Kiefer Sutherland Biography

 

Fast Facts:

Name: Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland

Birthdate: December 21, 1966

Birthplace: St. Mary's Hospital; Paddington; London, England

Eyes: Two different colors, I've been told they are blue and green.

Mother: Shirley Douglas (actress)

Father: Donald Sutherland (actor)

Siblings: Twin Sister Rachel, 3 half-brothers, Roeg, Rousif and Angus Redford

Relationships: Married to Kelly Winn June 28, 1996, filed for divorce March 13, 2000 but not officially divorced
          Married Camelia Kath in 1998, divorced Febrary 1990
          Dated dancer Amanda Rice in 1991
      Engaged to Julia Roberts whom he met in 1990, sceheduled to marry June 14, 1991

Children: Sarah Jude born 1988 to Camelina Kath
          Timothy - Step Son born 1993 to Kelly Winn
          Julian - Step Son born 1990 to Kelly Winn

Bits and Pieces:

Kiefer’s Parents divorced when he was 4 years old and he moved with his mother to Canada from LA.  He didn't see too much of his dad and didn't really know how big of a star Donald was until he was a bit older.  At age 9, young Kiefer started doing acting workshops while he was in school.  He was a track star at school and ended up being one of the top runners in Ontario.  He was soon taken by acting, dropping out of St. Andrew's College, a prestigious boy's school in Aurora, Ontario at age 15.  His early credits include a walk on that Donald got him in Max Dougan Returns and the lead role in the Canadian film The Bay Boy.  Kiefer won his first acting award from this role, a Genie.  After this Kiefer quit his job as a waiter and left for the big time in New York City with some friends.  They rented a less than desirable apartment and within 2 days Kiefer was offered a gig on a soap opera for over $100,000 a year.  This wasn't his taste, though, he wanted to do movies.  He went to an agent and said that he would turn down that offer if the agent took him on as a client.  The agent agreed but then Kiefer went unemployed for an entire year.  During this year he put his friends through theatre school but at the end he took some advice from a friend, got in his '69 Mustang (called Lucy) and went to LA.  There he lived on a beach for three months in his car because he was broke, but the advantage was they had public showers.  In that time he picked up 3 deals, one in the Steven Spielberg TV series, Amazing Stories for one episode, another in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and the last and biggest, a role in Stand By Me, where he played 'Ace'.

- His twin sister is a post-production supervisor in Toronto

- He was called 'Reefer' by classmates in high school

- Engagement to Julia Roberts possibly broke off due to her leaving for Europe with his friend from Lost Boys Jason Patric

- Kiefers Grandad was Tommy Douglas, the leader of the first elected socialist government in North America.  He was premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and is known as father of Canada's Government funded medical system

- While taking breaks from acting, Keifer won rodeos in Phoenix and Albirquerque in the late 1990s

- Plays hockey for a celeb team

- Kiefer earned 1st place in the US Team Roping Championships

- His first name came from Warren Kiefer, Pen name of Lorenze Sabatini who directed Castello dei morti vivi (1964) (or Castle of the Living Dead) in which Donald made his theatrical film debut

- founded "Still Water Productions" which Kiefer named after a river that ran through his Montatna ranch

- Wore a kilt at one of his weddings to honor familys Scottish heritage

- He is either of British of Canadian nationality

- Kiefer was named 'GQ Man of the Year for a TV Drama' at the 2002 GQ Men of the Year Awards on October 18, 2002

- In the new movie Phone Booth Kiefer playes a crazed sniper which parallels the sniper attacks in Washington.  This is why the opening was postponed

- Won Golden Globe in 2002 for his work on 24

-His half brother Rousif Redford is a 2003 cast member on ER

-Got a tattoo on the inside of his left arm for the third season of 24

- Favorite beverages: Coca Cola and Scotch Whiskey

- Favorite actors: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Duvall, Peter O'Toole, Gene Hackman, Michael J Fox and his dad

- Favorite cigarette: Marlboro

- Skills: Plays guitar, cooks, horseback rides, ice skates and plays pool

Quotes:

"Now I know how Charlie (Sheen) feels, I've lost all feeling in my lower half" on winning Golden Globe
"The most attractive thing in a woman is a sense of humor"
"If I get nailed for something stupid, I'd better be able to laugh at it or I learned nothing while I was away"
"I've been in a bunch of bands and that's what I wanted to do, but I just wasn't good enough, so now I collect guitars."
"It's easy to take the most important thing in your life for granted.  It can be gone before you realize how important it was."
"I can't count the number of times I wished I was Harrison Ford..."
As Athos in The Three Musketeers: "You fight like a man; lets see if you can drink like one."
Dartangon: "I'll drink anything you put in front of me."
Athos: "Famous last words."
As Nelson in Flatliners "Hello. I'm nice, he's nice, we're both fucking lunatics.  Can I come in please?"

Credits:
Taking Lives - 2004
Dead Heat - 2002
Paradise Found - 2002
Phone Booth -2002
Behind the Red Door - 2002
Desert Saints - 2002
Cowboy Up - 2001
To End All Wars -2001
Beat -2000
Ring of Fire 2000
The Right Temtation -2000
Ground Control -1999
Picking Up The Pieces -2000
Woman Wanted -1999
After Alice -1999
Dark City -1998
Killing Time -1998
A Soldiers Sweetheart -1998
Truth or Consequences, N.M. -1997
The Last Days of Frankie the Fly -1997
A Time To Kill -1997
Eye for an Eye -1996
Freeway -1996
Hourglass -1995
The Cowboy Way -1994
Teresa's Tattoo -1994
The Vanishing -1993
Last light -1993
Three Musketeers -1993
Twin Peaks - Fire Walk With Me -1992
A Few Good Men -1992
Article 99 -1992
Flashback -1990
Trapped in Silence -1990
Young Guns II -1990
Chicage Joe and the Showgirl -1990
Flatliners -1990
Renegades -1989
1969 -1988
Bright Lights, Big City -1988
Young Guns -1988
The Killing Tie -1987
The Lost Boys -1987
Promised Land -1987
Crazy Moon -1986
Stand By Me -1986
The Bay Boy -1984
Max Dugan Returns -1983

Directed:
Last Light
Truth or Consequences, NM
Woman Wanted