Kiefer Sutherland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kiefer Sutherland
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Sutherland in 2024
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Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland
21 December 1966 London, England
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| Years active | 1983–present |
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| Partner(s) | Cindy Vela (2014–present; engaged) |
| Children | Sarah Sutherland |
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Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a Canadian actor and musician. He is famous for playing Jack Bauer in the TV show 24 (2001–2010, 2014). For this role, he won an Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Kiefer's parents, Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas, were also actors. His first main movie role was in the Canadian drama The Bay Boy (1984). This role earned him a nomination for a Genie Award. He has appeared in many popular films. These include Stand by Me (1986), The Lost Boys (1987), Young Guns (1988), Flatliners (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), and Phone Booth (2002).
He also starred in the TV show Touch (2012–2013). Kiefer provided the voice and movements for Venom Snake in the video games Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014) and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015). From 2016 to 2019, he played the lead in the political drama Designated Survivor. Kiefer Sutherland has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Zurich Film Festival.
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Kiefer Sutherland's Early Life
Kiefer Sutherland was born in London, England, on 21 December 1966. His parents, Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas, were both well-known Canadian actors. They were living and working in England at the time. Kiefer's parents divorced when he was three years old. He has a twin sister named Rachel, who works in film production. His grandfather, Tommy Douglas, was a famous Canadian politician. He is known for creating universal health care in Canada.
Kiefer is named after Warren Kiefer, a writer and director. Warren Kiefer directed Donald Sutherland's first movie. In 1975, Kiefer moved to Toronto, Ontario, with his mother. He went to several schools there. Kiefer shared with The Sunday Times that he didn't know his famous father very well until he moved out at age 15. He also said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he lived with actor Robert Downey Jr. for three years when he first moved to Hollywood.
Kiefer's Acting Career
Rising to Fame in the 1980s
Kiefer Sutherland first appeared on screen in Max Dugan Returns. His father, Donald Sutherland, also starred in this movie. Kiefer was considered for a role in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
After getting great reviews for his role in The Bay Boy, Kiefer moved to Hollywood. His first American film was Stand by Me (1986). In this movie, directed by Rob Reiner, he played a neighborhood bully. He also had a supporting role in the crime-thriller At Close Range.
In 1987, he played a vampire named David in Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys. He then starred in Promised Land (1988) with Meg Ryan. This was the first movie ever commissioned by the Sundance Film Festival.
In the Western film Young Guns (1988), he starred with Emilio Estevez and Lou Diamond Phillips. He was considered for the role of Robin in Batman (1989), but the character was removed from the script. He later starred with Lou Diamond Phillips again in Renegades. That same year, he and his father presented an award at the 61st Academy Awards.
Film Success in the 1990s
In the sequel Young Guns II (1990), Kiefer continued his role as 'Doc'. This is the only movie sequel he has starred in so far. Sutherland played the lead in Flatliners, a film about students exploring near-death experiences. The movie received good reviews. He also played an FBI agent in Flashback (1990) with Dennis Hopper.
Kiefer did not make a film in 1991. He later said he regretted turning down a role in My Own Private Idaho to go skiing.
In 1992, he played a doctor in the drama Article 99. He also had supporting roles in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and A Few Good Men. A Few Good Men was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
In The Vanishing (1993), he played a man searching for his missing girlfriend. In The Three Musketeers (1993), Sutherland played the main character, Athos.
In 1996, Kiefer appeared in three movies. He starred with Reese Witherspoon in Freeway. He also starred with Sally Field in Eye for an Eye. He appeared in A Time to Kill alongside his father, Donald Sutherland.
In 1998, he starred in the science fiction film Dark City. Sutherland also played Jack Harries in Ground Control. His character was an air traffic controller haunted by a past crash.
The 24 Years (2000s)
In 2000, Kiefer co-starred with Woody Allen in Picking Up the Pieces. The film was not well-received. Since then, Sutherland has worked on smaller projects and festival films. He starred in Beat (2000) and Cowboy Up (2001). He also appeared in To End All Wars, which won several awards.
Since 2001, Sutherland has been most famous for his role as Jack Bauer in the TV series 24. He was nominated four times for the "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Primetime Emmy Award. He finally won the award in 2006 for the show's fifth season. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2007. His salary for 24 made him one of the highest-paid actors on television.
Sutherland always said that 24 was just "entertainment." However, the dean of the United States Military Academy visited the set in 2007. He asked the show's creators to reduce the torture scenes. Sutherland also spoke to West Point cadets, telling them that torturing prisoners is wrong.
Because of his busy schedule with 24, he made fewer films. In 2004, he had a small but memorable role in Taking Lives with Angelina Jolie. In The Sentinel (2006), he starred with Michael Douglas. He also voiced Samson in Disney's The Wild. In 2008, he played the lead in the horror film Mirrors. In 2009, he joined the animated film Monsters vs. Aliens, which is his highest-grossing film to date.
Kiefer often works with director Joel Schumacher. They have worked together on The Lost Boys, Flatliners, Phone Booth, and A Time to Kill.
In 2005, Sutherland was added to Canada's Walk of Fame. Both of his parents are also on it. In 2008, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has also done voice-overs for commercials, including for Ford Motor Company of Canada and Apple, Inc..
2010s and 2020s: New Projects and Music
On 14 February 2010, production for 24 was paused because Kiefer had surgery. He returned to filming in March.
In the 2011 drama-thriller Melancholia, he played the male lead. He was nominated for a major Danish film prize for this role. In 2011, Sutherland also made his Broadway debut in That Championship Season.
In 2012, Sutherland starred in the TV series Touch. He played a father whose autistic son communicates future events through numbers.
In The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013), he played a supporting role as a boss. In May 2013, it was confirmed that 24 would return for a limited series. In 2014, Fox aired 24: Live Another Day, which received good reviews. He was an executive producer for 24: Legacy in 2017.
Sutherland was cast in the 2014 historical movie Pompeii. He found filming this movie "much more fun" than many of his other roles.
Sutherland also narrated promotional videos for the United States Men's National Soccer Team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He has appeared in commercials for Citroën C4 and Bank of America. He voices Sgt. Roebuck in the video game Call of Duty: World at War. He also voices Big Boss in the video games Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
In 2015, he starred with his father, Donald Sutherland, in the Western film Forsaken. The film received mixed reviews.
In 2016, Sutherland was cast as Tom Kirkman in the political drama Designated Survivor. He played the President of the United States. The show was renewed by Netflix for a third season, released in 2019.
In 2016, Sutherland released his first album, Down in a Hole. He also released a music video for "Not Enough Whiskey." The songs are country music, written by Sutherland and Jude Cole. The Kiefer Sutherland Band toured in 2016 and debuted at the Grand Ole Opry. Their second album, Reckless and Me, was released in 2019.
Sutherland played Det. Clay Bryce in the TV series The Fugitive, which premiered in 2020. He also starred as John Weir in the 2023 Paramount+ thriller show Rabbit Hole. In the 2023 film The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Sutherland played Lieutenant Commander Phillip Queeg. Critics praised his performance, calling it "one of the best acting turns of his career."
Sutherland narrated the Apple TV+ docuseries John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, released in December 2023.
Kiefer Sutherland's Personal Life
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Relationships
On 12 September 1987, Kiefer Sutherland married Camelia Kath. They had a daughter named Sarah, born in 1988. They divorced in 1990.
Sutherland was engaged to actress Julia Roberts, his co-star from Flatliners (1990). They planned to marry in 1991 but called off the wedding a few days before.
On 29 June 1996, Sutherland married Kelly Winn. They separated in 1999 and divorced in 2008.
Sutherland began dating model and actress Cindy Vela around 2014. They kept their relationship private until 2017. Vela and Sutherland became engaged in 2017. They live in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles.
Other Ventures
Sutherland is a co-owner of the independent record label Ironworks with Jude Cole.
Political Views
Kiefer Sutherland believes that people have a responsibility to help each other. He supports ideas like universal health care and free universities. He sees these as common sense.
As a Canadian citizen living in the United States, Sutherland cannot vote in either country. However, he has said he would support the New Democratic Party in Canada because of his family's history. He also supports the Liberal Party's efforts to protect universal health care.
In 2019, Sutherland criticized politicians who used his late grandfather's name to promote their own ideas. He argued that his grandfather's achievements were always about helping people in need.
Charity Work
Sutherland is a member of Artists Against Racism, a Canadian charity.
Awards and Special Recognition
- 2003: Sweden TNT award for Best Foreign TV Personality – Male
- 2005: Canada's Walk of Fame
- 2008: Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 2013: Hasty Pudding Theatricals for Man of the Year
- 2015: Zurich Film Festival for Lifetime Achievement Award
Film and TV Roles
Music Albums
Albums
| Album | Details | Peak position | Singles | ||
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UK |
US Country | |||
| Down in a Hole |
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— | — | 35 | "Not Enough Whiskey" "Can't Stay Away" |
| Reckless & Me |
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28 | 9 | — | "Open Road" "This Is How It's Done" "Something You Love" |
| Bloor Street |
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42 | 16 | — | "Bloor Street" "Two Stepping in Time" "So Full of Love" |
| "—" means the album did not chart or was not released | |||||
Music Videos
| Year | Song | Director |
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| 2016 | "Not Enough Whiskey" | Kiefer Sutherland / Frank Borin |
| "Can't Stay Away" | Cal Aurand | |
| 2017 | "I'll Do Anything" | |
| "Shirley Jean" | ||
| 2019 | "This Is How It's Done" | |
| "Something You Love" | Tom Kirk | |
| "Open Road" | ||
| 2021 | "Bloor Street"
"Two Stepping in Time" |
Tom Kirk |
| 2022 | "Chasing the Rain" | Nathan Clark |
See also
In Spanish: Kiefer Sutherland para niños
