James Ford, better known by the alias "Sawyer", and later as "Jim LaFleur" is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Josh Holloway. Sawyer is initially portrayed as a conniving, overly sarcastic flirt who keeps stashes of washed ashore items. His flashbacks typically depict a more sensitive side to him, juxtaposed against acts of betrayal and theft.

He has a romantic interest in Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), which is particularly prominent in the beginning of the third season. In the fourth season he develops a more heroic side, becoming protective of Claire Littleton (Emilie de Ravin) and sacrificing his chance to escape so his friends can in the season finale. In the fifth season, Sawyer quickly acclimates to his new role as group leader and is shown to be in a serious relationship with Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell).

Sawyer was born in Jasper, Alabama in 1969 as James Ford. When James was eight years old, his parents were conned by a man under the alias of "Tom Sawyer"; as a result, his father killed both his mother and himself. On the day of the funeral, Jacob expresses his condolences to Sawyer, even as he is writing his 'I am going to find you' letter for the conman that took his family.

At the time of his parents' death, James and his family were living in Knoxville, Tennessee according to the letter Sawyer carries. James claims to have dropped out of high school, but has a "high school transcript." James vows to avenge his parents' deaths by searching for the original Sawyer, but finds himself in financial difficulty; he adopts the profession and alias of the man responsible for his parents' death, and uses his looks and charm to seduce women and divide families, thus, "becoming the man he was hunting." His favorite con would be to wake up next to his victim and pretend to be late for an important meeting; as he rushes to get ready, his briefcase will spill open, revealing large bundles of cash that the woman "wasn't supposed to see." He then uses her interest as a means of getting her or her rich spouse to invest in a large, but fake, business deal. On one occasion, he carries out this con up until he sees that the targeted couple has a child, and bails on the deal in order to spare the child the same torment that he went through.

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