Harold Perrineau as Michael Dawson
Michael Dawson is played by Harold Perrineau in the ABC series,
Lost. One of the middle section survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, Michael was a construction worker and aspiring sketch artist who had a strained relationship with his son Walt, because his wife Susan took Walt away from Michael when Walt was a young boy. Michael was once hit by a car after a heated argument over the phone. While he was recovering in the hospital, Susan visited him and told him about wanting the custody of their child. Later in a court battle, Michael finally lost to Susan and her new husband Brian, and he let go of Walt, thinking that Walt would have a better life with his mother. Michael was later contacted by Brian, saying that Susan died of a rare blood disorder. He also insisted that Michael should have the custody of Walt. Michael then headed to Australia to be reunited with his son, but after boarding the Oceanic Flight 815, the plane crashed into an island.
Surviving the accident, Michael and Walt's father-son relationship was tested. They barely knew each other, and Michael tried hard to reach his son. Their relationship became more strained when Walt bonded with Locke, another plane crash survivor. Their relationship only strengthened when Michael saved Walt from an attacking polar bear and later showed him the drawings Michael made for him every year.
Eventually, Michael found strong allies in Jin and Sawyer, who helped Michael and Walt launch a raft in search of rescue. However, their efforts failed after they were intercepted by a boat belonging to The Others. Walt was later taken by the Others and the raft was blown up by a bomb.
Sawyer and Michael then got into a huge conflict after Michael blamed Sawyer for Walt's disappearance. This was despite the fact that Sawyer saved Michael's life. The two fought until Michael saved Sawyer from an attacking shark. Before they could recover from the ordeal, they were knocked out and thrown into a pit with Jin. Sawyer later tried to escape, but failed the attempt. An unconscious girl was also thrown into the pit, and when she wokeup, she identified herself as Ana-Lucia, another survivor from the plane crash.
They all later managed to get out of the pit and reunite with a group of survivors from the plane crash. Michael was eventually able to talk to someone claiming to be Walt on the swan computer. The next day, Michael was determined to go after his son alone, ignoring the advice of the other men to hold back and be careful about his steps in rescuing his son. Michael was eventually captured and offered a deal, in which his captors would give him Walt in exchange for the other survivors and the Other who had been captured by Michael's friends. Returning to the remaining survivors, Michael tried to manipulate them to help get Walt back. The survivors fell into Michael's trap and were eventually captured by Henry Gale and the Others. Henry gave Walt back to Michael and the two were allowed to leave the island.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)