Who is Kiefer Sutherland's wife? Actor thinks fatherhood kept him from making 'deadly mistakes'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kiefer Sutherland was married to Puerto Rican actress Camelia Kath from 1987 to 1990. They had one daughter Sarah Sutherland who is best known for her role as Catherine Meyer in the TV show 'Veep.' The actor then married producer and director Kelly Winn in 1996 but the couple separated from each other in 1999 and officially divorced in 2004.
Currently, Sutherland is dating model and actress Cindy Vela. They began their relationship in 2014 but kept it hidden from the public eye. Their relationship came to light in 2017 when it was revealed they are engaged to each other. The pair currently reside together in Los Angeles.
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'Dangerous, reckless abandon connected to youth'
In a recent interview, Sutherland claimed that turning 20 and becoming a father placed him on the right path in life. Having children prevented the 56-year-old actor from making choices that may have been "very damaging for me" in the early days of Hollywood.
Between his two marriages, his almost-wedding to Julia Roberts in 1991 also set tongues wagging. Kiefer was only 23 at the time and Julia was 24. The couple got engaged after meeting and falling in love on the sets of the horror thriller film 'Flatliners'. But Roberts obviously had cold feet. Just three days before the big day, Julia had a change of heart, and eloped with Kiefer’s best friend, Jason Patric, and left Kiefer seething at the altar about being betrayed by both his lover and his friend.
Kiefer also discusseed the tragic deaths of his famous friends and how, during the 1980s, when his career was struggling, taking a hiatus "was the smartest thing" to do. As the bully Ace Merrill in the coming-of-age film 'Stand By Me' opposite River Phoenix, who unfortunately passed away at the age of just 23, Kiefer rose to fame at the age of 20. Speaking of his "heartbreaking" death and the other Hollywood legends Keifer had a close relationship with over the years, he told Radio Times, "I have lost friends over the years and I don’t think anyone who’s lost someone doesn’t go, 'Wow, ten minutes either way and that could have been me.'
"He (River Phoenix) had so much promise and was such a nice young man…I think about it all the time….There’s a very dangerous, reckless abandon that is connected to youth. And if you’re pushing the edge of trying to experience life, there’s a chance that you’ll make a mistake – and those mistakes can be deadly."
'I know the difference between right and wrong'
Keifer acknowledges that he has "done the wrong thing" at times in his life and that he constantly thinks of Phoenix. The actor has had four DUI charges over the years. In 2007, after failing a sobriety test, he received a 48-day jail sentence. "I’m not a moron, I know the difference between right and wrong. It’s just sometimes I’ve done the wrong thing," he said.
The 'Designated Survivor' actor, also has a stepdaughter from his first marriage to Camelia Kath, who was the widow of Chicago guitarist and singer Terry Kath. When they married, he became stepfather to Camelia's daughter, Michelle Kath, even before Camelia had daughter Sarah with him. Kiefer Sutherland said his ability to remain grounded was thanks to these familial bonds. In the words of Keifer, having children at such a young age helped him "get away from a bunch of other things that I think could have been very damaging for me."
The actor will soon appear in 'Rabbit Hole' as John Weir, a character who is falsely accused of murder by strong forces with the capacity to sway public opinion. He claimed that taking a little hiatus from his work in the 1980s was beneficial for his continued success in the field. "I didn’t trot all over my own name, I just waited for something really special to come along. And it did – 24,' he said.