Mitch McDeere
Encyclopedia
Mitch McDeere is a fictional character
portrayed by Tom Cruise
in Sydney Pollack
's 1993 film adaptation of John Grisham
's The Firm (1991 novel). The character has been cast with Josh Lucas
for Entertainment One Television's forthcoming show also named The Firm. McDeere is a Harvard
-educated tax lawyer who has a certified public accountant
credential.
He is the main protagonist
of the highly successful series. The novel sold 7 million copies and the movie starred Tom Cruise
. The film grossed over $158 million ($ in 2011 dollars) domestically and $111 internationally ($270 million worldwide in 1993 dollars). Additionally, it was the largest grossing R-rated movie of 1993 and of any film based on a Grisham novel.
The television show picks up on the story of McDeere and his family ten years after the fictional setting of the 1991 novel and 1993 film. Both the novel and the film recount the story of an upstart attorney
who unknowingly was hired by Bendini, Lambert & Locke, the white-collar crime
operation of an organized crime
family
's enterprise. After graduating third in his Harvard Law School
class, he became a whistleblower
to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and brought down the corrupt Memphis law firm with Chicago mob ties. The TV series begins as the McDeere family emerges from witness protection
to encounter old and new challenges.
In high school, Mitch had been a star quarterback
with several scholarship offers. He injured his knee in his last high school game, and the only school that upheld its scholarship offer was Western Kentucky University
. He matriculated and played quarterback as an infrequent starter, while making straight As and earning a degree in accounting. He and his wife Abby
were high school sweethearts who got married after they graduated from Western Kentucky. While Mitch was in Law school she taught kindergarten. They are Methodist. In the novel, he had driven a Mazda
hatchback
prior to being offered a BMW
to work at Bendini. In the novel, his remarried mother lived in a trailer park
in Panama City Beach, but he had been raised by his brother Ray.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
portrayed by Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
in Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting...
's 1993 film adaptation of John Grisham
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American lawyer and author, best known for his popular legal thrillers.John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about a decade...
's The Firm (1991 novel). The character has been cast with Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
for Entertainment One Television's forthcoming show also named The Firm. McDeere is a Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
-educated tax lawyer who has a certified public accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
credential.
He is the main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the highly successful series. The novel sold 7 million copies and the movie starred Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
. The film grossed over $158 million ($ in 2011 dollars) domestically and $111 internationally ($270 million worldwide in 1993 dollars). Additionally, it was the largest grossing R-rated movie of 1993 and of any film based on a Grisham novel.
The television show picks up on the story of McDeere and his family ten years after the fictional setting of the 1991 novel and 1993 film. Both the novel and the film recount the story of an upstart attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who unknowingly was hired by Bendini, Lambert & Locke, the white-collar crime
White-collar crime
Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
operation of an organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
family
Crime family
A crime family is a term used to describe a unit of an organized crime syndicate, often operating within a specific geographic territory. The term is used almost exclusively to refer to units of the Mafia, both in Sicily and in the United States, although it is occasionally used to refer to other...
's enterprise. After graduating third in his Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
class, he became a whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and brought down the corrupt Memphis law firm with Chicago mob ties. The TV series begins as the McDeere family emerges from witness protection
Witness protection
Witness protection is protection of a threatened witness or any person involved in the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during and after a trial, usually by police...
to encounter old and new challenges.
In high school, Mitch had been a star quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
with several scholarship offers. He injured his knee in his last high school game, and the only school that upheld its scholarship offer was Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
. He matriculated and played quarterback as an infrequent starter, while making straight As and earning a degree in accounting. He and his wife Abby
Abby McDeere
Abigail "Abby" McDeere is a fictional character portrayed by Jeanne Tripplehorn in Sydney Pollack's 1993 film adaptation of John Grisham's The Firm . The character has been cast with Molly Parker for Entertainment One Television's forthcoming show also named The Firm...
were high school sweethearts who got married after they graduated from Western Kentucky. While Mitch was in Law school she taught kindergarten. They are Methodist. In the novel, he had driven a Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
prior to being offered a BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
to work at Bendini. In the novel, his remarried mother lived in a trailer park
Trailer park
A trailer park is a semi-permanent or permanent area for mobile homes or travel trailers. The main reasons for living in such trailer parks are the often lower cost compared to other housing, and the ability to move to a new area more quickly and easily, for example when changing jobs to another...
in Panama City Beach, but he had been raised by his brother Ray.