Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland 2008.jpg
At the The Paley Center for Media, Nov. 2008
Born Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland
21 December 1966 (1966-12-21) (age 42)
London, England
Years active 1983-present
Spouse(s) Camelia Kath (1987-1990)
Kelly Winn (1996-2008)

Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland[1] (born 21 December 1966) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe award-winning British-born Canadian actor, well known for his lead role of Jack Bauer on the television series 24.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Sutherland was born in London, England, the son of Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas, both of whom are successful Canadian actors.[2] He has Scottish ancestry from both parents and is the grandson of Canadian politician Tommy Douglas. Sutherland and his twin sister, Rachel, were born in London (in Saint Mary's Hospital, Paddington) while his parents were working there. As a result, through the jus soli and the jus sanguinis, he is both a Canadian citizen and a British citizen.

His family moved to Corona, California, shortly afterwards, but his parents eventually divorced in 1972.[2] In 1975, Sutherland moved with his mother to Toronto, Canada, where he attended elementary school at Crescent Town Elementary School in East York, Toronto, and high school at St. Andrew's College, Martingrove Collegiate Institute, Harbord Collegiate Institute and Malvern Collegiate Institute. He also spent a semester at Regina Mundi College in London, Ontario, Canada, and attended Crescent Town Elementary School and St. Clair Junior High School in East York, Ontario.

Career

Stand By Me was the first film Sutherland made in the United States[3]. As of 2008, Sutherland has appeared in over seventy films, most notably The Lost Boys, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, A Few Good Men, Flatliners, Young Guns, The Vanishing, The Three Musketeers, Stand by Me, Dark City, To End All Wars and A Time To Kill, The Sentinel and MIRЯORS (2008). In 2005, Sutherland was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto,[4] where both of his parents have also been inducted. Sutherland was also the first Inside the Actors Studio guest to be the child of a former guest; his father, Donald, appeared on the show in 1998.[2] Sutherland was featured on the cover of the April 2006 edition of Rolling Stone, in an article entitled "Alone in the Dark with Kiefer Sutherland". The article began with Sutherland revealing his interest to be killed off in 24. However, he stated, "Don't get me wrong. I love what I do." It also revealed that he devotes 10 months a year working on 24.[1]

He has starred in Japanese commercials for Calorie Mate, performing a parody of his Jack Bauer character. Sutherland also provides voiceovers for the current ad campaign for the Ford Motor Company of Canada. These advertisements are thematically of the comedy genre. In mid-2006, he voiced the Apple Computer advertisement announcing the inclusion of Intel chips in their Macintosh computer line.[5] He also voices the introduction to NHL games on the Versus network in the U.S. Recently, he has starred in Argentine TV commercials for Citroën C4 sedan. He has recently done voice over for a commercial for Bank of America's "Keep the Change" program. He voiced a major character in Treyarch's Call of Duty: World at War.

Sutherland holding his cheque for The 1 Second Film.

Sutherland will executive produce the two-hour pilot of Phenomenon. Maggie Murphy will also be an executive producer for the show. The Sci Fi Channel ordered a script to be written. The show revolves around a mysterious young female prodigy who leads a crack team of experts in investigating odd and supernatural anomalies of nature.[6] Sutherland is currently the top celebrity producer of The 1 Second Film.

24

Since 2001, Sutherland is most widely associated with the role of Jack Bauer, on the critically acclaimed television series 24.[2] After being nominated four times for the "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Primetime Emmy Award, Sutherland won the award in 2006 for his role in 24's fifth season. His father, Donald, was also an Emmy winner; he won an Emmy award for his role in Citizen X in 1996. In the opening skit of the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards, Sutherland made an appearance as his 24 character, Jack Bauer. He was also nominated for Best actor in a Drama Television Series in the 2007 Golden Globe Awards for 24. According to his latest contract, his salary of $40 million for three seasons of the show make him the highest-earning actor on television.[7] Sutherland constantly emphasizes that the show is merely "entertainment."[8] Br.Gen. Patrick Finnegan visited the set of 24 in February 2007 to urge the show's makers to reduce the number of torture scenes[9] and Sutherland accepted an invitation from the U.S. military to tell West Point cadets it is wrong to torture prisoners. Die-hard 24 fans can rest easy, as Jack Bauer will not be offed anytime soon, according to Howard Gordon, the show's executive producer. He tells OK! magazine that it would be an "unbearable loss" if they killed off Sutherland's character.[10] [11]

Personal life

Kiefer Sutherland signs an autograph at Green Hill conference in 2007

Several episodes of 24 have allegedly been rewritten to work around minor injuries Sutherland sustained when partying. In an interview with the British Daily Telegraph, Sutherland said, "I can't deny half the stuff that's been written about me has been true. I've done some stupid things. You have to take responsibility, go, 'That was embarrassing,' and move forward as best you can."[12]

During the autumn of 2001, Sutherland unintentionally interrupted the filming of the premiere episode of an online series titled, The Lonely Island.[13] In the episode, "White Power," the main characters develop an addiction to teeth whitener, and eventually mug an old woman to facilitate their addiction. Sutherland, driving by at the time, believed the mugging was real and jumped out of his car to intervene. A small portion of Sutherland's appearance is displayed after the credits, though the portion is only Kiefer stopping his car and looking at them.[14] This anecdote was recounted by Andy Samberg.

He has one daughter, Sarah Jude, born February 18, 1988, from his first marriage to Camelia Kath, to whom he was married from September 12, 1987—1990. Through his marriage to Camelia, he became step-father to Michelle Kath, the daughter of Chicago guitarist/singer Terry Kath.

Julia Roberts met Sutherland in 1990, when he was her co-star in Flatliners. In August 1990, Roberts and Sutherland announced their engagement, with an elaborate studio-planned wedding scheduled for June 14, 1991. Roberts broke the engagement three days before the wedding when she discovered Sutherland had been meeting with a stripper named Amanda Rice. His friend Jason Patric ran off with Roberts to Ireland.

On June 29, 1996, he married Kelly Winn. The couple separated in 1999. He filed for divorce in 2004. The divorce was finalized on May 16, 2008. He had two stepsons from this marriage.

Sutherland is a well-known collector of many guitars, a majority of which are Gibson Les Pauls. Recently, the Gibson Custom shop has released a guitar (signed by Sutherland himself), the KS-336, as part of their 'Inspired By' series.[15] He is a fan of the USC Trojans football, and recorded a birthday message for USC head coach Pete Carroll's 56th birthday.[16]

Sutherland was arrested early September 25, 2007 on misdemeanor drunk driving charges, his second time since another incident in 2004, after failing a field sobriety test. He tested over the state's legal blood alcohol limit and later released on $25,000 bail. Sutherland pled no contest to the DUI charge and was sentenced to 48 days in jail.[17] Initially, he arranged to spend 18 days in jail during 24's winter break in late December and early January 2008, planning to return to jail after production wrapped up. However, the Hollywood writers' strike interrupted production, allowing him to serve his sentence in 48 consecutive days. He was quoted in People magazine that he was incarcerated for New Year's, his birthday and Christmas and only had one visitor.

Filmography

Acting

  • Max Dugan Returns (1983) as Bill²
  • The Bay Boy (1984)1
  • Amazing Stories (1985) (TV)
  • Brotherhood of Justice (1986)
  • Trapped in Silence (1986) (TV) as Kevin Richter
  • Stand By Me (1986) as Ace
  • At Close Range (1986) as Tim
  • Crazy Moon (1987) as Brooks
  • Promised Land (1987) as Danny
  • The Lost Boys (1987) playing the leading vampire (David)
  • Bright Lights, Big City (1988) as Tad Allagash
  • Young Guns (1988) as Josiah Gordon 'Doc' Scurlock
  • 1969 (1988), as Scott Denny
  • Renegades (1989)
  • Young Guns II (1990) as Josiah Gordon 'Doc' Scurlock
  • Flatliners (1990)
  • Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (1990)
  • The Nutcracker Prince (1990), as the Nutcracker Prince
  • Flashback (1990) as John Buckner
  • Article 99 (1992) as Dr. Peter Morgan
  • Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) as Sam Stanley
  • A Few Good Men (1992) as Lt. Jonathan James Kendrick
  • Last Light (1993) as Denver Bayliss
  • The Three Musketeers (1993) as Athos
  • The Vanishing (1993) as Jeff Harriman
  • The Cowboy Way (1994) as Sonny Gilstrap
  • Eye for an Eye (1996) as Robert Doob
  • Freeway (1996) as Bob Wolverton
  • A Time to Kill (1996) as Freddie Lee Cobb²
  • Armitage III: Poly-Matrix (1997) as Ross Sylibus
  • Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997)
  • Dark City (1998), as Dr. Daniel Schreber
  • A Soldier's Sweetheart (1998) as Rat Kiley
  • Break Up (1998) as John Box
  • Ground Control (1998) as Jack Harris
  • Eye of the Killer (aka After Alice) (1999), as Detective Michael "Mick" Hayden
  • Watership Down (1999), as Hickory (Voice) (For 3 episodes in series 2 only)
  • Beat (2000) as William S. Burroughs
  • Woman Wanted (2000) as Wendell Goddard³
  • Picking Up the Pieces (2000) as Bobo
  • The Right Temptation (2000) as Michael Farrow-Smith
  • Cowboy Up (2001) as Hank Braxton
  • To End All Wars (2001) as Lt. Jim Reardon
  • Dead Heat (2002) as Phally
  • Desert Saints (2002) as Arthur Banks
  • Behind the Red Door (2002) as Roy
  • Phone Booth (2003), as The Caller
  • The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration (2003), Bron (Littlefoot's Father) (voice)
  • Paradise Found (2003), as Paul Gauguin
  • Taking Lives (2004), as Hart
  • The Flight That Fought Back (2005)(TV), as the Narrator
  • River Queen (2005) as Doyle
  • I Trust You To Kill Me (2006) as himself
  • The Sentinel (2006), as David Breckinridge
  • The Wild (2006) as Samson the Lion (voice)
  • The Simpsons (2006-7) (TV), as the Colonel in "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)"; as Jack Bauer in "24 Minutes" (voice)
  • Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (2007) as Raistlin Majere (voice)
  • Mirrors (2008) as Ben Carson
  • Call of Duty: World at War (2008) (Video game) as Sgt. Roebuck (voice)
  • Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) as Gen. W.R. Monger (voice)
  • 24 (2001-present) (TV) as Jack Bauer

Notes:
1 The Bay Boy was Sutherland's first film role, for which he was nominated for the Genie Award for best actor.
² Appeared alongside his father, Donald Sutherland
³ Appeared alongside his mother, Shirley Douglas

Directing

Awards and nominations

DVD Exclusive Awards

Ranked #68 on the 2006 Forbes Celebrity 100 list of the world's most powerful celebrities. His earnings were a reported $23 million.

Emmy Awards
Genie Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Monte-Carlo TV Festival
MTV Movie Awards
People's Choice Awards
Satellite Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Slamdunk Film Festival
Teen Choice Awards
Television Critics Association Awards
Western Heritage Awards

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hedegaard, Erik. Kiefer Sutherland: Heart of Darkness, Rolling Stone, 7 April 2006. Accessed 26 May 2008.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio
  3. ↑ "Kiefer Sutherland: 24: Redemption". SuicideGirls.com (19 November 2008). Retrieved on 2008-11-19..
  4. ↑ Canada's Walk of Fame: Kiefer Sutherland, actor
  5. ↑ Apple Computer advertisement
  6. ↑ Sutherland's Sci Fi 'Phenomenon': Actor dons his executive producer hat 22 March 2007
  7. ↑ Kiefer Sutherland signs on for more 24, AskMen.com, 11 April 2006. Accessed 4 July 2008.
  8. ↑ The Huffington Post
  9. ↑ Buncombe, Andrew. US military tells Jack Bauer: Cut out the torture scenes ... or else!, The Independent, 13 February 2007. Accessed 26 May 2008.
  10. ↑ OK! magazine December 8 2008 issue#49 p.8
  11. ↑ WENN. U.S. Army Invites Sutherland to Give Anti-Torture Speech, Hollywood.com, 26 February 2007. Accessed 26 May 2008.
  12. ↑ Daily Telegraph. 24 heaven Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  13. ↑ Kiefer Madness
  14. ↑ Lonely sland Guys - White Power!
  15. ↑ Kiefer Sutherland Custom Series
  16. ↑ Ben Malcolmson, A surprise birthday present, USCRipsIt.com, September 15, 2007, Accessed August 18, 2008.
  17. ↑ http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/video_player/index/php/962479.phtml

External links

Interviews and articles

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Drama Series

James Gandolfini (2001) · Michael Chiklis (2002) · James Gandolfini (2003) · James Spader (2004) · James Spader (2005) · Kiefer Sutherland (2006) · James Spader (2007) · Bryan Cranston (2008)

(1956-1975) · (1976-2000) · (2001-present)
Persondata
NAME Sutherland, Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Canadian actor
DATE OF BIRTH 21 December 1966
PLACE OF BIRTH London, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH