James "Sawyer" Ford

Character: James "Sawyer" Ford
Played By: Josh Holloway

Before the Crash
James 'Sawyer' Ford was presumably from Knoxville, Tennessee. At the age of 8, James was dragged into a life of crime; his parents were swindled out of their life savings by a man known as Sawyer, who slept with James' mother. James ultimately witnessed his father murder his mother, and finally turn the gun on himself in despair. James wrote a letter to this man which he could never part from, hoping to deliver it personally. James also had an uncle who died of a brain tumour, leaving him with little people alive he still cared about.

Having dropped out of school in the ninth grade, James himself became a confidence man at the age of 19. A time came when James owed some men $6,000, he then attempts to use the same confidence trick as his nemesis in order to obtain the money. Finally, Ford adopts the name of the man resposible for his parent's death. He was persistent to track down the original Sawyer to have his vengance, and to give him the letter he wrote as a child. Despite his vendetta against Sawyer, James has become the very man he has been hunting.

Sawyer later employed his earlier method on a woman named Jessica and her husband, David. James tried to swindle the couple out of $160,000. However, after looking into the eyes of his marks' son, Sawyer abruptly decides to call off the deal Sawyer would later take on a woman named Cassidy as an apprentice, but was actually part of a con to steal a small fortune from her. It is unclear whether he actually loved her or not, yet he continued to steal the money. He also had a relationship with Mary Jo, the woman who read out Hurley's lottery numbers.

Along with a partner, Hibbs, Sawyer participated in the Tampa Job, which by accounts did not turn out well for him. Hibbs later approached Sawyer, saying he was trying to make up for his part in the botched job. He told Sawyer that the original Sawyer was in fact named Frank Duckett, and that he lived in Sydney, Australia. Blinded by his rage, Sawyer travelled to Oceana in search of Duckett. Whilst there, Sawyer visited a bar and met with Christian Shephard. Christian told Sawyer about the situation with his son, Jack, and encouraged him to finish the business he had intended to do. With this in mind, Sawyer finally meets Duckett. However, upon shooting him, he realises he is not the real Sawyer. Hibbs has once again tricked Sawyer, making him his common mercenary after Duckett had offended him previously. Duckett reveals his innocence to Sawyer and makes the ambiguous statement: "It'll come back around..." with his dying breaths. Revelling from the reality that he has murdered an innocent man, Sawyer runs.

However, he is later arrested in Sydnedy for head-butting the Australian Minister of Agriculture in a fight, and he is ordered to be deported back to Los Angeles on Oceanic Flight 815.

On the Island
Was present on the trek to higher ground in the Pilot, Part 2, in which he shot a polar bear with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. When questioned about the gun, Sawyer states that he stole it off of the U.S. Marshall who was on the plane.
Sawyer likes to hoard useful, salvageable goods to use as currency for trading.
Much of which was stolen from the carry-on or the corpses of the dead in the fuselage.
Is notorious for giving nicknames to almost everyone he meets.
Seems to enjoy reading a lot.
Was thought to have Shannon's asthma medicine, which he did not. Never explicitly insisted that he didn't have the medication, instead allowed people to jump to conclusions that assumed the worst about him.
Was interrogated and tortured by Jack and Sayid to get the inhalers, eventually confessed to Kate that he didn't have them and explained why Boone would think he did.
Claimed he could pick locks, but didn't seem very skilled at it when confronted with the Halliburton case.
Still carries the letter he wrote to the real Sawyer as a child, after the death of his parents.
In Kate's words, he "wants to be hated" (i.e., he is filled with self-loathing over what he has become - a con man)
Was tormented by a boar in "Outlaws".
Hunted it down with Kate's help but spared it.
Has been having headaches, probably because he spends more time reading than he did before the crash, while he's nearsighted.
Sayid made him a pair of glasses, welded together from other pairs that Jack found in the fuselage.
According to Hurley, when he wears glasses he looks like "someone steamrolled Harry Potter."
Is the second member in his group to hear the whispers (see Sayid, Shannon, Charlie)
Carrying on a hot and heavy flirtation with Kate.
Has an ongoing rivalry with Jack fueled by this.
Ceases baby Aaron's crying, by reading, to which Claire is overjoyed.
Bought his way onto Michael's raft with hoarded supplies.
Before leaving on the raft, told Jack about his encounter with Jack's father. He had made the connection earlier when Jack quoted his father about the Red Sox.
Read the messages in the bottle while on the raft.
Was shot by one of Walt's kidnappers, the Others, during an incident on the raft.
Extracted the bullet with only his hand, after Michael insisted he wouldn't be able to do it.
Saved Michael's life after the destruction of the raft but hasn't told him.
Captured by the Tailies after making it back to the island with Michael.
Fell unconscious when the Tailies were walking back to the main camp, and was carried the rest of the way in a stretcher made by Michael and Mr. Eko.
Gave Tom the nicknames, "Bluebeard" and "Zeke".
Convinced Charlie to take part in his plot to gain control of the guns and medical supplies from the Swan.
The only one who knew the location of the guns from the end of "The Long Con" until "?" when the heroin was required for Libby.
Killed a tree frog to stop it from bothering him.
Lost his medical supplies to Jack in a poker game.
Recovers remarkably quickly from his gunshot wound.
Was attacked by Hurley after joking with him about his mental condition.
Was rescued by Jin.
In "S.O.S." appeared to be building a hut to replace the tent trashed in his fight with Hurley.
Ana-Lucia Cortez had sex with him.
On that occasion, Ana Lucia stole the gun he had with him, which was later used by Michael to kill her.
Is one of the four people Bea (aka Ms. Klugh) orders Michael to bring to the Others.
Vincent led Charlie to the Virgin Mary statues in Sawyer's stash (after which Charlie threw them out to sea); Sawyer's reaction remains to be seen.
Gave a gun to Sayid even though Jack insisted otherwise.
After a conversation with Jack, he believes "we got caught in a net" is a euphemism for "we had sex," so he thinks Jack and Kate have consummated their relationship.
After Jack asks why he was telling him this, he revealed that Jack is the closest thing he's got to a friend.
During a conversation with Kate in the jungle on the way to the Others, finds out that Kate and Jack really did get caught in a net.
Shoots and kills one of the Others following him, Kate, Hurley, Jack and Michael as they walk through the jungle in "Live Together, Die Alone".
Is captured by the Others and brought to the Pala Ferry pier.
Will apparently be held captive in a cage surrounded by jungle foliage at some point in the Season 3 premiere.

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