Kiefer Sutherland has the entertainment industry running through every fiber of his being. The son of the acclaimed Canadian actor Donald Sutherland and Canadian actress Shirley Douglas, Kiefer was destined to be a performing artist from a young age. His early career was marked by a series of cult 1980’s and 1990’s movies that cemented his position as a reliably convincing and powerful actor, who could play any role with professionalism and passion. Yet Kiefer Sutherland’s early impressive success in the film industry has in recent years been almost overshadowed, by the praise and respect he has earned for his long-standing role as Jack Bauer in the phenomenally successful ‘24’ TV series.
Kiefer, never one to rest on past successes, has even in recent years began working in other areas of the performing arts, and he shows the same committed professionalism in any avenue of entertainment he tries his hand at. As he has forged his reputation as one of the most celebrated TV stars, Kiefer Sutherland has also built up a considerable fortune and he has become involved in the business side of entertainment too. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Kiefer, as in 2010 he was scammed out of almost a million dollars. But exactly how much has Mr 24 earned during his long and successful career? Take a step this way as we find out, but don’t delay – the clock is ticking.
Kiefer Sutherland Net Worth 2018 – $65 Million
How Did Kiefer Sutherland Make His Money & Wealth?
What’s in a name? Well in the case of Kiefer Sutherland, a lot of middle names. His full name is Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland, it’s a name that must be a nightmare for Kiefer to fill out on official forms, but his first name was given to him to honor Warren Kiefer the film director, who gave father Donald his first big movie role in 1964’s ‘Castle of the Living Dead’. Kiefer was born in London, England on December 21st 1966, along with his twin sister Rachel, while Donald was working on a movie there. The family moved back to Canada where they settled in Corona, California. Donald Sutherland, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Kiefer as he appears now in 2018, was in great demand professionally at the time, but Donald’s hectic work schedule eventually led to Kiefer’s parents divorcing in 1970. Kiefer and his mother moved to Toronto in 1975 and he spent the remaining years of his childhood there. Kiefer inevitably wanted to follow in his parents footsteps and he took acting classes at the weekends at the Sir Frederick Banting School, known for it’s excellence in arts and entertainment.
Kiefer Sutherland’s Early Career
In 1983 Kiefer sutherland made his debut in the comedy drama ‘Max Dugan Returns’, playing the role of Bill Costello. His father Donald also took a role in the film, and Matthew Broderick was another young actor who was making his first appearance on the big screen. Kiefer was considered for a big role in Wes Craven’s ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, but that part eventually went to another unknown actor who went on to become one of the biggest stars today, Johnny Depp. Kiefer starred in the gritty Canadian drama ‘The Bay Boy’ in 1984. The serious subject matter and downbeat style of the film received critical acclaim, eventually winning four Genie Awards, the Canadian version of the Oscars.
On the back of his growing reputation and star quality, Kiefer appeared in a few minor TV roles and series, but he later moved to Hollywood to pursue his acting ambitions on a much bigger stage, and in 1986 he took a main role in the coming of age drama ‘Stand By Me’, which was based on the Stephen King short story ‘The Body’. The film was a massive success with the casting being particularly praised, Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix and Corey Feldman all gave magnificently powerful performances, and Kiefer’s glowering and menacing portrayal of the neighborhood bully, Ace Merrill, showed his versatility and his convincing ability to play darker characters. Stand by Me won an Oscar and two Golden Globes, as well as a Directors Guild of America Award.
Kiefer Sutherland’s Rise to A-List Celebrity Stardom in the 1990’s
In 1987 Kiefer starred alongside Meg Ryan in the political drama ‘Promised Land’, the first film to be commissioned by the Sundance Film Festival, but that year also saw him play the role for which he was best known until his success playing the role of Jack Bauer in ‘24’. ‘The Lost Boys’ was a comedy horror film that starred Kiefer as the leader of a pack of the coolest vampires to ever grace our screens, admittedly this was the late 1980’s, when coolness was defined at least in part by the size of your hair and the brightness of your jacket, but Kiefer was short haired and fully clothed in Vampire-suitable black for the entire film, and he still managed to be the coolest of them all. ‘The Lost Boys’ was phenomenally successful, and has achieved a cult following with later generations and rightfully so. The film may have been flashy 80’s fluff in parts, but it had it’s darker moments, and Kiefer’s ability to portray a menacing danger so effortlessly was a big part of the film’s incredible popularity.
Kiefer’s string of celebrated roles continued to grow for the next decade. His starring role in the Western ‘Young Guns’ with Lou Diamond Philips and Emilio Estevez bought him even more praise. He reprised the role of ‘Doc’ in ‘Young Guns II : Blaze of Glory’ in 1990, to date the only time he has ever appeared in a sequel, and in the same year he starred in one of the most genuinely unsettling films of all time. The psychological science fiction horror ‘Flatliners’. Kiefer played the starring role of Nelson with incredible passion, his portrayal of a man driven to incredible psychological suffering at the hands of supernatural forces was praised for its power and presence.
The rest of the 1990’s saw Kiefer Sutherland enjoying the fame and fortune of any other A-list celebrity, he appeared in many starring roles of big-budget Hollywood productions, among them ‘A Few Good Men’ in 1992, which won an Academy Award, ‘Freeway’ from 1996 alongside Reese Witherspoon, a movie that also gained a strong cult following in time, and ‘A Time to Kill’ in 1996, appearing with his father Donald for a second time, although their characters never actually met on-screen.
Kiefer Sutherland’s Biggest Role as Jack Bauer in ‘24’
It’s hard to go up when you’re already at the top, but Kiefer did just that in 2002, already phenomenally respected, popular and successful he was one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars. When he accepted the starring role in a new real-time TV series based on one counter terrorist agents lone battle against the dark forces of terrorism, little could he have known the unparalleled success the show would achieve throughout the next decade. Terrorism was a subject very much in the news when the program first aired barely a year after the September 11th attacks, and Jack’s commanding performance as the gritty hero who single-handedly saved the World in 24 hour long episodes that perfectly mirrored the time-span of Jack’s Bauer’s on-screen activities was an instant hit for the Fox Network. A second series was quickly commissioned to run the following year with exactly the same format using the real-time method, and it remained an annual treat for fans for the remainder of the decade.
The impact of ‘24’ is hard to summarize due to it’s incredible and long-lasting popularity. Without any doubt Kiefer Sutherland’s commanding and gritty performances elevated the show to classic status immediately. In 2005 The American Film Institute perhaps defined ‘24’ best, they called it a ‘powerful masterpiece’ that had changed the face of television. The show received 68 Emmy nominations, from which it received 20 awards, including one for Kiefer in 2006 along with six nominations. It won two Golden Globes one of which was for Kiefer, again in 2006. In 2008 Empire Magazine named it the sixth greatest show of all time and the writers Guild of America included in their list of the top 100 shows ever. The fifth instalment of the show was its most celebrated and popular, During an eight year run until 2010 the show spawned one equally successful TV feature film, and Kiefer reprised the role in 2014 for ‘24: Live Another Day’.
Kiefer Sutherland Personal Life & FAQ’s
Is Kiefer Sutherland married?
Kiefer has been married twice. His first marriage was to Camelia Kath in 1987, they had a daughter together, Kiefer’s only child, Sarah who was born in 1988 and who has also acted, in the political satire ‘Veep’ that premiered in 2012. Kiefer and Camelia divorced in 1990, after which Kiefer and his co-star from ‘Flatliners’ Julia Roberts, began a relationship. They were engaged in 1990 and due to tie the knot the following year, but the wedding was called off just five days before it was due to take place, after the couple clashed over Kiefer’s friendship with a dancer, a friendship that Kiefer has always insisted was entirely platonic. Kiefer Sutherland married for a second time in 1996, this time to Kelly Winn, but that also ended in divorce in 2004 after the couple had seperated in 1999. Since 2014 Kiefer has been dating model and actress Cindy Vela, a relationship he kept secret until earlier this year.
Kiefer Sutherland’s Salary & Annual Earnings in 2017
Kiefer’s annual income is largely made up of appearance fees, royalties from his still hugely 1990’s body of work and of course incidental earnings from ‘24’, which became even more popular when the DVD box set was released in 2012. Kiefer is the co-owner of Ironworks, an independent music label and in the last two years Kiefer has turned to music for another addition to his professional accomplishments. He fell victim to a scam in a cattle purchasing deal in 2010 and lost out to the tune of almost $900,000. But Kiefer recovered his losses when he sued for damages and was eventually awarded the $900,000 with another $50,000 in damages on after a successful conviction had been secured against the perpetrator when the case came to trial. Busier than ever, Kiefer’s annual earnings now in 2018 are estimated to be around $20 million annally
Where Does Kiefer Sutherland Live?
Kiefer once owned a 5-story town house in New York Citys West Village, but he sold the property for an impressive $17.5 million in 2012. He owns several properties, but on the rare occasions when he’s not actually working to extend his already enormous body of work ever further, his main residence is a 900 acre ranch in Montana that he bought in the 1990’s. Perhaps Kiefer’s role in the Young Guns films inspired him more than fans thought, as he also traveled on the rodeo circuit for a while a few years later.
Kiefer Sutherland’s Charity work and philanthropy
Kiefer supports a wide range of charities and foundations, including the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the Red Cross, and several charities connected to Cancer research. He also works for and supports homelessness charities and the Global Fund for Equality, and in 2015 he even offered a night out in his company as the first prize in a competition to raise funds for the Breakfast at School Program.
Kiefer Sutherland’s Accomplishments
Kiefer has now in 2018 gone back to one of his most compelling movies, the chilling ‘Flatliners’ from 1990. A remake was announced in 2015 and Kiefer completed filming earlier in 2017, he also announced that the film would be a sequel to the original rather than just a remake, which if you consider the only other sequel he has ever appeared in was the hugely well-received ‘Young Guns II’, then ‘Flatliners’ (2017) promises to be one of the creepiest chills that your spine will ever experience. The remake/sequel will be in theaters on September 29th 2017. Since 2016 he has embarked on a musical career, releasing two singles, ‘Not Enough Whiskey’ and ‘Can’t Stay Away’, and he also released his first studio albums ‘Down in a Hole’ the same year.
Kiefer has been inducted to both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and to Canada’s Walk of Fame. Among the many accolades and awards he has received during his long and celebrated career, he also received a Lifetime Acheivement Award from the Zurich Film Festival. Still as much in demand as he’s ever been, and still yet to fail to bring success to a role, he returns as President Tom Kirkman in the second series of the critically acclaimed political drama ‘Designated Survivor’ on September 27th 2017.
