The Three Chicago Fire Stars You Probably Forgot Appeared On Prison Break
It seems like regardless of modern trends, TV viewers never get sick of watching crime dramas. Whether it's longtime police procedural like "Criminal Minds" or a firehouse drama like "Station 19," shows centered around the professional and personal lives of fictional law enforcement agents never fall out of favor. The same goes for series that take the opposite perspective — shows like "Ozark" or "Narcos" that center around criminals and their attempts to evade getting in trouble with the law.
These days, one of the biggest law enforcement franchises is NBC's "One Chicago" series, which includes the series "Chicago Fire," "Chicago P.D." and "Chicago Med." The shows give an in-depth look into what it's like for public service officials in a major city to keep up with the demands of their jobs, while also dealing with a whole slew of personal problems. "Chicago Fire" is the oldest series out of the bunch, currently airing its 10th season.
"Chicago Fire" has featured several characters played by actors from different popular shows throughout its decade on the air. Looking back, there were multiple actors from "Prison Break" to set foot in Firehouse 51. In fact, the intense action series from the 2000s may have prepped these actors for their "One Chicago" roles later on.
DuShon Monique Brown found stardom out of small roles on both shows
The late actress DuShon Monique Brown had a major role on "Chicago Fire" as Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker)'s administrative assistant, essentially his work wife. Connie was a motherly figure at the station, always providing sound advice and friendship to her colleagues. Her character left the show after Season 6 to become a counselor after Brown unexpectedly died prior to Season 7. The Chicago Tribune reported that the explanation for her character's swift departure was in honor of Brown, who had a master's degree in counseling and worked professionally in the field during her life.
Looking back even further, Brown also portrayed Nurse Katie Welch back on "Prison Break" (via IMDb). Welch was best known as the close friend of Dr. Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies) who worked at Fox River Penitentiary. According to an interview Brown did with Hidden Remote prior to her death in 2018, the actress said her characters in both series were initially nameless figures with barely any lines (via The Mirror).
"Both of them were characters that were subordinates, telling their immediate supervisors that they had an appointment," Brown explained. However, her portrayal was clearly enough to keep her around on both shows for a significant amount of time, and she was able to play an important supporting role in the story at-large.
Christian Stolte was a corrections officer prior to portraying vet firefighter Mouch
On "Chicago Fire," Stolte's character of Randall McHolland, better known as Mouch, is the epitome of a veteran. The character spent most of his life working for the Chicago Fire Department — he was even president of the firefighter's union, so his knowledge is unmatched. Despite his undeniable wisdom, Mouch has steadily provided plenty of comic relief on the series, with instances including his failed dating ventures and sperm donation dilemmas. However, it's not all fun and games — he's also been in some life-or-death situations throughout his years on the force.
Prior to playing this long-running character, Stolte portrayed a corrections officer in "Prison Break" that shared his real last name (via IMDb). Stolte was cast as Keith Stolte, the corrections officer who was a right-hand man to Warden Henry Pope (Stacy Keach). His character was your typical dad who liked to talk about sports, but he had a heavy hand with prisoners at Fox River. However, we did see him show compassion to Linc Burrows (Dominic Purcell) ahead of his execution, demonstrating some sense of empathy. After Season 1 of "Prison Break," however, Stolte disappeared from the show, and the rest is history.
Joe Minoso made a brief Prison Break cameo prior to becoming Cruz
Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) is one of the OG characters of "Chicago Fire." He's a Chicago native, who grew up in the city and knows how rough it can get. Currently, he's on Squad 3, but in prior seasons, you would see him behind the wheel of Truck 81.
In Season 10, Cruz has taken more of a back-seat role as he settles down with his wife and newborn son, who was named in honor of his late friend Brian "Otis" Zvonecek. However, throughout his time on the series, he's been through a few near-death experiences that caused him to become anxious to do his job at one point. However, he was able to overcome his fears and get back to saving lives on the force.
Prior to his long run on NBC, Minoso made a short appearance on "Prison Break." He appeared in the Season 1 episode titled "English, Fitz or Percy" as a character named Chaz Fink. It wasn't a long run on the show for the actor, but it was his first-ever TV credit and one that led to him landing roles on shows like "Shameless," "Boss," and "Get Shorty" later on in his career (via IMDb).