Phillip Edward Van Lear is an American actor. He is known for playing C.O. Louis Patterson on the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

series ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...

''.

Early life

Van Lear was born in

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage, Kane County, Illinois, Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Locat ...

in 1951

Career

He has also played in various other movies such as: '' Barbershop 2: Back in Business'', Magic Mike, ''

Chicago Cab ''Chicago Cab'' is a 1997 American drama film directed by Mary Cybulski and John Tintori. It is based on the play ''Hellcab'' by Will Kern. Synopsis The film follows an unnamed taxi driver (played by Paul Dillon) over one day in Chicago, short ...

'', '' Night of the Lawyers'', ''

A Family Thing ''A Family Thing'' is a 1996 American drama film starring Robert Duvall, James Earl Jones and Irma P. Hall. It was rewritten by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, the original script, "Latent Blood" was written by L Guy Burton, and directed by ...

'' and ''

Thieves Quartet ''Thieves Quartet'' is a 1993 American thriller film directed by Joe Chappelle and starring Michele Cole and James Denton. Premise In Chicago, four desperate criminals kidnap a businessman's daughter, only to find their plans unravel. Cast *Phil ...

''. He also starred alongside

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

, in the film ''

There Are No Children Here ''There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America'' is a 1992 biography by Alex Kotlowitz that describes the experiences of two brothers growing up in Chicago's Henry Horner Homes. It won the Carl Sandburg award ...

'', where he plays a thug and a vandal hell-bent on corrupting youth for his own personal gain. He was originally cast to play Ray Charles in the movie Ray, but Jamie Foxx ended up with the role when funding for the movie he was filming fell through. Van Lear spent all of 2004 in the Cameroon on a spiritual journey. He is the father of three, Nathaniel, Tasha and Ethan.

References

External links

* Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Illinois {{US-screen-actor-stub