Kiefer Sutherland is widely known for his action-packed role in the American drama series FOX, 24, for which he won several awards. The Canadian actor has also appeared in other successful productions such as Young Guns (1988), Flatliners (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), Pompeii (2014), and Designated Survivor (2016-), to name but a few.
Another fact that his fans may not be aware of is the fact that his father and mother are A-listers in Hollywood. Above all, do you know that he is also a twin? Find out everything you need to know.
Kiefer Sutherland Bio
The actor, who is famous for his role in the anti-terrorism film titled 24, was born on December 21, 1966, in Paddington, London, as the jaw William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland. He was not born on that day by his parents alone; he had to share his birth with someone – his twin sister Rachel.
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His parents are Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas. Since the apple doesn’t fall that far from the tree, Kiefer didn’t need to ask himself which career path to take, as his parents were already famous actors in Canada. They had worked in London at the time of his birth.
They divorced in 1971 after the family had moved from the United Kingdom to the United States in 1968, initially settling in Los Angeles, California. After the divorce, his mother, Shirley, moved to Canada and took the five-year-old twins Keifer and his sister Rachel with her.
They settled in Toronto, Ontario, and he was enrolled at Crescent Town Elementary School. He received his middle school education at Gordon A. Brown Middle School (formerly St. Clair Junior High) in East York and Althouse Middle School in Toronto before attending a number of high schools, including St. Andrew’s College and Silverthorn Collegiate Institute.
After developing an interest in acting, Kiefer Sutherland took acting classes on weekends at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School while attending Regina Mundi Catholic College in Ontario. However, he left college after one semester to realize his dream.
Career and Net Worth
In the early stages of his acting career, Kiefer Sutherland made his film debut (cameo appearance) in the feature film Max Dugan Returns (1983), in which Bill Costello also appears in the film with his father, Donald Sutherland. This was only the beginning for the young actor because the roles were added again and again. Later, in 1985, he moved to Hollywood, where he developed his skills and advanced his career.
He starred in At Close Range (1986), Promised Land (1987), Young Guns (1988), 1969 (1988), but will attract the attention of Hollywood and the nation with his role in Flatliners (1990), where he appeared as Nelson Wright, a medical student who was researching the afterlife with his friends. The film also featured stars like William Baldwin and Julia Roberts.
In 1992 he starred in the award-winning blockbuster A Few Good Men and then debuted as a director with the film Last Light (1992). He made his second attempt at directing in 1999 with the film Woman Wanted, in which his mother, Shirley Douglas, also played the leading role.
His greatest feature film to date is his portrayal of Jack Bauer, an employee of the CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit), in the American espionage TV series 24, which was broadcast by FOX from 2001 to 2010. The series was a blockbuster and was seen by over 11 million people worldwide. As the lead actor in the series, it also earned him a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award, two satellite awards, and two awards from the Screen Actors Guild, as well as over 20 nominations.
The show ran over nine seasons, and in 2014 a sequel was released, 24: Live Another Day, which had 12 episodes and was equally successful. Currently, the Canadian actor is still on the small screen with the ABC political drama television series Designated Survivor, in which he is also the lead actor.
His net worth varies from one estimate to another, but it is generally agreed that he is one of the top earners in the industry. Some sites estimate his net worth at $65 million, others estimate it at $70 to $75 million.
Is He Married? Wife, Daughter
Kiefer Sutherland was married twice and also had a “near-marriage experience” with Julia Roberts. He first married Camelia Kath, while his acting career gained momentum in 1987. This was Carmelia’s second marriage, as she was previously married to Chicago singer Terry Kath, with whom she had a daughter, Michelle Kath. One year after their marriage, Kiefer and Carmelia welcomed a daughter named Sarah Jude Sutherland on February 18, 1988.
Two years after the birth of their daughter, Sutherland divorced Carmelia in 1990 and began dating star actress Julia Roberts, whom he met on the set of the film Flatliners. They planned their wedding for June 1991, after he engaged her in August 1990. However, their engagement/wedding was canceled on July 11, 1991, after Roberts accused Sutherland of having an affair with a stripper named Amanda Rice. And although he denied having had an affair with the said Rice, Julia didn’t want to know about it and eloped to Ireland on the day of the alleged wedding with her ex-fiancé’s boyfriend, Jason Patric.
After nursing his broken heart for five years, Kiefer Sutherland tried the marriage again in 1996 when he married Kelly Winn, who already had two sons. But even this ended in a separation three years later in 1999, and five years later in a formal divorce, which lasted another four years until it was finalized in 2008. He is currently engaged to the actress and model Cindy Vela, with whom he has been dating since 2014.
His daughter Sarah Sutherland also entered the family profession and became a Hollywood actress. She tries to grow according to her own ideas, while at the same time trying to distract from the family name. Sarah Sutherland has appeared in several films and series but is currently in the cast of the political television series Veep.
Kiefer Sutherland Family Facts
Kiefer Sutherland’s parents are both famous actors who started out in the Canadian film industry before they successfully went to Hollywood.
His father, Donald Sutherland, was married to Lois Hardwick from 1959 to 1966, before marrying Kiefer’s mother, Shirley Douglas.
Kiefer Sutherland is named after the film director Warren Kiefer, who worked with his father Donald in his (Donald) debut film in 1964.
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Shirley is the daughter of Tommy Douglas, who is a former prime minister of Saskatchewan and is touted as being responsible for general health care in the country.
His twin sister is the little-known Rachel Sutherland, who is also in the industry but works behind the cameras rather than in front of them as her brother. She is a post-production manager and works in Toronto.
He has a half-brother – Thomas Emil Sicks – from his mother’s later marriage to Timothy Emil Sicks and three from his father’s marriage to Francine Racette. Their names are Angus Sutherland, Roeg Sutherland, and Rossif Sutherland.
He played with his father in his debut film Max Dugan Returns, although they did not play a scene together. They would play their first joint film in 2016 Forsaken alongside Demi Moore.
Sutherland and his parents, Donald and Shirley, were all included in the Canadian Walk of Fame. He also has a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood.
Kiefer Sutherland Height
The height of Kiefer Sutherland is really a topic of discussion among his fans. Given that, at one point he had said he was 5 feet 10 inches tall and at another point, he had said he was 5 feet 9 inches tall. This had caused his fans to wonder which of the two numbers was the right one. And although we are certain that the actor is not a 6-foot actor, most official bodies have given the number 174 cm (5 feet 8.5 inches). He has a weight of 76 kg (167 pounds).
