to 1997 and distributed by Playboy Entertainment overseas...	Nick Willard	TV episode: "You Have the Right to Remain Silent"
1993	Doorways Doorways Doorways is a proposed Science Fiction series from writer George R. R. Martin. A pilot was shot in May 1992, starring George Newbern, Anne Le Guernec, Robert Knepper, Kurtwood Smith and Carrie-Anne Moss, but was not picked up, and the project was shelved. In 2010 IDW Publishing began an adaption of...	Thane	Unaired TV pilot
1993	When the Bough Breaks	Lt. Jimmy Creedmore
1996	Dead Of Night	Christian
	Jaded Jaded (film) -Plot:Megan , is found naked and lying unconscious on a beach. It is presumed that Megan was raped and a local detective begins investigating. As the investigation continues, it is discovered that Megan was raped by two women. This presents the local authorities with the legal dilemma of which...	Freddy
	Everyone Says I Love You Everyone Says I Love You Everyone Says I Love You is a 1996 American musical film that was written and directed by Woody Allen. The film features many stars, including Julia Roberts, Alan Alda, Edward Norton, Drew Barrymore, Gaby Hoffmann, Tim Roth, Goldie Hawn, and Natalie Portman.Set in New York, Venice, and Paris, the...	Greg
1998	You Are Here
	Phantoms	Agent Wilson	Plays Federal Agent
	The Stringer	John
	ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...	Keith Reynolds	TV episode: "My Brother's Keeper"
	Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...	Gaul	TV episode: "Dragons Teeth"
1999	Absence of the Good	Glenn Dwyer
	Kidnapped in Paradise	Renard	Plays the leader of modern day pirates
2000	Harsh Realm Harsh Realm Harsh Realm is a science fiction television series about humans trapped inside a virtual reality simulation. It was developed by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files and Millennium, and began airing on the Fox Network on October 8, 1999. The series fared poorly in the ratings and was removed from...	Mad priest	TV episode: "Camera Obscura"
	Seven Days	Major Gene Hastings	TV episode: "Space Station Down"
	La Femme Nikita	Henry Collins	TV episode: "Toys in the Basement"
2001	Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...	Dr. Peter Kelmer	TV episode: "The Good Doctor The Good Doctor (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode) "The Good Doctor" is a first season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:Dr. Peter Kelmer, an arrogant cosmetic surgeon, is married to Valerie, a recovering drug addict. Theirs is an unpleasant marriage, largely due to Kelmer's treatment of Valerie. Both... "
	Thieves	Special Agent Shue	TV series
	Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot	Robert F. Kennedy
2002–2003	Presidio Med Presidio Med Presidio Med is an American Television series which aired 2002–2003, centering around a San Francisco hospital. It was created by John Wells and Lydia Woodward, who also created ER.-Series premise:...	Sean	TV series (recurring role)
2004	Species III Species III Species III is a 2004 science fiction film. Directed by Brad Turner, it is the third installment of the Species series and stars Robert Knepper, Sunny Mabrey, Robin Dunne, Amelia Cooke, and John Paul Pitoc...	Dr. Abbot
	CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....	Freddy Coleman	TV episode: "Addiction"
2005–2009	Prison Break Prison Break Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...	Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell	TV series
2003-2005	Good Night, and Good Luck	Don Surine
	Hostage Hostage (film) Hostage is a 2005 thriller film with Bruce Willis that was directed by Florent Emilio Siri. The film was based on a novel by Robert Crais, and was adapted for the screen by Doug Richardson....	Will Bechler
	Carnivàle Carnivàle Carnivàle is an American television series set in the United States during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. In tracing the lives of two disparate groups of people, its overarching story depicts the battle between good and evil and the struggle between free will and destiny; the storyline mixes...	Tommy Dolan	TV series (recurring role)
2007	Hitman Hitman (2007 film) Hitman is a 2007 film directed by Xavier Gens and based on the video game series of the same name. A gun-for-hire "Hitman" is a genetically-engineered assassin known as Agent 47. He is hired by a group, 'The Organization' and becomes ensnared in a political conspiracy. He finds himself pursued by...	Yuri Marklov
2008	Transporter 3 Transporter 3 Transporter 3 is a 2008 French-English action film, and is the third installment in the Transporter film series, as well as the first not to be distributed by 20th Century Fox in the United States. Both Jason Statham and François Berléand reprised their roles, as Frank Martin and Tarconi,...	Johnson
	The Day the Earth Stood Still The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 film) The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 2008 science fiction film, a remake of the 1951 film of the same name. The screenplay is based on the 1940 classic science fiction short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates, and the 1951 screenplay adaptation by Edmund H...	Colonel
2009–2010	Heroes Heroes (TV series) Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...	Samuel Sullivan Samuel Sullivan Samuel Sullivan, portrayed by Robert Knepper, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes, being the primary antagonist of Volume 5: Redemption. Samuel has the ability of terrakinesis. The mysterious leader of a carnival ring, "Sullivan Bros...	TV series
2010	Burning Daylight Burning Daylight Burning Daylight, Jack London's fictional novel published in 1910, was one of the best selling books of that year and it was his best selling book in his lifetime. The novel takes place in the Yukon Territory in 1893. The main character, nicknamed Burning Daylight was the most successful...	Elam 'Burning Daylight' Harnish	Segment "Part III: Burning Daylight"
	Stargate Universe Stargate Universe Stargate Universe is a Canadian-American military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way...	Simeon	TV series
	Chase Chase (2010 TV series) Chase is an American police procedural drama television series created by Jennifer Johnson for the NBC network. The series follows a U.S. Marshals fugitive-apprehension team, based out of Houston, Texas. Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnson serve as executive producers for the one-hour drama...	Jack Druggan	TV Episode: "The Comeback Kid"
	Criminal Minds Criminal Minds Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...	Rhett Walden	TV Episode: "Reflection of Desire"
	Shameless US		TV Series: 2 episodes
2011	Breakout Kings Breakout Kings Breakout Kings is an American drama television series created by Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead, which airs on the A&E network. The series premiered on March 6, 2011. The series was picked up for a second season on July 6, 2011, which is expected to begin in 2012.-Premise:In order to catch escaped...	Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell	TV series: episode 3 ( The Bag Man)

External links

• Robert Knepper's biography at Prison Break's official site
• Robert Knepper's interview at CynbytheSea