Television viewers know Kiefer Sutherland as the no-holds-barred U.S. counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer. However, the life of this colorful Canadian actor has also been filled with action, danger, and trouble. Author Christopher Heard unearths Kiefer's dramatic story in his new biography. Once engaged to Julia Roberts, Sutherland's movie career started to slide in the 1990s. At one point, he even left Hollywood entirely. He bought a ranch in Montana and was victorious on the rodeo circuit.

Chance intervened in 2001, when Kiefer accepted a project promoting a “real-time” TV action series. The globally-syndicated Twentieth Century Fox U.S. TV show, 24, has been greatly successful ever since. It made Kiefer an international star beyond his wildest dreams. Today, Kiefer Sutherland is the highest paid actor on television earning at least $40 million per season. Episodes of 24 are broadcast in real time with each season depicting a 24-hour period (with its signature running digital clock and split-screens) in the life of 'Jack Bauer' as the character fights terrorist threats to the United States. This top 20 TV show regularly enjoys over 12 million viewers in the U.S. Kiefer has also starred in over 70 films, including: Dark City (1998), A Time to Kill (1996), The Vanishing (1993), The Three Musketeers (1993), A Few Good Men (1992), Flatliners (1990), Young Guns (1988), The Lost Boys (1987), and Stand by Me (1986).