Josh Holloway as Sawyer Ford
James “Sawyer” Ford is portrayed by Josh Holloway in the show, Lost. When he was growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, his mother had an affair with a man named Sawyer, but the man ended up stealing his family’s money. James’ father was so distraught that he killed James’ mother and then took his own life.
When he reached the 9th grade, James stopped going to school altogether and although he wanted desperately to find the man who destroyed his family, he found himself in great need of money. Ironically, he decided to assume the identity of his mother’s lover, hence he became Sawyer. As a con artist, Sawyer usually targeted women, and after sleeping with them, would pretend to be late for a meeting. In picking up his fake briefcase, a large amount of fake money would spill out, giving the women the wrong idea about his wealth. From there, he just talked his way into their bank accounts and got them to invest in some business deals, which of course, were non-existent. In his hunt for gullible women, he met Cassidy Phillips, a woman who claimed to not have gotten any money from her divorce settlement. She figured out Sawyer’s operations immediately, and asked him if he could teach her some tricks. After some time, Sawyer felt guilty about conning Cassidy, but his partner-in-crime pressured him into continuing the façade. Sawyer was able to get Cassidy’s money (she did receive money from her ex-husband), but the woman sent her to prison as a result. She also told him that he was the father of her daughter, Clementine.
After serving his sentence, Sawyer went to Australia upon hearing that the real Sawyer was there. He ended up shooting the wrong man, just before he was deported for head-butting an Australian government official. He booked a seat on the Oceanic 815, but never made it back to the United States. When the plane crashed into an island, Sawyer was among the survivors. However, he had a hard time getting along with everybody because of his rebellious nature and smart mouth. Most especially, he and Dr. Jack Shephard were competing for Kate Austen’s affection, which made Sawyer an even more notorious figure in the Island. However, as time passed by, he realized that he must somehow learn to work with others, even with Jack, if he wanted to ensure his survival.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)