10 Best Performances In Prison Break
2. John Abruzzi - Peter Stormare
Over the years, Peter Stormare has made something of a career out of playing sinister characters. As the unofficial boss of Fox River Penitentiary, John Abruzzi was a contending character Michael Scofield was never going to avoid.
Stormare's performance as the villainous mafioso might have been a little on the nose in the form of caricatures and cliches, but any less capable actor would have fluffed the role the moment they appeared on screen.
Abruzzi as a character was an impatient, demanding and menacing figure - and it looked like Peter Stormare had taken all his Fargo, Constantine and 8MM character motivations and lumped them into one role.
We never trusted Abruzzi when he was on screen - whether he was for or against the direction Michael took the other prisoners down. Stormare's shifting eyes and intense mannerisms gave off a feeling of fear and worry we often kept for the likes of T-Bag or some random Company agent.
Abruzzi's early death in the second season might be a deflating fall from grace for the character, but Stormare had filled the purpose of the character, and dragging him out any longer would have taken away what we loved about the mafia boss.