Kiefer Sutherland - TV Star To Country Singer

After Early Fame And Action- Hero Success, The 24 Tough Guy Decided To Explore His Other Passion: Music

- Gillian Telling

When Kiefer Sutherland first left his hometown of Toronto for New York City at 17 for a theater role, he had no idea his career would suddenly take off like a rocket. “I did two plays, went to California and got my first film job,” recalls Sutherland, now 52. The son of actors Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas earned instant success playing big-screen bad boys, including bully Ace in Stand by Me and vampire leader David in The Lost Boys. In his mid-20s he showed off his sexy swagger in Young Guns and Flatliners, where he met his onetime fiancée Julia Roberts. But he says he was too young to appreciate the success that was coming his way. “The ignorance and arrogance of youth made me think, ‘Oh, this is just another day and this is how life’s going to be,’” he says with a laugh.