Kiefer Sutherland was born in London, England, the son of Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas, both of whom are successful Canadian actors. He has Scottish ancestry from both parents and is the grandson of Canadian politician Tommy Douglas, the man who brought universal health care to Canada. Sutherland and his twin sister, Rachel, were born in London (in Saint Mary's Hospital, Paddington) while his parents were working there. As a result, he is both a British citizen and a Canadian citizen.

His family moved to Corona, California, but his parents eventually divorced in 1972. In 1975, Sutherland moved with his mother to Toronto. He attended elementary school at Crescent Town Elementary School in East York, Toronto, and high school at five different schools including St. Andrew's College, Martingrove Collegiate Institute, Harbord Collegiate Institute, Silverthorn Collegiate Institute, Malvern Collegiate Institute and Annex Village Campus. He also spent a semester at Regina Mundi Catholic College in London, Ontario, Canada and attended weekend acting lessons at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School. Sutherland reported on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2009) that he and Robert Downey, Jr. were roommates for three years when he first moved to Hollywood to pursue his career in acting. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.