Tony Almeida

Template:24 character Tony Almeida is a fictional character played by Carlos Bernard on the television series 24. He has appeared in more episodes than any other character except Jack Bauer, clocking in at 95.

Bio

Template:Spoiler Almeida obtained a Bachelor's degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from the San Diego State University and his Master of Science in Computer Science from Stanford. He served in the United States Marine Corps, attaining the rank of First Lieutenant and attended the 3rd Marine Division's Scout-Sniper School as well as the 1st Marine Division's Surveillance and Target Acquisition Platoon School. He is a certified instructor of the Krav Maga self defense system.

Just before joining CTU, he worked for the Transmeta Corporation as a Systems Validation Analyst.

It is revealed for perhaps the first time in Season 4 episode 23 ("5:00 AM - 6:00 AM") that Tony's full name is Anthony Almeida. This is proven while Tony's hostage-taker Mandy is researching Tony's background on her computer and there is a captioned photo which refers to him as Anthony Almeida, although this is never confirmed elsewhere.

CTU

Day 1

In the first season, Almeida was third-in-command of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit (behind Jack Bauer and Nina Myers). Tony is romantically involved with Nina Myers, who had previously been involved with Jack, hence the animosity between him and Jack.

Tony works there just after midnight when word comes in of a planned assassination of a presidential candidate, Senator David Palmer. When Jack becomes unreachable following a secret meeting with Richard Walsh, Tony becomes suspicious and eventually reports Jack's actions to Division. This leads to Division placing CTU in a lockdown status while George Mason interrogated key staff members.

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Tony and Nina Myers durring day 1 after being placed into holding.

Tony's suspicions are furthered when Jack returns and sneaks Nina out of the office at gunpoint (having been forced to do so as Ira Gaines was holding his wife Teri Bauer and daughter Kim Bauer hostage). Shortly thereafter, Tony catches Jamey Farrell in a lie when she tells Tony that Nina left for a meeting at Division. After Nina returns, the two interrogate her and she confesses to working for Gaines. Jamey dies in an apparent suicide soon after this.

After Jack manages to save Teri and Kim, they return to CTU. While they are being debriefed, both Alberta Green and Ryan Chappelle encourage Tony to report that Jack unnecessarily endangered Senator Palmer to save his family. Tony, though by his own admission not a fan of Jack, cannot condemn Jack's actions once he learns the whole story.

Shortly, thereafter, the safehouse where Teri and Kim are staying is attacked by hitmen working for Gaines' employers Andre and Alexis Drazen. The CTU agents guarding them are killed and Teri and Kim flee. After Nina asks Tony whether he is in fact doing everything he can to help Jack, he checks to the Bauer home and arrives in time to save Teri and Phil Parslow from being killed by Jovan Myovic.

Before the day's end Palmer is saved and the Drazens are killed, however Nina is revealed to be a second mole working directly for the Drazens. She is captured, though not before she killed several people attempting to escape, including Teri Bauer. Tony can only watch as Nina is led away.

Day 2

After Nina's arrest and Jack leaving CTU following his wife's death, Tony becomes second in command at CTU under Mason. Tony is present when Jack is brought back in to assist when word comes in that Second Wave, a Middle Eastern terrorist, is planning to detonate a nuclear weapon within Los Angeles

After Kate Warner becomes suspicious of her sister's fiancee, Reza Nayieer, she reports him to CTU. Tony then goes to the Warner home to question Reza and the Warner family. Though financial records link Reza to Syed Ali, the leader of Second Wave, he denies any involvement with terrorists. It is later learned that Reza is indeed innocent and that his fiancee Marie Warner was the one collaborating with terrorists.

Towards the beginning of the second season Mason was exposed to lethal dose of plutonium, leaving him with radiation sickness. In a noble effort to remove the nuclear bomb from a populated area, Mason crashed a plane carrying the bomb into the Nevada desert, sacrificing his own life in the ensuing nuclear blast. An hour earlier, Mason had passed the responsibility of Agent in Charge open for Tony. Under his command, information arrived of recordings between Ali and representatives from three Middle Eastern countries at Cyprus.

After Jack learned from Jonathan Wallace that the Cyprus were false, he was coerced into removing Kate from CTU. After Carrie Turner reported Jack's actions, Tony tried to stop him. Jack fought Tony off and escaped, injuring him and forcing him to walk on crutches for several hours afterwards. (In reality Carlos Bernard had been injured playing basketball and his injury had to be worked into the show).

After learning the truth, Tony, along with Michelle Dessler, began covertly assisting Jack despite orders from Chappelle, and eventually they were forced to physically incapacitate Chappelle. After Chappelle was found by Carrie, he ordered their arrest.

The tide turned, however, when Mike Novick ordered Chappelle to assist Jack. Chappelle was forced to grant Tony and Michelle immunity and reinstate them. With their assistance, Jack and Sherry Palmer were able to get a recording implicating Peter Kingsley, the true manipulator of the days events, and prevent a war with the Middle East.

Throughout the day, he and Michelle shared a mutual attraction. At first, Tony kept his distance because he felt hesitant after what happened with Nina. After receiving parting advice from Mason, however, Michelle expressed and interest. The two would become romantically involved and later marry.

24: The Game

While Jack Bauer is often pre-occupied with other tasks such as leads to save his daughter or find more information about the terrorist threats, Tony has been out in the field as extensively as both Jack and Chase Edmunds. Throughout the day, Tony apprehended Joseph Sin-Chung, who was currently posing as a crew member of the apprehended cargo boat named Lee Jin-Yu. He prevented a terrorist threat at a metro station prior to the capture of CTU. During the hour that CTU was held hostage, Tony guides Kim Bauer to encrypt the hard-drive containing the data of the undercover CTU agents, significantly slowing down the terrorists' progress in getting the information.

Shortly after Kim's return to CTU, Tony leads one of the tactical teams disarming one of the bombs at a construction site situated along a fault line. Hours after the threat, Tony had to rush to the scene of a crime, which involved a hostage situation with Governor James Radford. After restraining as many confused gunmen as he could, he had to negotiate with the leader, who was merely a desperate man trying to save his sick son. Tony succeeds in calming down the gunman, but the gunman is found dead by the time Tony busts open the locked door. He started becoming suspicious of Radford as he checks the gunman's body. Tony's suspicions came true when an assistant of Governor Radford calls telling him to meet her at Fisher Pier, which was happening approximately at the same time as Chase Edmunds's return to C.T.U.

Tony met up with the assistant and was given a keycard to Radford's office, with the assistant suspecting that Radford was involved in terrorist activity. The suspicion came true as a helicopter ambushed the pair, killing the assistant. Tony barely escapes with his life and drives off to the Governor's office building. After dealing with various gunmen under Radford's payroll and rescuing any trapped civilians, Tony found evidence that showed Radford's involvement with the terrorists. It turned out that Radford was seen conversing with Peter Madsen, Joseph Sin-Chung, and an unknown third man. Tony attempts to track Radford and manages to eavesdrop on Radford's conversation with the unknown man. Radford attempted to walk out, but the assassin Mandy already kills Radford before Tony could do anything. Tony's evidence proved invaluable since CTU was later able to identify the third man as Max.

While Jack and Chase were busy at Fort Lesker, Tony, Michelle, and Chappelle have information that Kate Warner is still alive, but Chappelle restricted Tony from notifying Jack under the guise of completing the established mission. A few hours later, the trace was complete being located at Max's yacht. After berating Chappelle out of disgust, Tony heads back out to the field one more time to assist Jack and Chase at the L.A. Docks in a CTU helicopter. Tony picks up Chase first, and pilots the chopper to have Chase provide support fire for Jack before picking him up.

Tony maneuvers the helicopter around the yacht allowing Chase to mow down gunmen firing at them, while Jack abseils onto the deck of the yacht. As the day ends, Tony stays on the yacht with Kate to clean up the mess while Chase pilots the helicopter with a wounded Jack to a nearby hospital.

Day 3

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Saunders giving information to Tony

Tony still maintains his title as Agent-In-Charge, who was receiving promotion offers from other CTU divisions, particularly in Langley, Virginia. During the third season, he, Jack and Gael Ortega work on a sting operation to take the Cordilla virus off the "market". However when doing so he is shot in the neck and is comatose for only a few hours, before returning to his post at CTU. Later in the season, Tony is arrested for treason when it is found out he has been helping the terrorist Stephen Saunders who was holding his wife, Michelle Dessler, hostage. his likely sentence determined to be at least 20 years imprisonment or at most execution. (The least possible without a partially suspended sentence or presidential commutation is five years in federal prison.)

Over the course of the show, arguably the most tension between Jack and Tony is in this season, when Tony said he would not sacrifice his wife for his job as Jack had. This scenario occurred when Jack ordered Michelle to be recaptured by the main antagonist Stephen Saunders in order to bring Saunders into custody.

Day 4

Almeida's wife, Michelle Dessler, left him after he was released from prison due to his drinking habits and bitterness and because he pushed her away. He moved in with a woman named Jen Slater, where he resided until about Day 4, when Jack required assistance at a security building.

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Tony comes to the rescue.

Tony saved Jack and Audrey Raines' life, and they laid low at his house for roughly half an hour. During this time, Jack told Tony he was "the only person he could trust". But Tony considers the rescue a repayment of the debt he owed Jack for getting him out of prison and initially does not wish to be involved in the case any further. Jack respected Tony's wishes not to be dragged further into the day's events, but when setting out to apprehend a suspect on his own, Tony reasoned that it would be pretty stupid to let his friend go back out alone after just saving his life and offered his help.

As Tony and Jack went through the investigation, Jack saw his friend "come back to life," showing some of his old nobility, courage and resourcefulness as he became increasingly involved in the case. Eventually, Jack was able to convince Tony to return to CTU on a provisional basis, where he would work Tactical for Jack. Tensions rose when the Associate Special Agent in Charge of Division Bill Buchanan and Almeida's former wife, Michelle Dessler, took active command of CTU Los Angeles when incumbent Special Agent in Charge Erin Driscoll left for personal reasons.

Tony and Michelle clashed at first, but gradually, the two began to warm up to each other again, and near the end of the day, they had agreed to leave CTU together and start a new life. However, when Bill Buchanan called Tony into the field, Tony was captured by an assassin. The assassin, a woman named Mandy who had made an attempt on President David Palmer's life in season two, threatened to kill Tony if Michelle did not move LAPD units out of the area and clear an escape route. Michelle was going to comply but told Bill instead. When a car bomb went off with two people thought to be Tony and Mandy inside, Michelle was ordered to go home. However, due to the swift actions of Jack Bauer and his tactical teams, Tony was rescued and returned to Michelle.

At the end of Day 4, when, Walt Cummings an overzealous member of the new Logan Administration decided that Jack Bauer needed to die, due to his part in an illegal raid on the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles, Tony played an intricate part in faking Jack's death. After smuggling him out of CTU, Tony allowed himself to have an emotional good-bye to his friend, a man whom he might never see again.

Day 5

By Day 5, Tony and Michelle are no longer working for CTU and seem to have built a happy life together. After receiving news that President David Palmer has been assassinated, Tony attempts to dissuade Michelle from going to CTU to assist in the investigation. He hesitates, but as he decides to follow Michelle outside, Michelle's car explodes violently. Rushing to get to her, he finds her unconscious, and presumably dead. As he holds her, the fuel tank in the car ignites causing a second explosion, critically injuring him. It is later revealed through CTU conversations that Michelle is, in fact, dead.

Tony was transported to CTU Medical. Agent Curtis Manning requested he speak with Tony upon arrival, but pressure to Tony's brain left him unable to speak before going into surgery. At the White House, an assassin is sent into CTU by Walt Cummings to kill Jack Bauer, murdering and then posing as the doctor. Jack was informed that Tony had awoken and wanted to speak to him. With Tony unresponsive, Jack caught the oncoming attack in a reflection, and killed his would-be assassin.

Upon waking a few hours later, Tony is told by CTU Director Bill Buchanan that Michelle's condition is still unknown in order to keep him out of shock. However, Tony suspects otherwise and escapes CTU Medical to access a computer, where he learns of his wife's fate.

Tony was sealed inside CTU Medical, with Christopher Henderson, when the terrorists released the Sentox nerve gas in the building, killing approximately 40% of the staff. Enraged and feeling he has nothing left to live for, Tony decides to kill Henderson. At 7:59 on day 5, whilst Tony has second thoughts about killing Christopher Henderson for killing his beloved Michelle, Henderson awakes from his comatose state and stabs Tony with a "supposed" overdose of hyoscine-pentothal (Agent Rick Burke had been using the drug to try to get Henderson to talk). Henderson then escapes the building. Jack rushes in and holds Tony in his arms. His last words before 8 p.m. were, "She's gone, Jack."[1]

Day 6

Despite rumors, Day 6 is progressing without any reference to Tony, making it seem that he was indeed killed after all.

The Bauer-Almeida Connection

Tony Almeida and Jack Bauer had a rocky start to their friendship. During Season 1, Almeida was suspicious of his lover, Nina Myers, because she had been Bauer's lover at one point. During the day, Almeida often impeded Bauer's investigation, frustrated that he was being kept out of the loop. (At this early point in the series, viewers were sometimes left to wonder if Tony might himself be a mole working against CTU.) When Myers was revealed to be a mole, however, an undeclared but formidable bond was forged between the two characters, both feeling betrayed by the same woman.

During Season 2, Almeida was trusted by Bauer to find his daughter, Kim. When Almeida took command of CTU Los Angeles, after Special Agent in Charge George Mason died, Almeida and Bauer shared a moment in which Bauer congratulated Tony on his promotion. However, after Bauer learned that the Cyprus audio recording which was being used to support a war with three (unnamed) Middle Eastern countries, Bauer and Almeida were pitted against each other, as Almeida was, once again, being kept in the dark. When Almeida learned the full story, he was behind Jack completely, going as far as to incapacitate Division Director Ryan Chappelle to support Jack's investigation.

During Season 3, Almeida, Bauer, and a CTU agent named Gael Ortega were the masterminds behind an elaborate collaboration between CTU and the US Army's Delta Force to recover a virus from drug lords Ramon and Hector Salazar. The operation failed, and the virus fell into the hands of former MI-6 agent Stephen Saunders. Later in the season, CTU took Saunders's daughter into custody. Saunders then took Almeida's wife Michelle hostage, forcing Almeida to commit treason and allow Saunders's daughter to escape. Jack Bauer finally confronted Almeida and went against him, risking Michelle's life to stop Saunders from releasing the virus. Almeida, having given into Saunders' demands, was sent to prison for roughly seven months, despite Bauer's plea on Almeida's behalf. "You should be slapping a medal on him," Bauer told Division Director Brad Hammond, "not handcuffs."

During Season 4, Bauer was cornered by a group of mercenaries and called Almeida for help. Almeida got to Bauer in time and killed the remaining hostiles, saving his life. During the ensuing hours, he and Bauer worked together to stop hundreds of nuclear power plants from melting down. As Bauer later commented, "I've seen my friend come back to life." It was mentioned several times throughout the course of the season that Bauer was the only true friend that Tony had left. By the end of the 4th season, Tony, along with Chloe O'Brian and Michelle Dessler, helped Jack Bauer stage his own death to avoid being killed by a secret service agent.

During Season 5, Tony Almeida is killed by Christopher Henderson. Jack, whilst crying, holds Tony in his arms as he dies; this is some what similar to Jack cradling Teri in his arms at the end of Day 1.

Despite their conflicts and differences, Tony and Jack shared a mutual respect and worked together on several of their most important missions and, over the ensuing days and years, went from being enemies to best friends.

Rumors and Speculation

Many fans have suggested that Tony's death may have been faked or that he was in a coma. Or he was possibly taking a break from this season like what Mike Novick did in season 3. In a recent interview during the promo for Season 6, Carlos Bernard was asked the question "Is Tony really dead?" and Carlos had the most unexpected answer. He replied: "I cannot comment on deaths, or non-deaths, in fact, I can't comment on the show, at all." [2] As well as not being able to tell them what he had been doing or whether or not he had a new pilot or being on screen in the near-future. Also, in a rumored leak, Carlos Bernards contract was apparently supposed to be a seven year deal. However, it is unknown if this contract was an old draft or a final draft. It still makes one suspicious.

Also, Bernard has been seen on the set of the currently shooting Season 6 and bystanders say they have seen him shoot scenes [citation needed]. It is possible that his appearance on set could be accounted for by his co-hosting Fox News correspondent Greta Van Susteren's televised November 2006 visit to the CTU set, during which Bernard and 24 executive producer Jon Cassar gave Van Susteren a guided tour.[3] During the Van Susteren interview, both she and Carlos Bernard used the word "alleged" in reference to Tony Almeida's death.Cassar referred to some fans' belief that Tony was still alive, owing to the absence of a silent clock.

Drew King, on March 26, 2007, had a dream that Tony Almeida grabbed his ass and he liked it.

Trivia

• Tony has a Chicago Cubs coffee mug that has appeared in every season of 24. During Days 1-3, it can be seen on his desk at CTU, on Day 4, he is seen drinking beer from this mug at his home, and on Day 5, it was on his kitchen counter right before the explosion. Curiously, the Cubs play on the North side of Chicago, while, according to Operation Hell Gate, Tony is from the South side, where the Chicago White Sox play.
• In Day 4, there was a long running inconsistency concerning Tony's tenure as Director of CTU: LA. While he took charge in Day 2 replacing George Mason and was taken out of office in Day 3, marking a total of three years of duty, both he and his ex-wife Michelle Dessler mentioned several times in season 4 that he was in charge of CTU "for two years." It is possible this was supposed to have been "you ran CTU two years ago," referring to the 18 month jump between Days 3 & 4, but nonetheless, both characters said the former statement, which led to much confusion among the fans.

References

• Everything about Carlos Bernard
• Wiki 24: Tony Almeida
• Howard Gordon, Executive Producer gives radio interview on episodes of 24

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