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    Neal Caffrey  
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neal_george_caffrey.jpg
For the record, I still maintain that I basically turned myself in.
Played by: Matt Bomer

Neal is a con man, a forger, an artist, a thief, a charmer, a rogue, and a scoundrel. And he's very, very good at all of that.


  • Annoying Younger Sibling: This is who he is to Peter, and in a way to the rest of Peter's team. He's constantly pulling wacky stunts that they can't approve of, but he's just so goddamn cute.
  • Anti-Hero: Neal Caffrey is a manipulative ex con man who helps the FBI catch white collar criminals in order to avoid a prison sentence. While he does sometimes fall back on his criminal habits, (though at times with good intention) and has a penchant for revenge he displays an altruistic commitment to his work as an FBI agent (mostly due to Everyone Has Standards). He's also a surprisingly Nice Guy, A Friend in Need, a Friend to All Children, a Friend to All Living Things, a Chivalrous Pervert and caring in a relationship.
  • Badass Bookworm: His badassery is in his cleverness, because he's all but useless in a fight. But yes, this is a wily con artist who dreams of going to college and whose early forays into forgery included faking a bus pass when he was little so he could get to school on time, because he loved school.
  • Boxed Crook: He has a two-mile radius, though in a city as dense as New York, it doesn't limit him too much.
  • Broken Ace: Of the criminal variety. On the surface he’s a charming thief who has pulled off some of the best cons the FBI has ever seen. Underneath that though, he is full of doubt and loneliness, just looking for a way out and a place to belong.
  • The Charmer: Neal can talk his way into almost anything. He once talked a cop into breaking into a car for him when the cop showed up unexpectedly as he was trying to do it himself. A few times he has to talk his way into getting the information he needs for a job... then he has to try and get himself back out of it (usually by invoking his tracking anklet). Taken to its apotheosis in the sixth season when he practically makes a girl fall in love with him before the first date, then has to spend that date not letting it get too good to utterly break her heart when the con's over, but not getting so bad that she leaves early.
  • Con Man: It's his criminal niche. He can charm his way into any situation, usually using a combination of flirting and highly convincing acting. He often uses his con man skills to circumnavigate the FBI’s rules when in the field.
  • Con Men Hate Guns: Just because he hates them, doesn't mean he doesn't know how to use them.
  • Consummate Liar: As a highly successful conman, Neal is very good at keeping up pretenses even under pressure, talking himself out of tight situations, whether with the law or other criminals, by coming up with believable (false) reasons for his actions, and creating aliases.
  • The Dandy: He adores his nice clothes.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: He grew up in Witness Protection. Until he was 18, he didn't even know his real name.
  • Establishing Character Moment: His first scene in the pilot involves him breaking out of prison dressed as a guard. He shaves his face, fixes his hair, puts on the guard uniform, and casually walks out the door like he owns the place, successfully fooling prisoners and guards alike. Neal Caffery, everyone, con artist extraordinare.
  • Everyone Has Standards: Neal refuses to make untraceable fake identities, since the only way to make them needs a dead infant's birth certificate. He does not, however, have a problem with stealing a corpse from the morgue and yanking out some of its teeth.
  • Expert Consultant: His sentence, which involves coming in to consult on cases for various white collar crimes.
  • Faking the Dead: Successfully, in the series finale.
  • Friendly Enemy: Seemingly with Peter prior to them working together. When Peter catches him in the Pilot, they chat like old friends. He even notes that Peter is wearing the same suit as the last time they crossed paths and Peter merely replies that "the classics never go out of style."
  • Fool for Love: For Kate. He was happy to serve his time in prison until she Dear Johned him. He then demonstrated he could have broken out at any time by doing so immediately. When it turns out she's vanished, he just sits there in despair. The first season is all about him trying to save her from whoever is holding her hostage.
  • Friend to All Children: He often has to step in when Peter gets flustered by the mere presence of children.
  • Gentleman and a Scholar: Neal knows everything. He even has a fake degree in it!
  • Gentleman Thief: A sleek suited con man, famous for forgery and (supposed) art theft.
  • Good with Numbers: You try calculating sixty years of compound interest in two seconds.
  • Guile Hero: Most of the time he gets out of tight spots using his wits and charm, rather than any physical prowess.
  • Heel–Face Door-Slam: He's never a bad guy, but he is a criminal who can cause harm to innocent people regardless of his intentions. He realizes this and seriously considers staying on the right side of the law permanently thanks to Peter's influence. Unfortunately, the rest of the FBI continues to defer his release and treat him like their Token Evil Teammate regardless of what he does. So he gives up on going straight.
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door: Downplayed trope. Though not evil, Neal struggles throughout the series with the decision of which side of the law he really wants to be on. The answer changes multiple times throughout the show due to circumstances, his own flaws, and how strong his friendships are with people on both sides of the law.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Mozzie. They'll drop everything to help one another and the series ends with Mozzie acting like a grieving widow when Neal disappears.
  • Hidden Depths: You wouldn't really expect a con artist to be particularly religious, but Season 1's "Book of Hours" demonstrates that Neal not only believes in God, but is convinced that a reputed "Healing Bible" has genuine divine healing powers imbued in it.
  • I Am What I Am: In "Uncontrolled Variables" Neal instructs the girl who almost became a victim of his Pink Panther mission, to take credit for the theft of the computer disk, and subsequently offer her silence bought; with regards to the obvious security flaws, in exchange for a promotion. This works. It is entirely possible Neal tried something similar with a painting
  • Improbable Aiming Skills: At one point he shoots a man in the leg, through Peter's pants, without touching Peter.
  • In Love with the Mark: Well, in love with the girl who worked for the mark anyway. Ultimately the reason he got caught.
  • Indy Ploy: Peter likes a plan. Neal doesn't. Except when he does.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: And don't he know it!
  • Like Father, Like Son: In some ways. He is NOT happy about this.
  • Living Legend: Alright, class, that's it for today. Next week we'll begin the unit on Neal Caffrey.
  • Loveable Rogue: He’s immensely charming, and constantly walking the fine line between a life of crime, and one on the straight and narrow.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Veers between this and guile hero, depending on how sympathetic his motives for manipulating people are at any given moment.
  • Martial Pacifist: He doesn't just hate guns, he's generally not fond of violent solutions and always tries to work around them.
  • Master Actor: Neal successfully convinces people he is a doctor, an agent, a scientist, a stock broker, the heir to several different fortunes, a pilot, a temperamental famous artist, and an assassin at various points on the show. That is the short list.
  • Master Forger: Neal is capable of forging paintings, sculptures, banknotes and even rare whiskey. A number of episodes have him and the FBI go up against other master forgers or people dealing in fake artifacts. In one instance Neal and fellow forger Mozzie create a perfect forgery of a painting and then deliberately add minor flaws so the FBI lab can expose it as a fake and thus stop investigating what happened to the original.
  • Meaningful Name: Caffrey is care-free. Or, it could be foreshadowing, since it ends with his anklet being off. Sort of a Bookend since it starts with it being put on. Caffrey is a pun: calf-free.
  • Mirror Character: Neal Caffrey and Matthew Keller are both born con artists and used to work together before Neal reformed to work for the FBI. Keller repeatedly makes NotSoDifferentRemarks to Neal, who doesn't buy it.
    Neal: He's like the blue collar version of me.
  • Mock Millionaire: Often his cover, and because he is... at heart.
  • Mr. Fanservice: He spends a lot of time shirtless. We all appreciate it.
  • Nice Guy: Against all expectations.
  • Nice to the Waiter: One of the many reasons he gets into so many places he shouldn't be in.
  • Non-Action Guy: He doesn't know how to fight. He admits he doesn't know how to fight. Sometimes, if you have hurt one of his loved ones, he will lash out, but he usually very quickly loses the upper hand.
  • One of the Kids: When interacting with marks, Neal is smooth. When among friends (or, you know, feds, same diff at this point), he is the resident playful, exuberant, unruly little brother. Matt Bomer even said that he draws that aspect directly from his son.
  • ...Or So I Heard: He maintains he didn't actually commit any of his crimes. Also, "I love your alleged work."
  • Parental Abandonment: He never knew his father. Maybe He's telling the truth on that one—dad was a Dirty Cop who murdered another officer, and Neal never had the chance to meet him. From the way he cut Ellen off when she was about to mention his mother, there seems to be some mommy issues going on with him too.
  • Psycho Supporter: In the season 5 premiere, he tries his hand at Framing the Guilty Party to get Peter out of prison. The implications are explored.
  • Renaissance Man: He cooks, cracks safes, has extensive knowledge of antiquities, can paint, knows multiple languages, and sings old jazz.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: On one occasion. EXTREMELY unlike him.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Neal wears an entire wardrobe of suits by Sy Devorenote , gifted to him by June.
  • Signature Headgear: Neal's signature trilby, which he often wears at a rakish angle a la Frank Sinatra.
  • Sticky Fingers: Neal has this problem, especially early in the series, though he repeatedly steals Peter's wallet and gives it back to him solely to tease him. There is one point in the first season when even Mozzie is exasperated with his impulse control issues when it comes to taking things because he feels like it, though.
    Mozzie: [exasperated] You're like a child.
  • That's What I Would Do: After Neal gives Peter a suspiciously well-informed explanation of what someone would need to smuggle gems in Burma:
  • Token Evil Teammate: In a sense. Neal is quite moral and charming, but he is the team's criminal consultant.
  • Tranquil Fury: The best way to know if Neal has taken a true dislike to someone is that he drops all pretence of charm and goes icy cold.
  • Turn Out Like His Father: As a kid, he really wanted to. These days, it scares him to think he will or already has. When we finally see a picture of the man, casting and costuming did an amazing job. He's the same down to the haircut. He even makes it a point to lie by omission just like Neal.
  • Urban Legend Love Life: He flirts with (almost) every woman, successfully. But he doesn't even kiss a woman until the second season. It's later implied that he deliberately goes after hard to get women and he's a Chivalrous Pervert, so it's a Justified Trope.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Duh. He cannot stay on the right side of the law and barely even tries. Peter loves the law. And Neal.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: Bitterly Lampshaded: when he was younger, he wanted to be a cop like his Disappeared Dad. Said dad was a Dirty Cop, so, yes, he followed in his father's footsteps...being a crook. Working on being so averted it hurts. When he learns his father isn't a dirty cop-killer, Neal plays this trope much more straight, melting and glowing when his father compliments his forgeries and urges him to be a real artist. Even without that, Neal naturall has his relationship with Peter pushing him to use his talents on the lawful side of To Be Lawful or Good.
  • Wicked Cultured: Neal is the epitome of the high-class criminal. He hates cheap wine and has never visited a location outside the US that didn't qualify as "Riviera-esque". His story with Keller even starts with anonymous chess-by-postcard. Chicken-sexing aside, Neal is the Frank Sinatra of criminals, down to the hat and blue eyes.
  • Wine Is Classy: Neal has an extensive wine collection, and can be quite a snob about it.

    Peter Burke 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/peter_burke.jpg
I wear a badge; he wears a tracking anklet
Played by: Tim DeKay

Peter is an FBI agent in the white-collar crimes unit. He's a straight arrow, and he's dedicated to his profession. He's as good at his job as Neal. He's dedicated to his wife, like many cops, but he actually manages to make it up to her when the job gets in the way.


  • Always Gets His Man: Peter's the only law-man to catch Neal. Twice. And a half.
  • By-the-Book Cop: He is a real stickler for the rules.
  • Career-Ending Injury: He was on his way to becoming a major league pitcher when a shoulder injury ended those dreams.
  • Catchphrase: "Damn it, Neal!" whenever Neal does something he shouldn't. So, all the time.
  • Crazy-Prepared: When going after the special forces assassin who shot Mozzie, Peter finds himself on the sticky end of a frame job (he's framed for attempting to frame the guy; how recursive). When the guy went into his offices to get Peter's fingerprints, he also went on Peter's computer. Fortunately, Peter keeps a secret key-logger on his computer.
    Neal: I've never appreciated your distrust of me more.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Peter isn't a moron, but he presents himself as a clueless guy... and it works. And sometimes he just kicks ass.
  • Determinator: One of the reasons he Always Gets His Man. Neal uses this to try to convince Robin Hoodie to turn himself in.
  • Expansion Pack Past: Every once in a while, we hear about past career options that were taken away from him or that he chose not to take, among them accountancy (for which see below) and Major League pitcher (for the latter, he actually played AAA minor-league ball until injuries kept it away from him).
  • A Father to His Men: Peter is very close to the men and women under his command, and many characters point out that he treats Neal like a surrogate son. This is demonstrated in the series finale, where Peter is more content delivering coffee to his teams on stakeout rather than take a lucrative post in Washington D.C.
  • FBI Agent: Working for the white-collar division, heading up his own special task force.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: He's Neal's responsible big brother, constantly frustrated and charmed by Neal's antics.
  • Forensic Accounting: His stock in trade.
  • Good with Numbers: He coulda been an accountant. For Warren Buffet.
  • Guile Hero: He's not the Manipulative Bastard Neal is, but he has his moments, usually through Obfuscating Stupidity.
  • Happily Married: The worst fight him and Elizabeth ever have is that he feels bad that she isn’t angry that he forgot the dry cleaning. They are sickeningly good together.
  • Has a Type:
    Peter: I felt the same way about ... my algebra teacher.
    Neal: Hence your lifelong fascination with numbers.
    Peter: And smart, leggy brunettes. [just like Elle (and Neal)]
  • Hidden Depths: Peter is shown to have proficiency in a number of fields that even surprises Neal, such as being an experienced horse rider, skilled enough at baseball to have been a potential major-leaguer, and possessing a very prestigious accounting degree.
  • Humble Hero: Unlike Neal, he's not terribly sophisticated and prefers the humbler things in life. He gets terribly uncomfortable when trying to play a rich wine snob.
  • Hypocrite:
    • He repeatedly berates Neal for looking for Kate and assuming she was in danger. But when his wife is kidnapped, he loses all composure and immediately blames Neal for the entire ordeal. Although this is rather understandable, since Kate a) broke up with Neal, b) evidence keeps piling up that she is not in danger, and c) Neal's single minded obsession is genuinely negatively effecting his life. Meanwhile, Peter and Elizabeth are Happily Married, she is genuinely kidnapped by a dangerous criminal who is explicitly threatening her life, and the situation was partially Neal's fault. Additionally, once he's gotten over the initial shock, he tells Mozzie — the main one responsible for taking the treasure and upsetting Keller — to remember that Keller kidnapped Elizabeth and not him.
    • He also chastises Neal every time he makes a lie of omission or makes morally grey decisions for the greater good. Yet he himself is more than willing to do exactly the same things. In a way, though it's rather endearing — it more rings of a father trying wanting his son to do better, and trying to make a better life for him by any means necessary. The 'do as I say, not as I do' way.
  • No-Nonsense Nemesis: Why not just shoot? Peter does.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity: See Crouching Moron.
  • Official Couple: With his wife. Surprisingly, the fans are so okay with this they don't kill her off to pair him with Neal. They just make it an OT3.
  • Parental Substitute: He's either Neal's father or his big brother. They even play a game of catchnote . Neal tells James that Peter has "been more of a father to him than [James] ever was". When an investigation calls for someone to play the father of Neal's cover, Jones immediately suggests Peter and comments that he's pretty much been Neal's father 'for years now.' Despite rejecting the implication that he's old enough to be Neal's father, Peter ends up doing it and proceeds to describe their exact relationship while pretending to be a father wanting better for his son.
  • Porn Stache: His Old Shame. More Mario Mario than Magnum PI.
  • Reassigned to Antarctica: In Season 4, Episode 3: he's sent to the evidence locker, a.k.a. "the Cave" pending review of his actions in getting Neal back. He's back in the White Collar division within two episodes.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: The most reasonable. He'll go with Neal's hunches and trusts him to do what's right, even if others are sure it's just another one of Neal's cons.
  • Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Peter was this to Neal in the Backstory, except he was actually successful in catching Neal.
  • Tranquil Fury: When he realizes that Fowler and his men have been in his house, he very calmly works out what they've done. His voice doesn't raise up, and the only vocal indicator that he's upset is that he's speaking faster than normal. But his face has pure murder written all over it.
  • Violently Protective Girlfriend: Violently Protective Husband. Peter loves his wife very much. DO NOT mess with Elizabeth or try to bust up her shop, even if you are an FBI agent. He will punch you in the face. And that's just for starters.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Again with the duh. He loves Neal, but he'll never accept the things Neal does.

    Elizabeth Burke 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tifani_thiessen.jpg
Or maybe you've been chasing him so long you don't know how to stop?
Played by: Tiffani Thiessen

Elizabeth is Peter's wife. Like the typical "cop's wife", she has to suffer her husband's dedication to his job: frequent absences and missing important occasions. Unlike the typical cop wife, she puts up with this with good grace.


  • Action Girl: Elizabeth gets her moments. For starters, she once threw a chair through shatterproof glass.
  • Always Save the Girl: Since she's the only one who isn't a trained cop or a professional crook, she's seen as the one usually most in need of protection, which means that on the few occasions she's pulled into the conflict, everything stops to help her.
  • Brainy Brunette: She helps Peter with his cases, especially with romantic things he's not very good at.
  • Damsel out of Distress: As of the season three mid-season premiere. She concocts a brilliant escape plan with nothing but a dog bite, thermostat, diamond ring, and some crazy chair swinging skills.
  • A Day in the Limelight: "Neighborhood Watch", where Elizabeth overhears her neighbor planning a future crime and tries to stop it.
  • Happily Married: With Peter. They have been held up as one of, if not the healthiest relationships on television.
  • Keep the Home Fires Burning: She's the one Peter comes home to at the end of a case.
  • No Sympathy: Averted with Elizabeth, who never seems to mind (too much) when Peter's work gets in the way of their personal life. When a fugitive FBI agent inadvertently hijacks Peter and Elizabeth's date night, she acts more like he's stuck in traffic than anything. She asks Mozzie for Peter's safe word to make sure he's okay first.
  • Official Couple: With her husband, Peter.
  • Self-Made Woman: She met Peter while working at an art museum, and now she runs her own event planning company.
  • Sex Goddess: One episode has Peter calling her a "Tigress" in bed.
  • Took a Level in Badass: When kidnapped, she rescues herself. Not by resorting to typical seduction tricks, but by manipulating her guard (by telling him he'll start sweating if the dog bite he got was infected, then turning up the heat). While he was out looking for bandages, she then figures out a way to throw a chair through shatterproof glass.
  • Totally Trusting Love Interest: Elizabeth not only lets her husband Peter go undercover on dates, she actually helps him when he needs to take provocative photos of himself with another woman.
  • Understanding Boyfriend: A wife example. She, resignedly, accepts the problems of Peter's job and Neal's lifestyle and Mozzie's quirks. She's the living proof of, "You're just plain okay."

    Mozzie AKA Theodore "Teddy" Winters 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mozzie.jpg
It's about doing what we want to do. Who cares about nine-to-five's and 401-Ks. Playing by the rules only makes...borders. They just... take away everything that's good about living life... As long as I don't have to live under anyone's time or dime, I'm a free man.
Played by: Willie Garson

Mozzie has a criminal mind, but not a criminal soul. You can trust him with your life, but you'd be daft to trust him with a dollar. (Thank you, Sir Pterry.)


  • Bad "Bad Acting": Averted, he is the worst "actor" in the main cast, yet tends to be only a little hammy.
  • Berserk Button: Mozzie gets riled up in "In the Red" when he finds out that the perp Neal and Peter are going after is running an extortion scam involving adopted kids. This is because Mozzie was raised under foster care and understands the hardships adopted children must go through.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: Mozzie may be weird and not at all physically intimidating, but when he's mad, he's scary. This even extends to putting a bounty on Keller's head.
  • Cloud Cuckoolander: Believes in conspiracies, is a germophobe, and is overall a weirdo... but he gets the job done.
  • Conspiracy Theorist: That's just what they want you to think.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He knows his appearance gives people a certain impression and uses that to get them to underestimate how quickly and creatively he thinks.
  • Everything Sounds Sexier in French: Has a habit of peppering his lines with French expressions, although his pronunciation tends to be noticeably off.
  • Flanderization: Mozzie's interest in conspiracy theories and distrust of the FBI are exaggerated midway through the second season. Which could be intentional on Mozzie's part. It's revealed to have been part of his coping mechanism; as a child he fantasized his parents were spies.
  • Guile Hero: If he demands a cantaloupe, he's not being a diva. He has a plan.
  • Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Thinks very fast on his feet and successfully finds solutions for any number of problems Neal throws at him.
  • Last-Second Chance: In "Dentist of Detroit" he gives himself up to Frank DeLuca, the son of the recently murdered mobster whom he'd conned as a child, who wants to avenge his father. He explains that Frank can either kill him and perpetuate the Cycle of Revenge, or forget the feud and walk away. Frank attempts the former option—and is immediately arrested by Peter's team.
  • Manipulative Bastard: But in a good way. A harmless way. Mostly.
  • Morality Pet: To many of the criminals in New York. When the forgers are asked to make a faked ID with a trackable name, they nearly walked out. Until they found out said person was the one that shot Mozzie, then they fully offered their services.
  • Mysterious Informant: Until Peter finds out about him.
  • New Job as the Plot Demands: He is pretty much Neal's go to guy for any job. He is his Lawyer, Cleaner, Forger and anything else that suits what is needed.
  • The Nicknamer: To Mozzie, Peter is "Suit", Elizabeth is "Mrs. Suit", and Diana is "Lady Suit". Jones and Diana collectively are the "Demi-Suits". One-shot character Kimberly Rice is the "Pants Suit."
  • ...Or So I Heard: In order to maintain plausible deniability when speaking to the feds.
  • Parental Abandonment: He was left at an orphanage as an infant.
  • Smart People Play Chess: He plays with Neal.
  • The Smart Guy: He manages to be this in a show filled with smart people.
  • Toxic Friend Influence: Not an outright malicious example, but he is the one who was constantly prodding Neal to just take the Nazi treasure and run. In the later seasons, he also discourages Neal from going straight because “once a con, always a con.”
  • Urban Legend: He managed to become an Urban Legend... by accident. The Dentist of Detroit has committed every crime, and no one has ever seen his face.
  • You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: If he addresses Peter by his name rather than "Suit," something serious is going down.

    Diana Barrigan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/diana_barrigan_9.jpg
Agent Diana Barrigan, FBI. Damn right I'm overqualified.
Played by: Marsha Thomason

One of Peter's subordinates.


  • The Bus Came Back: She retuns in 1x14 to help Peter investigate Garrett Fowler, and rejoins Peter's team in season two.
  • Butch Lesbian: A Downplayed Trope example in that she has a feminine appearance but is aggressive and confrontational.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Zig-zagged. In season one, she disappeared after two episodes and was replaced by Suspiciously Similar Substitute agent Lauren Cruz. Then Cruz disappears right before the season one finale and Diana comes back for good.
  • Dirty Harriet: She plays a High-Class Call Girl in "Need to Know".
  • FBI Agent: Is one of these.
  • Non-Idle Rich: She's the daughter of a diplomat, generally an upper class occupation. Her own personal bodyguard died protecting her, which is implicitly what sparked her interest in law enforcement.
  • Put on a Bus: At the end of the pilot, Diana transferred to the Washington, D.C. office for a desk job.
  • Real Life Writes the Plot: Diana's pregnancy via sperm donor in early season 5 reflected Marsha Thomason's real-life pregnancy.
  • Sarcastic Devotee: Emphasis on the devoted part, to Peter. She reserves the sarcastic part for Neal, but she takes good care of him too.
  • Secret-Keeper: Is this towards Mozzie. She, he, and Neal are the only people who know that Teddy Winters faked his death and that Teddy Winters is Mozzie's real name.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Has one in Lauren Cruz. Ironically, she became one for Lauren Cruz due to Lauren taking her role for awhile.
  • Twofer Token Minority: Both African American, a woman in a predominantly male workplace, and a lesbian.

     Lauren Cruz 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/laura_cruz.jpg
Played by: Natalie Morales

A female FBI Agent who works with Neil and Peter.


    Clinton Jones 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s3_018.jpg
Played by: Sharif Atkins

Another FBI Agent on Peter's team.


  • Combat Pragmatist: When an encounter with an intruder in his home gets down to fisticuffs, the first thing he does is rip off his necktie. The second thing he does is grab a skillet.
  • Deadpan Snarker: In a big way.
    Mozzie: I saw a dead mouse on the bathroom radiator!
    Jones: Little bastard got out while he could.
  • Embarrassing Nickname: His ex-fiance calls him C.J.
  • FBI Agent: An FBI Agent working with Peter Burke in the White Collar Crimes Division.
  • Girl on Girl Is Hot: He suggested that Neal throw Diana's bachelor party then immediately asks Neal to put him on the guest list, knowing Neal will be able to find a lot of hot women. He also visibly enjoys watching Diana flirt with a lesbian art thief.
  • Lower-Deck Episode: "As You Were" focuses on him.
  • Mission Control: Usually is the one who stays in the giant van.

    Sara Ellis 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sara_ellis.jpg
Everything you say can and will be used to nail your ass to the wall and recover my painting
Played by: Hilarie Burton

Neal's friendly ex-girlfriend, and formerly someone who attempted to hunt him down and testified against him in her capacity as an insurance investigator.


  • Action Fashionista: She always looks like she's dressed for a gala. She has a gun under her mattress and a baton in her purse. She cracks safes and crawls through air vents in heels.
  • Action Girl: Her first scene was her strutting onscreen and beating a man with a baton. And she generally has a daring, adventurous streak, and so is willing to go along with all sorts of activities of dubious morality/safety.
  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: It seems to be subconscious. An ex turned out to be a murderer, and then there's Neal.
  • Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She's certainly the less sentimental and demonstrative in her relationship with Neal. When he actually manages to get her moved enough to tear up, she swears at him.
  • Broken Bird:
    Sara: Things get stolen and people go away. Most of the time they don't come back.
  • Cuteness Proximity: Went to South America to investigate the smuggling of Nazi loot. Came back with pictures of the local llamas.
  • Cynicism Catalyst: Missing, possibly dead, big sister. She's referenced her lack of closure and abandonment issues stemming from it. It could also explain her dogged obsession with finding stuff at any cost.
  • Damsel out of Distress: On the one occasion it looks like she needs saving, she reassures Neal, who is coming to her aid, and frees herself from her assailant by beating him with her baton.
  • Dating Catwoman: With the Catwoman being Neal.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: She can freeze right back over whenever she feels like it.
  • Enemy Mine: With Neal as they're getting to know each other.
  • The Fashionista: Much like Neal, is never poorly dressed... by choice.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: This is how she operates as a rule, both in her job and otherwise. An example would be aiding in the theft of an item she was insuring to prevent the robbers from killing anyone in an attempt to get it.
  • Impractically Fancy Outfit: The diamond bustier she has to wear as part of a sting.
  • Inspector Javert: To Neal, in the past. Came around, though it took a long while and even after she came around she still makes it clear that she WILL find that Raphael she's sure he stole.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: One of the more aggressive personalities in the cast.
  • A Lighter Shade of Gray: As an insurance recovery specialist, she has no real problem stepping outside the law to get back lost or stolent items. However, she's doing that to reverse the real crimes, so her relationship with Neal is rocky and eventually ends when she discovers what he's up to in season three.
  • Like Bonnie And Clyde: Slips easily into the role of the "Bonnie" when undercover, with Neal or whoever else she's dealing with.
    Neal: A Bonnie to any man's Clyde.
  • Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: With Neal. She's violent, he cooks.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Her entire wardrobe seems to consists of very fancy & form-fitting outfits that show off her figure, in particular her legs.
  • Not So Above It All: Doesn’t take long to ask Neal if he wants to prank call Peter whilst the two of them are using voice modulation software.
  • Passive-Aggressive Kombat: With Mozzie, especially while she was with Neal. He started it.
  • White-and-Grey Morality: She bends the law a fair bit to get her job done, but she has firm limits.

    June Ellington 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/june_ellington.jpg
Played by: Diahann Carroll

Peter: That's not jewelry on his ankle, you know. He's a felon.
June: So was Byron.

Neal's landlady. Her husband was a Con Man. She appreciates Neal's... joie de vivre.


  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: She and her husband ran an illegal casino. He ran a number of other cons as well. This is what she loves about Neal and Mozzie, too.
  • Cool Old Lady: She ran an illegal casino and has a talent for acting.
  • Hidden Depths: June shows herself to be an excellent actress during Neal's commutation hearing.
  • Like a Son to Me: June says these exact words about Neal during his commutation hearing, complete with tears. It's not clear whether she truly meant it though, since she was putting on her best act to help Neal go free. It's probably true, to some extent.

    Reese Hughes 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reese_hughes.jpg
Played by: James Rebhorn

ASAC of the White Collar unit, and Peter, Diana, and Jones' boss.


  • Gray-and-Gray Morality: Apparently he only kept to the rules when he was in charge and working for the FBI. Once he was forced out by a crooked senator? All bets were off.
  • Put on a Bus: As of the second half of season 4.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: He's a hardass with Neal, but he lets some things with Peter slide because he trusts him to get the job done.

    Alex Hunter 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alexandra_hunter.jpg
Played by: Gloria Vostis

Fellow thief and Neal's ex-friend-with-benefits.


    Kate Moreau 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kate_moreau.jpg

Neal's girlfriend, who he breaks out of prison to find.


    Garret Fowler 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garrett_fowler.jpg
Well, aren't you clever, Agent Burke.
Played by: Noah Emmerich

He's a dirty cop! Or...


  • Internal Affairs: He's a member of the FBI version, the Office of Professional Responsibility. This gives him the unique ability to order investigations on his fellow FBI agents and keeps him above reproach (what's he gonna do, order an investigation on himself?).
  • Lawman Gone Bad: His wife was killed and then he killed her assassin, leaving himself open to blackmail by the big bad.
  • Man Behind the Man: There's a man behind Fowler.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: After his role as the Anti-Villain is revealed, he is never seen from nor heard of again.

    Vincent Adler 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vincent_adler.jpg
Nice try, Neal.
Played by: Andrew McCarthy

Okay. This guy's just dirty. A corporate sleaze.


  • Asshole Victim: No one feels sorry for him after Peter shoots him.
  • Never My Fault: His response when Neal assails him for killing Kate:
    Adler: No, Neal, you did, you changed her, the Kate I knew would still be alive.
  • Out-Gambitted: Got the best out of Neal before the series started.
  • You Killed My Father: He's the one behind Kate's death.

    Matthew Keller 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/matthew_keller.jpg
Played by: Ross McCall

Neal's Blue Collar counterpart.


  • Arch-Enemy: He's technically never the Big Bad (except maybe for half of Season 3), but he's Neal's most recurring and last adversary on the show, and by the last season Peter seems to hate him more than any other criminal they've faced.
  • The Chessmaster: He's actually referred to as a master chessplayer in "Payback", and proves his status as the other version of this trope with an impressively set-up Batman Gambit which he uses to break out of prison.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: If he makes a deal with someone, he will go back on it sooner or later. It's to the point that Neal knows Keller will betray him no matter what in their final encounter, confessing it's the only thing he knows for sure about whatever Keller's planning.
  • Combat Pragmatist: In S03E11, "Checkmate", Keller is faced with Neal, using a shield with some proficiency. After Neal manages to disarm him, he picks up a priceless Raphael, which Neal doesn't want to damage, and smacks him down with it.
  • Con Men Hate Guns: Averted. Keller likes guns just fine, and will use them (and any other weapon on hand) without hesitation. His willingness to resort to violence in one of the reasons he and Neal stopped working together, and Keller even tauntingly tells him at one point it's why he'll always be second-rate.
  • Enemy Mine: In the final season, Neal and Peter work together with Keller and his Interpol handler to bring down the Pink Panthers.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Neal tries to invoke this by pointing out that Keller wouldn't want to destroy a Raphael, given he's about to use one to bash Neal's head in. Turns out, he would.
  • Evil Counterpart: All of Neal's smarts (though not all his talents), none of his scruples.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Always has a friendly and cheerful facade, but it's pretty clear the murderous sociopath is never far away.
  • Graceful Loser: After being Out-Gambitted in his first appearance, he simply tells Peter "well played" before being taken away.
  • Jerkass: Peter instantly dislikes him upon meeting him, and it's easy to see why. Smug, arrogant and fond of rubbing his successes in, he'll stoop to any depth if it lets him get what he wants.
  • Meaningful Name: Keller is just one letter away from killer, and out of all the evil con men Neal deals with, he's the most ruthless and violent.
  • Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: Played with. In his second appearance he's got enough influence to have comfortable chairs, cigars and cognac in his cell, along with the guards giving him preferential treatment. For all that though, he's still stuck in prison with the Russian mob after him, with an impending transfer to a maximum security prison, and has to arrange a jailbreak to get out.
  • Mirror Character: A dark variant. Neal Caffrey and Matthew Keller are both born con artists. They're naturally charismatic, walking encyclopedias on cons, exceptional planners and masters of Xanatos Speed Chess. Both even end up working with the good guys (Neal with the FBI, Keller with Interpol). However, Keller has a love of violence and lack of standards totally at odds with Neal, who at least has some principles. Keller repeatedly makes NotSoDifferentRemarks to Neal, who doesn't buy it.
  • "Not So Different" Remark: Or so he insists. Neal doesn't buy it.
  • Smart People Play Chess: According to Neal and Mozzie, one of the best players around.
  • Smug Snake: He loves to rub his crimes in people's faces.
  • The Sociopath: Runs one of his associates down in cold blood, in front of his wife, and doesn't look even the least bit upset. When Neal calls him on it in their first on-screen meeting, he even mockingly claims not to know who he was.
  • Villain Respect: He's got immense appreciation for Neal's abilities, even if he thinks he's better. Most of the moments where he's not being a douchebag involve him fondly reminiscing over Neal's past stunts.
  • We Used to Be Friends: With Neal. Said outright in "Checkmate".
  • Wicked Cultured: He's described as Neal's "blue collar" version, but he has a taste for expensive wine.
  • Worthy Opponent: Sees Neal and this, and no matter how many times Neal and Peter triumph he'll be back for a new round of their "game". Given a dark twist, as it's implied several times that he'd have just killed Neal long since if he didn't enjoy their battle of wits so much.
  • Xanatos Speed Chess: Manages to turn his getting caught in "Checkmate" on its head by confessing to stealing the treasure in front of Russian agents - which, as it was largely stolen from Russia in WW2, gets him forgiven by the Russian mob.

    Curtis Hagen 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/curtis_hagen.jpg
Played by: Mark Sheppard

Known as the Dutchman, and working publicly as an art restorer, Hagen was the first criminal Neal and Peter caught, way back in the pilot. He's since returned to become the Big Bad for Season 5. Or so we think. Actually, he's the Disc-One Final Boss of the season.


    Phillip Kramer 
Played by: Beau Bridges
An FBI Agent and mentor to Peter who takes a special interest in Neal.

    Ellen Parker 
Played by: Judith Ivey
An old, trusted friend of Neal's and his father's former police partner.

    James Bennett 
Played by: Treat Williams
Neal's long-absent father, who's been imprisoned himself for corruption and murder.
  • Clear My Name: Subverted. He claims to be looking for evidence of his own innocence, and the politician/former cop opposing him is a genuine bad guy, but he was guilty all along.

    Rebecca Lowe AKA Rachel Turner 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rebecca_lowe.jpg
Played by: Bridget Regan

The sweet, geekily-charming woman who Neal unintentionally got fired during a con and who falls for him in season 5. At least, that's the role she plays. Really a ruthless con artist, the equal of Neal's but much more violent.


  • Big Bad: Of season 5.
  • Cold Sniper She's a skilled sniper, being able to kill Hagen with one shot to the heart from a roof across the street and strike Neal in the arm (as targeted) in order to distract him and FBI agents searching her apartment.
  • Con Man: A talented con artist, good enough to fool enough and far more ruthless than him.
  • Dark Action Girl: A former MI5 agent, she's a skilled fighter and marksman.
  • Evil Counterpart: To Neal, a con woman who is much more prone to violence.
  • In Love with the Mark: Accidentally fell in love with Neal while conning him.
  • Honey Trap: Successfully manages to get Neal into bed with her geeky act.
  • The Starscream: Hagen hires her to help him force Neal to work for him. Eventually she turns on him and takes over the role of Big Bad.
  • Walking Spoiler: Due to her status as the real Big Bad of Season 5.

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