Background
Purcell was born in Wallasey, Merseyside, the son of Gerald and Mary T. "Maureen" (née Hassett) Purcell.
Purcell was born in Wallasey, Merseyside, the son of Gerald and Mary T. "Maureen" (née Hassett) Purcell.
He is known for his portrayal of the character Lincoln Burrows in Prison Break, the title character in John Doe, and Dracula in Blade: Trinity. He worked closely with Wentworth Miller in Prison Break and as Mick Rory/Heat Wave in District of Columbia"s The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. He is of Irish and Norwegian descent.
In 1972, he and his family moved to Bondi, New South Wales, and later to Western Sydney.
He attended Blaxland East Public School and Blaxland High School, as well as Street Dominic"s College and McCarthy Catholic College. After becoming a landscape gardener, he grew tired of the profession and decided to become an actor after watching the film Platoon.
He later attended the Australian Theatre for Young People and then enrolled at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where he studied with Hugh Jackman.