Charles Bronson is the adopted name by deed poll, after the actor Charles Bronson, of Michael Peterson. A Welsh-born criminal, he has been in prison for most of his life since the age of nineteen.
Initially jailed in 1974 for robbery and inflicting wounds, his sentence has been repeatedly extended and he has spent only three months out of custody. He has served 22 years in solitary confinement for repeated attacks on prison staff and inmates, including a number of hostage situations and rooftop protests. His dangerous behaviour has meant that he has spent time in over 120 different prisons.
While in prison he has developed an extreme fitness regime and regularly performs 2,500 press-ups a day. In 2002 he published a book Solitary Fitness, detailing an individual training process with minimal resources and space.