Kiefer Sutherland has been in Hollywood for over four decades, with notable roles in both film and television.
He got his start in the industry in 1983, making his film debut in the movie, “Max Dugan Returns,” alongside his famous father, Donald Sutherland.
Throughout his career, Kiefer won many awards and came to be known as one of Hollywood’s greatest leading men.
Here are some of his most notable career moments and key milestones from his personal life.
KIEFER SUTHERLAND’S TROUBLED LEGAL PAST RESURFACES AFTER RIDESHARE ALTERCATION ENDS IN ARREST
While Kiefer got his start in the industry in 1983, his big break didn’t come until 1986, when he starred in the hit movie, “Stand By Me.”
The movie follows a friend group made up of young boys, who set out to go see the dead body of a man they learn has been accidently killed near their hometown. Along the way, the boys learn more about one another and are brought closer together.
Kiefer plays the role of the main protagonist, Ace Merrill, who terrorizes the group of boys, made up of actors including River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell.
“I worked with the main cast very little, but when I’d get there early, they would be workshopping scenes and trying out each other’s lines,” he said in a story for The Guardian in 2021. “River [Phoenix] specifically had such an appetite to learn and be good — and, of course, he was.”
Following his breakout role in “Stand By Me,” Kiefer continued to prove himself with roles in numerous movies, including his supporting role in the 1992 movie, “A Few Good Men.”
The film revolves around a criminal trial involving two marines accused of killing a fellow marine at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. During the trial, a military lawyer, played by Tom Cruise, works to uncover a conspiracy within the marines.
Kiefer portrays Lieutenant Jonathan Kendrick, an executive officer at the base and the movie’s key antagonist.
“He was an interesting character because I think when people have limited experience, they tend to hold onto things very tightly, and so the Marine Code of Conduct and the Bible are two things that you can hold on very tightly and follow to the letter of the law and still be incredibly wrong,” he told GQ in April 2022.
He continued: “And that was what I used kind of as my defining moment for that character, was that he had misinterpreted both the Bible and the Marine Code of Conduct in such a way that it led to someone’s dying.”
Kiefer’s next big role came in the 1993 version of “The Three Musketeers,” in which he played Athos, one of the Musketeers.
In the movie, Kiefer, along with Charlie Sheen and Oliver Platt, who played the remaining two Musketeers, Aramis and Porthos, are the only three members of the French king’s elite bodyguards who didn’t turn against the king and fall for Cardinal Richelieu’s plan to take over the throne.
The Musketeers then partner with an aspiring musketeer to take down Cardinal Richelieu and expose his plans.
In addition to being a movie star, Kiefer has also appeared in many popular TV shows, including “24,” which aired on Fox for eight seasons, from 2001 to 2010.
Kiefer plays Jack Bauer, a counterterrorism agent who works hard to protect the nation, with each episode centered around a different threat.
His work on the show earned him two Emmy Award wins, a Golden Globe and two Actors’ Award wins, as well as many more nominations at each of the award shows.
“One of the hardest things about shooting ’24’ is that I work with some amazing actors and pretty much everybody gets killed,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in December 2008. “So you get used to working with people you develop an unbelievable relationship with — not only professionally but personally as well — and then their characters die.”
His next big role in television came in 2016, when he began starring in the hit ABC drama, “Designated Survivor.”
The show aired on the network for two seasons, before transitioning over to Netflix for its third and final season in 2019. Kiefer also served as an executive producer on the show.
Kiefer portrayed U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman, who is suddenly sworn in as President of the United States after a catastrophic event kills the president, vice president and most members of Congress.
“I will go on a set like the Oval Office and find myself sitting straighter there… You feel a really heavy weight when you walk into that room. And I know it’s fake,” he told Parade in April 2017. “One thing I’ve walked away with, more than anything, for all the presidents who might not be my guy, I would probably cut them a little more slack now than I did before. It made me think about the difficulty of this job.”
In addition to being an accomplished actor, Kiefer also found success as a musician. He first formed the Kiefer Sutherland Band, which gained him credibility as a musician.
He later debuted his first solo album, “Down in a Hole,” in 2016, following that up with “Reckless and Me” and “Bloor Street” in 2019 and 2022 respectively.
“The songs that I wrote are stories from my life. They’re the closest thing I have to a journal,” he told the BBC in May 2019. “One of the most awkward moments I’ve ever had as a performer was the first show I ever played, realizing I didn’t have a character that was separating me from the audience. And once I kind of got comfortable enough to lean in to that, it became the most freeing experience as a performer that I’ve ever had.”
During his interview with the outlet, Kiefer admitted he was aware there is a stigma placed on actors who transition into musicians, but added that he “was absolutely taken aback by the generosity that I found from people coming to shows.”
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Kiefer has been in a few high profile relationships during his tenure in Hollywood, including his first marriage to actress and model Camelia Kath.
The two were married for three years, from 1987 to 1990, and share one daughter together; Sarah Sutherland, who joined the family business and also became an actress. She starred as Catherine Meyer in the hit HBO Max comedy “Veep.”
He was then married to actress Kelly Winn for eight years, from 1996 to 2004.
In between his two weddings, Kiefer was in a high-profile relationship with actress Julia Roberts for one year, from 1990 to 1991. The two met while working on “Flatliners,” and were engaged, canceled the wedding just days before the ceremony, causing a media frenzy.
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Kiefer has a long history with Hollywood, starting way before he appeared in his first film, as his father is a hugely successful actor himself.
His father, Donald, worked as an actor for over 60 years, starring in over 190 film and television projects, including “M*A*S*H,” “Don’t Look Now,” “JFK” and “Citizen X,” which earned him an Emmy Award win. He later introduced himself to a younger audience when he starred as President Snow in “The Hunger Games” franchise.
While he never received an Academy Award for a specific role, he was awarded an honorary award in 2018. Some of his later work includes “Ad Astra,” “The Undoing” and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” which was his final role before his death in June 2024.
“I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film,” Kiefer wrote on X following his father’s death. “Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived.”
Kiefer’s mother, Shirley Douglas, was also an actress, starring in many television shows and films in Canada, including “Lolita” and “The Virginian.”
