'Prison Break' Turns Miller into Break-Out Star

Wentworth Miller III might look as if he exploded onto the scene last year with FOX's hit television show "Prison Break," but he has been toiling away in the entertainment business for a quite a while.

Wentworth said that people might think he has appeared in several movies, but he been on more than 450 auditions and heard the word no more often than yes.

Miller has an exotic and multicultural background. He was born in the United Kingdom, to a father of African American, German, Jamaican and English ancestry. His mother's ancestry includes Russian, French, Dutch, Syrian and Lebanese blood lines. Wentworth has said that his mixed ancestry often makes him feel like an outsider.

In an interview with the cable television channel E!, Wentworth said, "My father is black and my mother is white. Therefore, I could answer to either which kind of makes me a racial Lone Ranger, at times, caught between two communities."

Wentworth's family returned to America, after his dad had completed his stint as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Wentworth graduated from high school in 1990 and later graduated from Princeton with a degree in English literature. At Princeton, Wentworth toured the world as a member of the singing group, The Princeton Tigertones. After college Wentworth headed west to try his luck in Hollywood. His first role was in the ABC show "Dinotopia."

Wentworth also appeared on television shows such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Popular" and "E.R." He also had small role as a younger version of Sir Anthony Hopkins's character in the movie "The Human Stain." Wentworth's multicultural background made him perfect for the role of a black man who decides to pass as white. He also had a role in the cult action film "Underworld."

Wentworth gained a lot of attention for roles in two Mariah Carey videos "We Belong Together" and "It's Like That" which were both directed by Brett Ratner, who helmed hit movies such as "The Rush Hour" series and "X-Men: The Last Stand." Ratner liked what her saw of Wentworth and cast him in the lead for the critically acclaimed TV show "Prison Break." In "Prison Break" Wentworth plays Michael Scofield, an engineer who gets purposely sent to jail to help break out his brother who is on death row. In its first season "Prison Break" focused on Scofield's creative attempts to free his brother. One of the unique schemes he hatches is tattooing the plans of the prison on his body. This season "Prison Break" focuses on the escapees as they attempt to elude the authorities.

"Prison Break" turned out to be a huge critical and commercial hit for both FOX and Wentworth. Wentworth received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series. Wentworth's brooding good looks also attracted a lot of attention from the media. His face landed on the covers of several magazines after the success of "Prison Break" and TV Guide named his as one of television's sexiest men. Wentworth describes "Prison Break" as "completely preposterous," but says it's also a great ride.