List of The Pretender (TV series) characters

This is an article for a list of some of the main and notable characters that appear (or have appeared) on the NBC's drama, "The Pretender."

Angelo

: (Paul Dillon, 1996-2000 {appear in 23 episodes}, }; Jake Lloyd {portrayed Young Angelo/Timmy} 1996-1999 {appear in 5 episodes})::Formerly known as Timmy, Angelo is a savant who exhibits a sponge-like power to absorb personality traits of others. Angelo was one of Dr. Raines' early attempt at creating a pretender, an experiment that failed. Angelo often roams the vast ductwork of the Centre, discreetly spying on others. He has also been shown in several episodes to be one of Jarod's mysterious informants within at the Centre, sending him anonymous emails.

::When Miss Parker finds out that she has a twin brother, she first believes him to be Angelo; a subsequent DNA test proves that the twin is Mr. Lyle.

Brigitte (Deceased)

: (Pamela Gidley 1997-2000)::A cleaner associated with Lyle and hired, along with him, to help capture Jarod. Married Mr Parker in February, 1999 and gave birth to a son in 2000 prior to her dying from a medical condition that caused her to bleed to death shortly after the birth of her baby.

Broots

: (Jon Gries, 1996-2000)::A computer genius who works at The Centre with Miss Parker and Sydney to track down the Pretender, Jarod and return him to The Centre. Despite the unsavory nature of his work, Broots is a fairly hapless individual. He is devoted to his daughter, Debbie, whom he raises alone.

Emily

: (Marisa Parker, 1997, 2000):: Younger sister to Jarod & Kyle and older half-sister to Ethan. Constantly on the run from the Centre and searching for her brothers.

Ethan

: (Tyler Christopher, 2000-2001) {appear in series finale episode and The Pretender 2001}:: Jarod & Miss Parker's half-brother. Ethan's birth parents are Catherine Parker and Major Charles. He was taken and give to couple named Clausen. He is refer as "Project Mirage" due to his Inner Sense.

Gemini

: (Ryan Merriman, 1999):: A clone of Jarod, younger by approximately 20 years. He was the result of the project called Gemini and is currently on run with Jarod's father Major Charles.

Jacob (deceased)

: (Dan Cashman, 1996-1998 {appear in 3 episodes}; Alex Wexo {portrayed Young Jacob} 1996-2000 {appear in 17 episodes}), Patrick Bauchau 1996-2000::Deceased twin brother to Sydney. He was once a "Special Expediter" at The Centre. He was the one who signed-off on the paperwork that transferred Jarod to the custody of The Centre, but it was Mr. Fenigor who actually had Jarod abducted. Jacob was put into a near-permanent coma after he attempted to complain about his duties at The Centre. He revived briefly on two occasions, and survived an assassination attempt by The Centre in 1997, but eventually died of a brain-infesting virus in 1998.

Jarod

: (Michael T. Weiss, 1996-2000; Ryan Merriman {portrayed Young Jarod}, 1996-2000)::A genius who has the ability to be anyone, learn any skill and function in any situation - a chameleon who takes on identities as easily as most people change clothes. Taken from his parents as a child, Jarod grew up within the Centre as a virtual test subject until his 1996 escape. He is since then searching for his family: his mother Margaret, his father Charles (aka "Major Charles", an ex-Air Force officer), and his surviving sibling Emily. The second motivating factor in Jarod's life is atoning for the deaths he inadvertently caused by working for The Centre.

::Jarod usually avoids being caught by The Centre at the end of every episode. Following his escapes, Jarod enjoys sparring with Ms. Parker over the phone.

Kyle (Deceased)

: (Jeffrey Donovan, 1997-1999; appear in 4 episodes)::Younger brother to Jarod. Like his sibling, Kyle was kidnapped by The Centre and served as one of Raines's test subjects. As a result of his experiences during the Pretender Project, he developed a malicious personality. He eventually left the Centre through unknown means and made a life for himself as a vicious criminal. Jarod manages to track him down and convince him that their parents still exist somewhere. Kyle is shot dead by Mr. Lyle while protecting Jarod. No remains were found, however Jarod donated Kyle's heart to the teenage son of a police officer who was in dire need of a transplant, but with the rare blood type they all shared his chances would have been nil to get one in time.

Mr. Lyle

: (Jamie Denton, 1997-2000) {appear in 36 episodes}::Twin brother to Miss Parker, originally believed by their parents to be stillborn. In reality, he was abducted shortly after birth and given up to adoption. He was given the name Bobby Bowman by his adoptive parents. The teenage Bobby ran away from home, faked his death, and has since been known only as Lyle (the name of his abusive foster father). Lyle dabbled for a few years in Asian organized crime, even a group of cannibals known as the Snake Eaters; a tattoo of a snake devouring itself is once spotted on his shoulder. Lyle maintains his links to criminals in that region. His time overseas was also spent dating and marrying several Asian women, whom he has a proclivity toward. He is also suspected of having mutilated and murdered at least one of his wives in the past.

::Lyle surfaces in Blue Cove, Delaware, where he is given a a top position at the Centre. Ms. Parker does not initially realize that she is related to Lyle, which leaves her perplexed as to why he was so quickly promoted. At one point, Lyle enlists the help of his old Yakuza contacts in order to catch Jarod, a task that ends in failure. In retaliation, the crime bosses sever his thumb from his left hand. Although Lyle later harvests the left thumb of the then-comatose Mr. Raines and has it attached to his own hand, he eventually returns the digit to Raines as a show of loyalty when Raines is placed in charge of the Centre. Lyle is also notable for his murder of Jarod's brother, Kyle.

Major Charles

: (George Lazenby, appear in 4 episodes, 1999, 2000)::Only known as Major Charles, once refer to as Charles (Dragon House--don't known if this is his first or last name. He is the father of two sons, Jarod and Kyle (deceased), who were both abducted by the Centre, and a daughter named Emily, who was born after the boys were kidnapped. In addition, he is the father of Ethan by, Catherine Parker, although he is unaware of this fact. He is married to Margaret. Was once a pilot for the Air Force.

Margaret

: (Kim Myers, appear in 9 episodes, 1996-1999) {also appear in Pretender: IOTH)::Only known as Margaret, she is the mother of two sons Jarod and Kyle (deceased), who were both abducted by the Centre, and a daughter named Emily, who was born after the boys were kidnapped. She is married to Major Charles. She is currently on the run from the Centre and is looking for her family.

Catherine Parker (Deceased)

: (Andrea Parker, 1996-2000) ::Born Catherine Jamieson and married Mister Parker. Mother of Miss Parker, Mr. Lyle and Ethan. And also was involved with attempting to rescue the Pretender Project Children.

Miss Parker

: (Andrea Parker, 1996-2000 {Main Cast Member}; Ashley Peldon {portrayed Young Miss Parker} 1996-1999)::A child of The Centre, Miss Parker has grown up within the Blue Cove complex, both her father and mother playing pivotal roles in the organization. When she was a young girl, her mother Catherine was murdered, though Miss Parker was led to believe that she committed suicide. The circumstances of Catherine's death are quite muddled, with details varying wildly depending on who remembers it; Ms. Parker eventually learns that her mother was in fact killed shortly after giving birth to her half-brother, Ethan. Raines apparently killed Catherine as she lay on the gurney.

::Ms. Parker has a twin brother named Lyle, who was at first believed to be stillborn. She also has a half-brother, Ethan, whom she shares with Jarod; the latter was created in the Centre project Mirage, by impregnating Catherine Parker with the sperm of Jarod's father. Her father, Mr. Parker, is apparently the local administrator to the Blue Cove branch of the Centre. Her biological father is in fact Raines, who is Mr. Parker's brother.

::As a young girl, Ms. Parker met secretly with Jarod inside the Centre while he was also a child. Ms. Parker also gave Jarod his first kiss, though this was long before she was put in charge of his capture and return to the Centre. Ms. Parker quickly grows to despise Jarod as he repeatedly eludes and humiliates her. Despite this, Jarod has comes to her aid when she is in danger, even when it endangers his own safety. The result is that Ms. Parker's attitude toward Jarod softens, though not by much. When she and Jarod discover their shared links on the Isle of Carthis, they nearly have a romantic interlude. Eventually however, Ms. Parker ignores Jarod's pleas and allows him to be apprehended by the Centre's men. Jarod manages to escape again, and Ms. Parker is returned to her task of hunting him. She later receives another phone call from her longtime enemy, but this time they do not trade insults as usual. Ms. Parker warns that she will continue to be coming after him, but wishes him luck in his journey to find his family.

Mr. Parker

: (Harve Presnell, 1997-2000; David Sawyer {portrayed Young Mr. Parker} 1998-1999)::Mr Parker is Chairman of the Centre and has, on occasion, been forced to work with Raines in order to ensure his position. It was revealed that Mr. Parker has a brother who was adopted and is Raines. Because of this, Parker protects Raines at all costs. He appears to shoot and kill an imprisoned Raines, but this is just a deception designed to prevent his daughter from killing Raines herself.

::Despite his many coverups, Mr. Parker is devoted to his daughter and ensures her safety on many occasions. Unlike Lyle and Raines, he is not as involved in the hunt to catch Jarod. After Jarod is recaptured by Centre authorities, he and Mr. Parker have a tense confrontation onboard a plane. Jarod convinces Parker to glance at the mysterious scrolls which were found on the Isle of Carthis. After reading the scrolls, Mr. Parker undergoes a sudden change and determines that they must never be seen. He grabs the box containing the scrolls and jumps out of the airborne plane and is assumed to be dead (However, people rarely simply die at the Centre, do they?).

Dr./Mr. William Raines

: (Richard Marcus, 1996-2000) {appear in 45 episodes}::Formerly known as Dr. Raines, William Raines is a long-time Centre staffer and the brains behind the testing that created Jarod, Angelo and countless other individuals who were less fortunate than either. Known for the trademark squeaking of the wheels on his ever-present oxygen tank, Raines is one of the most feared people at the Centre. He appeared to be suffering from cancer as a result of longtime smoking, and usually speaks in a hoarse whisper. But like all things at the Centre, the actual state of Raines's health disease seems to change depending on the situation. Ms. Parker once yanks the breathing apparatus out of Raines's nose when she believes him to be her mother's killer; Raines merely smiles and continues to breathe normally. Nevertheless, he continues toting his oxygen tank everywhere he goes, though he has regained use of his voice. Raines's mission is to return Jarod to the Centre at any cost, but his real motives are always kept secret.

::Raines was part of the plot to kidnap Miss Parker's twin brother (Mr. Lyle) at birth, and is the prime suspect in the murder of Catherine Parker. Mr. Parker knew that his daughter would try to kill Raines if she believed him to be the murderer. To counteract this, he appears to shoot and kill Raines himself. Ms. Parker is conveniently standing nearby to witness the faked death. He was once married to Edna Raines (now deceased) and had a daughter named Annie, who was murdered in 1975. Raines is also the true father of Ms. Parker, having conceived her with her mother Catherine, but the details surrounding Catherine's pregnancy are unclear.

::When Jarod reunites with the surviving members of his family on a crowded street, Raines and his team of gunmen arrive to kill everyone on-site. Jarod's family manages to escape, but Raines corners Jarod in an alley. When Jarod demand to know why Raines has done all this to him, Raines simply answered; "because you exist"." After a grim standoff, Jarod turns his back on Raines, who is armed. Raines raises his pistol to kill Jarod, but an unseen gunman fires on Raines's oxygen tank, engulfing him in flames. The shooter is later revealed to be Sydney. Raines remains in an ICU for several months until he recovers from his burns. Mysteriously, following this event his overall health seems to drastically improve.

::Dr. Raines' real name is revealed to be Abel Parker, and he assumed the name of his adoptive family, Raines. He is the real father of Ms. Parker and her brother, Lyle. Mr. Parker is the brother of Raines.

am

: (Sam Ayers, 1996-2000 {appear in 33 episodes plus The Pretender: Island of the Haunted})::A sweeper of The Centre. He is loyal to Miss Parker.

ydney

: (Patrick Bauchau, 1996-2000 {Main Cast Member}; Alex Wexo {portrayed Young Sydney} 1996-2000 {appear in 27 episodes})::A long-time employee of The Centre, Sydney originally joined the staff with his twin brother, Jacob. The organization's lead psychiatrist, Sydney was responsible for all of Jarod's simulation training. He is a trusted friend and father figure to Jarod. Due to his constant surveillance, Sydney is not able to assist Jarod directly. Instead, he has many heart-to-heart talks with Jarod on the phone.

::Sydney spends years hiding his comatose brother Jacob, who is slowly dying of a degenerative disease, from the Centre. Jacob eventually dies peacefully, but by then has lost the ability to speak coherently. It is implied that Jacob's defiance toward the Centre put him in such a precarious position with them.

Willie

: (Willie Gault, 1997-2000 {appear in 17 episodes plus The Pretender: Island of the Haunted})::A sweeper of The Centre. Willie is loyal to Mr Raines.

ee also

*List of "The Pretender" minor characters