Dominic Purcell Biography: In His Own Words – Exclusive Video, News, Photos, Age

Dominic Haakon Myrtved Purcell, better known as Dominic Purcell, is an Australian actor. He is most primarily known for his role as Lincoln Burrows in Fox’s hit drama series Prison Break, as well as Heat Wave/Mick Rory in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and CW’s The Flash.

DOMINIC PURCELL BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

Dominic Purcell was born on February 17, 1970 (Purcell: Age 53) in Wallasey, Cheshire (now known as Merseyside), England. His father, Phil Myrtved, was of English and Norwegian descent, while his mother, Maureen Purcell, was Irish.

In 1972, Purcell and his family relocated to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, originally settling in Bondi before moving to Penrith. For his educational years, Purcell studied at St. Joseph’s Kingswood, St. Finbar’s Glenbrook primary school and Blaxland High School, as well as St. Dominic’s College and McCarthy Catholic College. He later proceeded to attend the Australian Theatre for Young People, before enrolling at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where he studied with fellow Australian actor, Hugh Jackman. In addition, Purcell holds triple British-Irish-Australian citizenship.

DOMINIC PURCELL BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

Dominic’s breakthrough role came in 1997 when he secured a spot in the television drama series Raw FM.  Shortly thereafter, he managed to land a role in the action/adventure film Mission: Impossible II. These momentous opportunities propelled him to stardom in the television industry.

In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Purcell was asked how he prepared psychologically in order to portray a character that’d become so violent in his action/thriller film Assault on Wall Street (2013).

“When I did this movie, I was broke anyway, which is ironic,” Purcell confessed. “And I had to do this movie regardless of whether it would be good or bad, and fortunately it was very good and I was lucky. So, I think I came into the movie pretty scared anyway because I was in a really bad place financially. And I’d been experiencing a lot of fear with being broke because I have an ex-wife, I have four kids, and I have houses and stuff. And, you know, mortgages to pay and I didn’t have any money. I was attached to a big movie that fell through weeks before this one started shooting and I was just like, ‘f—.’ ‘I’m f—ed.’ And then it came through. So, I came in with that kind of energy anyway. So, I think that certainly got me to places pretty quickly.”

Later in the interview, Purcell revealed whether or not the character he portrayed in this film was a normal guy that just snapped or a complete and utter psychopath.

“He’s a regular guy that snapped,” Purcell said. “There’s nothing psychopathic about him at all, any shape or form. He is just a figment of someone’s imagination that actually goes ahead and does something. I mean there are people out there who want to shoot people. And he’s that guy that just f—ing snaps and says f— it. I’m going to take care of these motherf—ers,” Purcell chuckled. “You know, he’s just that guy. In his own thinking, he has justification for what he did. I mean, he shot these people because he sees them as scum, as serpents, vultures who have taken advantage of innocent people. And he’s just like f*** you. You’re not getting away with it.” 

Purcell also went on to speak about whether or not his character’s revenge fantasy is something that could actually take place today.

“Oh, well yeah absolutely it can happen,” Purcell declared. We see it happening in society today, with all these horrific shootings. I don’t agree with it, but it’s the reality of our society.”

When asked about the most challenging scene to perform in the film, this is what Purcell had to say:

“The most difficult thing was the church scene. I had to cry man, you know? It’s always difficult crying on screen because sometimes you can do it and sometimes you can’t, and when you can’t do it, you look like an idiot and you’re just faking all these dry tears. Then sometimes, you do land in an emotional spot and then all of a sudden the tears, everything just starts breaking down and you start crying and you start thinking these terrible things. I happened, on this particular day, to think some heavy, dark thoughts and I was there and it worked. But always after it you just feel like a f—ing whore because you just feel like you just opened your legs to society. It always makes me feel dirty after I’ve done it because somehow I’m using experiences in my own life to get emotional, and you feel like you’re somehow cheapening memories and taking advantage of people you love somehow.”

DOMINIC PURCELL BIOGRAPHY: PERSONAL LIFE

Purcell was married to his ex-wife Rebecca Williamson from 1998 to 2008, during which time they had two children together.

On June 1, 2016, Purcell suffered serious injuries while on set in Morocco, after a misplaced bar made of iron used as a Prison Break season 5 set piece fell onto his head. He was immediately airlifted from Ouarzazate to Casablanca, where he promptly underwent emergency medical care for nasal fractures, among numerous other injuries.

In November 2022, Purcell began dating Tish Cyrus, who is the mother of Brandi, Trace, Noah and Miley Cyrus. The couple officially announced their engagement in April 2023 via Instagram.