Kiefer Sutherland Biography

London, England

December 21, 1966

Two films really helped put Sutherland on the map: The Lost Boys (1987) and Young Guns (1988).

Sutherland was the lead in the incredibly popular (and addicting) dramatic series 24 which ran for eight seasons on Fox TV.

Sutherland has received eight individual Emmy nominations (as opposed to being a part of an ensemble), six Golden Globe nominations including one win (2002), and nine Screen Actors Guild nominations (including three as part of the cast of 24) with wins in 2004 and 2006 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series on 24.

Kiefer Sutherland’s birth name is Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland. He has a twin sister, Rachel. His father is critically acclaimed actor Donald Sutherland and acctress Shirley Douglas. Sutherland and Douglas divorced in 1970. Sutherland then married Canadian actress Francine Racette in 1972.

With acting parents Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas, it seemed natural that Kiefer Sutherland would follow in their footsteps. His parents divorced when he was young, but Sutherland spent a lot of time with both parents on their movie sets. He started acting in youth productions as a teen.

His first movie role was in Max Dugan Returns in 1983. The next year Sutherland scored a lead role in The Bad Boy and was nominated for a Genie Award (the Canadian Oscar equivalent) for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Sutherland then moved to Los Angeles where he landed roles in TV movies including Trapped in Silence and Brotherhood of Justice which helped get him noticed. Over the next few years he would appear in feature films including Flatliners (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), The Vanishing (1993), Dark City (1998) and Phone Booth (2002). During that time Sutherland also returned to his love of rodeo, competing in competitions and winning several roping championships.

But it was his casting as Jack Bauer, an agent for the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit in 24, that may be the role that defines his career.

Sutherland has also directed three films: a made-for-television drama, Last Light (1993), and feature films Truth or Consequences, N.M (1997) and Woman Wanted (2000). Other acting credits include Taking Lives, The Sentinel, Mirrors, Monsters vs Aliens, Twelve, Marmaduke, and Melancholia.