Paul Kellerman, also known as Owen Kravecki, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. Played by Paul Adelstein, the character was introduced to the series as a Secret Service special agent in the series pilot, but the actor was not listed as a regular cast member until the third episode. The character's role is most prominent in the series' conspiracy plot.
Arc
Background
After graduating with honors from West Point, Paul Kellerman served in U.S. Army as part of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and eventually the U.S. Special Forces; achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. Kellerman served in the Gulf War and his awards include a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, an Army Commendation Medal and an Army Achievement Medal.
Although he had a promising future in the military, he received a better offer from the federal government: a leadership position within the Secret Service, and was soon assigned to Caroline Reynolds (Patricia Wettig), whom he has served for fifteen years. He eventually hardened into a ruthless fanatic, capable of suppressing his humanity to commit horrible crimes in the name of Caroline Reynolds. Due to his commitment to her plans, he became a key figure in the conspiracy that framed Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) for murder. Officially, as revealed in episode "The Rat", he is no longer listed as a member of the Secret Service or even as an employee of the Federal Government, and lives under the alias Owen Kravecki. Kellerman is at least 35 years old.
Season 1
Along with his partner and long-time friend Danny Hale, Kellermans role in the first half of the season is to prevent anyone from uncovering the Lincoln Burrows conspiracy. He goes to great lengths to do this, blackmailing and even murdering a number of innocent people on Reynolds' orders. Kellerman keeps a cool head throughout this, showing no remorse for what he has to do. But when Caroline Reynolds is revealed to be dealing with sinister corporate powers- simply called "The Company"- Kellerman is shown making his opposition known to her about this. Although Kellerman's position is briefly threatened by Company operative Quinn in the episode "Sleight of Hand", he is later able to handle the situation in the episode "And Then There Were 7" by secretly leaving Quinn to his death, and continues his mission to find and eliminate those who threaten the conspiracy. Kellerman is eventually forced to kill his partner Hale, who has a crisis of conscience and attempts to betray the conspiracy in the episode "End of the Tunnel". It marks the first time in the series that the character shows true remorse and complexity. He is visibly upset that Hale planned to name him as a co-conspirator, giving Kellerman incentive enough to murder his old friend and partner.
The second part of the season often finds Kellerman at odds with Samantha Brinker, the Company intermediary to Reynolds. Discovering that The Company had ulterior motives for the framing of Burrows, Kellerman shows his first hint of disillusionment and he demands that Reynolds reassures him that he is working for her and not for The Company. Episodes such as "Brother's Keeper", and "J-Cat" also explores his ever more obvious affection towards Reynolds, revealing that he has served her loyally for 15 years. He is very familiar with Caroline Reynolds and seems to genuinely care about her and supports her, especially after The Company threatens her in the episode "Tonight". In the final episode of the season, Kellerman helps her assassinate the sitting president, and is by her side as she is being sworn into office.