BIOGRAPHY
KIEFER SUTHERLAND
BIOGRAPHY
A blond, long-faced player of stage and screen, Kiefer Sutherland bears a strong resemblance to his father, actor Donald Sutherland; both possess striking, if unconventional, good looks which have allowed them to be leading men but work best in moody, sometimes aggressive character roles. Named after writer-director Warren Kiefer, who helped his father on a breakthrough role in "Castle of the Living Dead" (1964), Kiefer Sutherland began acting at age nine, appearing in a Los Angeles production of "Throne of Straw". He later moved with his mother to Toronto, where as a child actor he honed his craft in local stage productions. Sutherland's first big break came with the title role of a conflicted teen who witnesses a murder committed by his girlfriend's father in the Canadian-made feature "The Bay Boy" (1984). US audiences first got to see him in action as the radio operator of a WWII bomber in "The Mission", an extended 1985 episode of NBC's anthology series "Amazing Stories" that was directed by Steven Spielberg. The actor also did fine work as an elective mute in the CBS movie "Trapped in Silence" (1986).
Beginning with his memorable turn as a small-town bully in "Stand By Me" (1986), Sutherland became established in Hollywood features. He more than held his own as a one of the gang led by a volatile Sean Penn in "At Close Range" (also 1986) and cut a swatch as a charismatic teen vampire in the Joel Schumacher-directed "The Lost Boys" (1987). Over the next decade or so, Sutherland alternated between showy leads and nuanced character parts. He was perfectly cast as the seductive Tad Allagash who encourages a hedonistic lifestyle for Michael J. Fox's aspiring novelist in "Bright Lights, Big City" (1988). Sutherland was the poetic one of the photogenic cowboys of "Young Guns" (also 1988) and a buttoned-up FBI agent sent to escort a 60s radical (Dennis Hopper) to prison in "Flashback" (1990). A reunion with director Joel Schumacher on the tepid "Flatliners" (1990) introduced the actor to Julia Roberts.
Two years later, Sutherland was back in high-profile roles, as a quirky FBI agent in the film prequel "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" and an overly religious Marine who may or may not be involved in a murder in "A Few Good Men". The actor went on to team with Charlie Sheen and Oliver Platt as "The Three Musketeers" (1993) and partnered with Woody Harrelson as rodeo riders who head to NYC to find a missing pal in "The Cowboy Way" (1994). For some actors villains are more fun to play, and Sutherland proved that adage with a chilling turn as a Ku Klux Klansman in his third film for Joel Schumacher, "A Time to Kill" (1996, which also featured his father as an alcoholic lawyer) as a low-key psycho in "Freeway" (1996), a modern-day spin on the "Little Red Riding Hood" story. The actor went on to impress as a deceptive doctor in "Dark City" (1998) and as poet William S. Burroughs in the Sundance-screened "Beat" (2000).
In 1993, Sutherland began a promising secondary career as a filmmaker with the hard-hitting made-for-cable prison drama "Last Light" (Showtime) about the unlikely relationship between an inmate (Sutherland) and a guard (Forest Whitaker). He again did double duty as director and star of "Love and Blood", a 1995 entry in Showtime's film noir series "Fallen Angels", about a down on his luck boxer who is framed for murder by his ex-lover. Moving to the big screen, Sutherland helmed "Truth or Consequences, N.M." (1997), an uneven but stylishly enjoyable hostage drama that was more than enlivened by Sutherland's turn as a devilish psychopath. His follow-up, "Woman Wanted" (1999), though intriguing played as half-formed. Indeed, Sutherland removed his name from the credits over an editing dispute for its theatrical release (substituting Alan Smithee) although the press notes made his contribution known. The music for all the movies directed by Kiefer was composed by his long-time friend Jude Cole. Kiefer's voice can be heard on Jude Cole's 1995 album "I Don't Know Why I Act This Way".
In what some may have seen as a surprising move, Sutherland began to seek work in series TV. He stepped into Kevin Spacey's shoes as Jack Vincennes, the Southern Californian cop who served as an advisor to a TV show, in the pilot for a show based on "L.A. Confidential", but no network was willing to commit to it. In the long run that may have worked to the actor's advantage. Instead, he accepted the role of government agent Jack Bauer who uncovers a plot to assassinate a presidential candidate and has all of one day to stop it. As if that isn't enough, Bauer also discovers his teenage daughter has disappeared. The novel premise of "24" was that each of the series' episodes played out in real-time and covered one hour in Bauer's attempts to locate both the assassin and his missing child. Critics praised the series (with some including it on their top picks for the year) and its star, whose stalwart performance anchored the drama. In addition to 24 hours, Sutherland is also featured in Joel Schumacher's "Phone Booth" (2002). "Phone Booth" is a thriller that is set entirely around the confines of a New York City phone booth.
In 1997, Kiefer performed in the Canadian production of the play "THE GLASS MENAGERIE" with his mother Shirley Douglas. He was also involved in voice-work for the critically acclaimed animation film "Dinosaur" in 2000.
FILMOGRAPHY
FILMOGRAPHY
Taking Lives (2004)
Director: D. J. Caruso
Co-Stars: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke
Synopsis: An FBI profiler hunts for a serial killer that assumes the identities of his victims
Paradise Found (2002)
Director: Mario Andreacchio
Co-Stars: Nastassja Kinski, Alun Armstrong, Chris Haywood
Synopsis: About the life of French painter Paul Gauguin
Behind the Red Door (2002)
Director: Matia Karrell
Co-Stars: Kyra Sedgwick, Stockard Channing
Synopsis: In this powerful heart wrenching journey, a dying man must reunite with his estranged sister to face their family's violent past; for this is the only way they can find peace in their tortured lives.
Phone Booth (2002)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Co-Stars: Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker,
Radha Mitchell, Katie Holmes
Synopsis: Stuart Shepard's life is on the line when he finds himself trapped in a phone booth, pinned down by an extortionist's sniper rifle.
Desert Saints (2002)
Writer/Director: Richard Greenberg
Co-Stars: Brent Roam, Shawn Woods, Christopher Bersh,
Melora Walters, Buddy Quaid
Synopsis: A contract killer gets more than he expected when he recruits a woman to be his latest accomplice
"24" TV Series (2001-????)
Director: List includes Stephen Hopkins, Jon Cassar & Frederick K. Keller
Co-Stars: Leslie Hope, Sarah Clarke, Elisha Cuthbert,
Dennis Haysbert, Penny Johnson Jerald
Synopsis: CTU agent Jack Bauer has to race the clock to handle both a presidential candidate assassination plot and his daughter's kidnapping, while dealing with a mole inside the agency.
This series has proved very rewarding for Kiefer since he has been nominated for several prestigious awards. In 2002, he won his first Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama. He also won a Golden Satellite Award and was nominated for an Emmy and TCA Award later that year. Kiefer has also become a producer for the second season of "24".
Dead Heat (2001) aka I Fought The Law
Director: Mark Malone
Co-Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Radha Mitchell
Synopsis: A tough Boston cop is unwillingly transformed into a criminal by his brother, a small time crook with connections to the mob.
To End All Wars (2001)
Director: David Cunningham
Co-Stars: Robert Carlyle, Ciaran McMenamin
Synopsis: In 1942 in the jungles of Burma, Allied Soldiers in the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army fought a daily struggle to stay alive whilst constructing the infamous "Death Railway".
Cowboy Up (2000) aka Ring of Fire
Director: Xavier Koller
Co-Stars: Marcus Thomas, Daryl Hannah,
Molly Ringwald, Pete Postlethwaite
Synopsis: Two bull-riding brothers work the professional rodeo circuit.
The Right Temptation (2000)
Director: Lyndon Chubbuck
Co-Stars: Rebecca DeMornay, Dana Delany,
Adam Baldwin, Joanna Cassidy
Synopsis: A detective falls for the man she's supposed to be investigating - until he frames her for murder.
The Royal Way (2000)
Writer/Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Co-Stars: Richard Harris
Synopsis: Traces the adventures of two men through the dangerous jungles of the Khmer Royal Way.
Beat (2000)
Writer/Director: Gary Walkow
Co-Stars: Courtney Love, Norman Reedus, Ron Livingston
Synopsis: The story of writer William Seward Burroughs and his wife.
Watership Down Animated UK TV Series (1999)
Writer/Director:
Stars: John Hurt
Synopsis: Kiefer guest stars as the voice of Hickory Rabbit
Picking Up the Pieces (1999)
Director: Alfonso Arau
Co-Stars: Woody Allen, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Cheech Marin,
David Schwimmer, Lou Diamond Phillips
Synopsis: A woman's severed hand has an Arizona community believing in miracles when a blind woman finds it and regains her sight.
After Alice (1999) aka Eye of the Killer
Director: Paul Marcus
Co-Stars: Henry Czerny, Polly Walker, Gary Hudson
Synopsis: A boozy detective hunts a serial killer who leaves clues based upon the book "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".
Woman Wanted (1999)
Director: Kiefer Sutherland
Co-Stars: Holly Hunter, Michael Moriarty,
Carrie Preston, Jackie Richardson, Shirley Douglas,
Allegra Fulton
Synopsis: A complex relationship forms among a widower, his adult son, and the new woman in their lives.
Kiefer both directs and stars in this film, along with his mother.
Dark City (1998)
Writer/Director: Alex Proyas
Co-Stars: Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, Colin Friels
Synopsis: A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.
The Break Up (1998)
Director: Paul Marcus
Co-Stars: Bridget Fonda, Steven Weber,
Penelope Ann Miller, Tippi Hedren, Hart Bochner
Brent Briscoe, Sarah DeVincentis, Susan Barnes
Synopsis: Detectives pursue a hearing-impaired woman who they believe murdered her abusive husband.
"Made In Canada" TV Series (1998)
Director: List includes Jerry Ciccoritti
Stars: Rick Mercer, Peter Keleghan, Leah Pinsent
Synopsis: Kiefer guest stars as himself in episode #1.8, "New Office"
Ground Control (1998) aka Jet
Director: Richard Howard
Co-Stars: Bruce McGill, Kristy Swanson, Kelly McGillis, Henry Winkler
Synopsis: No Radar. No Contact. No Control.
A Soldier's Sweetheart (1998)
Writer/Director: Thomas Michael Donnelly
Co-Stars: Georgina Cates, Skeet Ulrich, Daniel London
Synopsis: A tale of love and war set in Vietnam 1967.
Armitage III Poly-Matrix: An Animated Motion Picture (1997)
Director: Takuya Sato
Other voice actors: Elizabeth Berkley, Dan Woren
Synopsis: A policeman, Ross Sylibus (voiced by Kiefer), is assigned to a unit on a Martian colony, to find that women are being murdered by a psychotic named D'anclaude.
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (1997)
Director: Kiefer Sutherland
Co-Stars: Vincent Gallo, Mykelti Williamson, Kevin Pollak, Kim Dickens,
Max Perlich, Rod Steiger, Martin Sheen
Synopsis: A drug deal goes wrong causing a foursome, led by a lunatic killer, to go on the run.
Kiefer both directs and stars in this film.
Eye for an Eye (1996)
Director: John Schlesinger
Co-Stars: Sally Field, Ed Harris, Beverly D'Angelo,
Joe Mantegna, Charlayne Woodard, Keith David
Synopsis: A furious mother takes the law into her own hands when the man who raped and murdered her daughter escapes prosecution.
A Time to Kill (1996)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Co-Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson,
Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Ashley Judd
Synopsis: Based on John Grisham's best-selling novel.
Kiefer stars in this film alongside his father, and was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain in 1997.
Freeway (1996)
Writer/Director: Matthew Bright
Co-Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Amanda Plummer,
Michael T. Weiss, Brooke Shields, Wolfgang Bodison,
Dan Hedaya, Bokeem Woodbine
Synopsis: A troubled teenager's search for her grandmother is interrupted by an encounter with a highway-cruising serial killer.
The Last Days of Frankie the Fly (1996)
Director: Peter Markle
Co-Stars: Dennis Hopper, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
Synopsis: Frankie is an unrespected little man, who works for mob bosses Sal and Vic.
Duke of Groove (1995)
Writer/Director: Griffin Dunne
Co-Stars: Kate Capshaw, Elliott Gould, Udo Kier, Tobey Maguire, Uma Thurman
Synopsis: Mother takes her teenage son to a party, to make sure he will not be at home when father leaves the family for good. This is an Oscar nominated short film and can be found on a video called "Four Tales of Two Cities".
Hourglass (1995)
Writer/Director: C. Thomas Howell
Stars: C. Thomas Howell, Ed Begley Jr., Don Most
Synopsis: Kiefer has an uncredited role in this film.
Natural Selection (1994)
Director: Jack Sholder
Stars: C. Thomas Howell, Lisa Zane, Nicolas Coster, Joanna Miles
Synopsis: Kiefer is credited as an Executive Producer of this film.
The Dolphin Story (1994)
Director: Kim Kindersley
Co-Stars: Karin Ecker
Synopsis: Intro by Kiefer, Soundtrack by Julian Lennon
Dolphin: A Magical Musical Journey (1994)
Director: Kim Kindersley
Co-Stars: John Hurt
Synopsis: Intro by Kiefer, Soundtrack by Julian Lennon
The Cowboy Way (1994)
Director: Gregg Champion
Co-Stars: Woody Harrelson, Dylan McDermott
Ernie Hudson, Cara Buono, Marg Helgenberger
Synopsis: Two modern-day cowboys tangle with smugglers in New York while trying to round up a missing buddy.
Teresa's Tattoo (1994)
Director: Julie Cypher
Stars: Matt Adler, C. Thomas Howell,
Nancy McKeon, Lou Diamond Phillips, Casey Siemaszko,
Adrienne Shelly, Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang
Synopsis: Kiefer has an uncredited role in this film.
The Vanishing (1993)
Director: George Sluizer
Co-Stars: Jeff Bridges, Nancy Travis, Sandra Bullock,
Park Overall, Susan Barnes
Synopsis: The boyfriend of an abducted woman never gives up the search as the abductor looks on.
"Fallen Angels" TV Series (1993)
Directors: Among the list of directors is Tom Cruise and Kiefer Sutherland
Stars: Lynette Walden, Gary Oldman, Peter Coyote,
Meg Tilly, Gabrielle Anwar, Dan Hedaya
Synopsis: Kiefer also plays "Matt Cordell" in episode # 1.7, "Love and Blood". Can be found on DVD/VHS under "Perfect Crimes Vol. 2".
Last Light (1993)
Director: Kiefer Sutherland
Co-Stars: Forest Whitaker, Clancy Brown, Amanda Plummer
Synopsis: About a killer who is waiting on death row, and finds an unlikely friend in a prison guard.
Kiefer both directs and stars in this film.
The Three Musketeers (1993)
Director: Stephen Herek
Co-Stars: Charlie Sheen, Chris O'Donnell, Oliver Platt,
Tim Curry, Rebecca De Mornay, Gabrielle Anwar
Synopsis: A Disney-ized retelling of Alexandre Dumas' classic swashbuckling story.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
Director: David Lynch
Co-Stars: Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Kyle MacLachlan,
Moira Kelly, David Bowie, Harry Dean Stanton
James Marshall, Grace Zabriskie, Pamela Gidley
Synopsis: The events leading up to Laura Palmer's murder are explored in David Lynch's prequel to his cult TV series.
A Few Good Men (1992)
Director: Rob Reiner
Co-Stars: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore,
Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall,
J.T. Walsh, Christopher Guest, Matt Craven
Synopsis: A Navy lawyer tries to prove two Marines accused of beating a comrade to death were following their commander's orders.
Article 99 (1992)
Director: Howard Deutch
Co-Stars: Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker,
Lea Thompson, John C. McGinley, John Mahoney
Synopsis: Red tape and a tyrannical administrator stand in the way of a doctor's crusade to improve health care at a VA hospital.
Flashback (1990)
Director: Franco Amurri
Co-Stars: Dennis Hopper, Carol Kane, Paul Dooley, Kathleen York
Synopsis: The young FBI-agent John Buckner is instructed to bring Huey Walker, a hippy from the sixties, to prison.
Trapped in Silence (1990)
Director: Michael Tuchner
Co-Stars: Frances Foster, John Mahoney, Marsha Mason,
Stephen Pearlman, Ron Silver, Amy Wright
Synopsis: A pschologist tries hard to get through to kid who can talk - but won't.
Young Guns II (1990)
Director: Geoff Murphy
Co-Stars: Emilio Estevez, Lou Diamond Phillips,
Christian Slater, William Petersen, Alan Ruck,
R.D. Call, James Coburn, Balthazar Getty, Jack Kehoe
Synopsis: Legendary outlaw Billy the Kid and his gang run for the Mexican border to escape Pat Garrett's posse.
The Nutcracker Prince (1990)
Director: Paul Schibli
Other voice actors: Peter Boretski, Len Carlson, Phyllis Diller, Peter O'Toole
Synopsis: Kiefer is the voice of the prince
Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (1990)
Director: Bernard Rose
Co-Stars: John Lahr, Emily Lloyd, Patsy Kensit
Synopsis:
Flatliners (1990)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Co-Stars: Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt
Synopsis: Medical students bring themselves near death and their experiment begins to go awry.
Kiefer was once briefly engaged to Julia Roberts.
Renegades (1989)
Director: Jack Sholder
Co-Stars: Lou Diamond Phillips, Jami Gertz, Tom Butler
Synopsis: They had to trust each other, or die.
Young Guns (1988)
Director: Christopher Cain
Co-Stars: Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen,
Jack Palance, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dermot Mulroney,
Casey Siemaszko, Terence Stamp, Terry O'Quinn, Brian Keith
Synopsis: After their mentor is murdered, six deputized regulators take revenge and become the target of a massive manhunt.
The cast and crew of Young Guns won the Bronze Wrangler Theatrical Motion Picture Award in 1989. This is the first time Kiefer won an award for his acting skills.
1969 (1988)
Director: Ernest Thompson
Co-Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Winona Ryder
Bruce Dern, Mariette Hartley, Joanna Cassidy
Synopsis: The turmoil of the times catches up with two buddies who entered college to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War.
Bright Lights, Big City (1988)
Director: James Bridges
Co-Stars: Michael J. Fox, Phoebe Cates,
Dianne Wiest, Gina Belafonte, Sam Robards
Synopsis: A young kid from Kansas moves to New York to work on a magazine. He gets caught up in the world of drink and drugs.
Promised Land (1988)
Director: Michael Hoffman
Co-Stars: Jason Gedrick, Meg Ryan,
Tracy Pollan, Googy Gress, Deborah Richter
Synopsis: The lives of two former Utah high-school classmates tragically converge over the Christmas holiday.
The Killing Time (1987)
Director: Rick King
Co-Stars: Beau Bridges, Wayne Rogers,
Michael Madsen, Shiri Appleby, Camelia Kath
Synopsis: A psycho murders a man who was on his way to a job as a deputy sheriff in a small California coastal town. Kiefer stars with his first wife Camelia in this film.
The Lost Boys (1987)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Co-Stars: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest,
Corey Feldman, Billy Wirth
Synopsis: Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire.
Stand by Me (1986)
Director: Rob Reiner
Co-Stars: River Phoenix, Corey Feldman,
Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, Richard Dreyfuss,
Casey Siemaszko, John Cusack, Bradley Gregg, Marshall Bell
Synopsis: Four friends share what could be their last adventure together as they search for a missing boy's body.
"Amazing Stories" TV Series (1985)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Co-Stars: Kevin Costner, Anthony LaPaglia, Casey Siemaszko
Synopsis: Kiefer plays "Static" in episode #1.5, "The Mission"
At Close Range (1986)
Director: James Foley
Co-Stars: Sean Penn, Christopher Walken,
Chris Penn, Mary Stuart Masterson, Millie Perkins,
David Strathairn, Eileen Ryan, Candy Clark, J.C. Quinn
Synopsis: Intrigued with his father's seemingly exciting life of crime, an aimless Pennsylvania teenager follows suit.
The Brotherhood of Justice (1986)
Director: Charles Braverman
Co-Stars: Keanu Reeves, Lori Loughlin,
Joe Spano, Billy Zane
Synopsis: In this town if you deal or steal, you die. That's a promise from the Brotherhood.
Crazy Moon (1986)
Director: Allan Eastman
Co-Stars: Peter Spence, Vanessa Vaughan
Synopsis: A rich but slightly odd teenager has various adventures with his older brother who leads him astray.
The Bay Boy (1984)
Writer/Director: Daniel Petrie
Co-Stars: Liv Ullmann, Peter Donat, Peter Spence
Synopsis: A Roman Catholic teenage boy in Nova Scotia during the 1930s faces various growing-up problems.
A critically acclaimed film that earned Kiefer his first award nomination in 1985. He was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
Max Dugan Returns (1983)
Director: Herbert Ross
Co-Stars: Matthew Broderick, Marsha Mason,
Jason Robards, Donald Sutherland
Synopsis: Kiefer's first feature film, starring alongside his father
FILMOGRAPHY
FILMOGRAPHY