Kiefer Sutherland

Born: December 21 1966
Where: London, UK

Sutherland, who bears a strong resemblance to his father, actor Donald Sutherland, made his breakthrough as a troubled teen in The Bay Boy.

Named after writer-director Warren Kiefer, who helped his father on a breakthrough role in Castle of the Living Dead, Sutherland began acting at age nine.

He moved with his mother to Toronto, where as a child actor he honed his craft in local stage productions.

After The Bay Boy, US audiences got their first glimpse of him as the radio operator of a WWII bomber in The Mission, an extended 1985 episode of the Spielberg-directed Amazing Stories.

Beginning with his memorable turn as a small-town bully in Stand By Me, 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 and cut a swatch as a charismatic teen vampire in the Joel Schumacher-directed The Lost Boys.

Over the next decade or so, Sutherland alternated between showy leads and nuanced character parts.

He was perfectly cast in Bright Lights, Big City and gave a poetic portrayal in the romantic Young Guns.

The tepid Flatliners introduced the actor to Julia Roberts and their resultant relationship spilled much tabloid ink.

In particular, when Sutherland was spotted with another woman on the eve of their impending marriage and Roberts' subsequent decision to cancel the wedding at the eleventh hour.

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 in A Few Good Men.

The actor went on to team with Charlie Sheen and Oliver Platt as The Three Musketeers.

In 1993, Sutherland began a promising secondary career as a filmmaker with the hard-hitting made-for-cable prison drama Last Light.

Moving to the big screen, Sutherland helmed Truth or Consequences, N.M. an uneven but stylishly enjoyable hostage drama.

In what some may have seen as a surprising move, Sutherland began to seek work in series TV.

After some false starts, he took the role of government agent Jack Bauer who uncovers a plot to assassinate a presidential candidate in the real-time monster hit 24.

He also returned to the big screen for Joel Schumacher's thriller Phone Booth opposite Colin Farrell.