Patrick Bauchau, who plays Sydney Green on The Pretender, decided early on that rather than follow in the footsteps of his father, Henri, a respected author and poet, he would embrace film acting as his form of artistic expression. Bauchau was born in Brussels but lived primarily in Switzerland until he entered a British public school at age 13. Bauchau later studied at Oxford University, where he received a degree in modern languages (he speaks English, French, German, Spanish and Italian). Although he is known today for his work in mainstream features such as Clear and Present Danger, Bauchau established himself as an actor in numerous European art films. He began his career at the end of the French New Wave cinematic era, and he was greatly influenced by writer-director Eric Rohmer, whom he considers his mentor. He appeared in his first movie, Rohmer's La Collectioneuse, in the late 1960s, and he refined his acting technique in such European films as Lisbon Story and The State of Things (both directed by Wim Wenders), Entre Nous and the James Bond epic A View to a Kill.

Among Bauchau's American features are Choose Me, Blood Ties, The Rapture, The New Age, Three Wise Men and The Interview, as well as his most recent film, Twin Falls, Idaho. On television he was a regular cast member on Kindred: The Embraced (as the godfather of the immortals), and he guest-starred on Earth 2 and Fortune Hunter. His television movies include And the Band Played On, Tom Clancy's Op Center, Day of Reckoning, Columbo and Murder: A Self-Portrait. He also co-starred on the Canadian series Mount Royal.

On The Pretender, Bachau plays a scientist at a shadowy think-tank who is in charge of programming extremely gifted children, or "pretenders." Sydney, Bachau's character, often becomes an unintentional parent to the "pretenders," which seems to affect his work regarding Jarod, a favorite pupil of his. "Sydney is fond of Jarod and wants him to reach his full potential," says Bauchau. "This causes problems for the people who run the Centre when Jarod escapes because he's so protective of him, like a surrogate son. I find my character to be a professional man who runs his program on the edge and could be seen as a guilty party to what's gone on before."