Dominic Purcell might’ve made it big in Hollywood, but he’ll never forget that his hometown Penrith is where it all started.
The Prison Break actor, 56, took to Instagram to debut a mammoth tattoo of the word ‘Riff’ plastered across his upper back in huge block letters. ‘The Riff’, of course, is an endearing nickname for the Sydney suburb of Penrith which locals have embraced.
Dominic Purcell debuted this love letter to Penrith. Instagram/@dominicpurcell
“Them that know. Penrith ‘the RIFF’. NSW AUSTRALIA. 70’s – 80’s. Always proud of what made me,” Purcell captioned the photo.
His wife Tish Cyrus was the first of many to comment, saying she was “obsessed” with the new ink piece.
MAFS star and fellow Western Sydneysider Domenica Calarco chimed in, adding: “All the best people come from western Sydney.”
“Yeah the riff!!” Olympian and Penrith local Jess Fox wrote.
Even the Penrith Panther NRL team got in on the action with the official account commenting: “REOW REOW”.
Purcell has always been proud of his humble beginnings. His parents immigrated to Australia from England when he was just two years old.
They briefly lived in Bondi before permanently settling into Western Sydney, making Penrith their home.
Purcell’s wife Tish Cyrus was ‘obsessed’ with his new Pent Getty/Amy Sussman
For years, Purcell worked in landscaping before taking a leap of faith and enrolling at the Australian Theatre for Young People and eventually moving across the country to attend the Western Australian Academy for Performing Arts.
In his early career, Purcell emerged in Aussie roles including on Home and Away, Water Rats, and Heartbreak High.
Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell star alongside each other in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Getty Images for Samsung
His breakout role was as Lincoln Burrows in Prison Break in 2005 and later transitioned into the DC Arrowverse as Heat Wave.
Purcell tied the knot with Tish Cyrus, mum to Miley Cyrus, in August 2023. The couple reside in an oceanside home in Malibu, certainly a far cry from Penrith.