Jack Bauer

Jack Bauer is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Fox television series 24.

His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a federal agent of the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C. during season 7.

Within the 24 storyline, Bauer is a key member of the CTU, its Director in Season 1, and is often portrayed as their most capable agent.

Bauer's job usually involves helping prevent major terrorist attacks on the United States, saving both civilian lives and government administrations.

On many occasions, Jack does so at great personal expense, as those he thwarts subsequently target him and his loved ones.

He is not a crooked agent; however, Bauer's frequent use of torture to gather information has generated much controversy and discussion.

Actor Kiefer Sutherland portrays Jack Bauer in the television show and video game.

Jack Bauer was born in Santa Monica, California, on February 18, 1966, to Phillip Bauer, who placed his livelihood in his company, BXJ Technologies.

The name of Jack's mother is unknown.

Jack had one brother, Graem Bauer.

Phillip originally planned to give the company to Jack, but as Jack said in Day 6, "I just had to go my own way."

Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Science degree in Criminology and Law from the University of California, Berkeley.

He enlisted in the United States Army and later graduated from Officer Candidate School.

His branch was infantry.

He first served in the Special Forces, and was later a member of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), popularly known as Delta Force.

Among his awards and decorations are the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the Legion of Merit.

Apart from Special Forces and Delta training, he received Airborne, Air Assault, and Ranger training.

He left the Army with the rank of Captain after twelve years of service.

While in the Army, he married Teri Bauer and had one child, Kim Bauer.

Following his military career, Jack worked for both the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics unit and for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a Case Officer in the National Clandestine Service.

He was recruited into the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) by Christopher Henderson, CTU's Director of Field Operations.

Bauer has shown a high proficiency with firearms (typically using a SIG P228 as his weapon of choice for the first and second seasons, then switching to a USP Compact, until after Season 8 he switches again, this time to a P30).

He also can handle explosives and electronic devices, and has a high resistance to torture (after being kidnapped by Chinese agents and tortured for almost two years, it is revealed he didn't speak a single word the whole time).

He is fluent in German (Season 8) and has demonstrated some ability to either speak or understand Spanish (Seasons 1 and 3), Serbian (Season 1), Russian (Season 6), and Arabic (Season 8).

He is also shown to be capable of flying planes (Season 2) and helicopters (Seasons 3, 5, 8, and 9).

Jack is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant from his years in the Army and as a federal agent, and he has killed multiple enemies in hand-to-hand combat.

Bauer generally wishes to live a humble life, but is willing to step forward and protect his country, even at the expense of his own health.

In 2000, Sutherland was contacted by his friend, director Stephen Hopkins, who was working on the pilot for the experimental real-time TV show and offered him the lead.

Initially Sutherland had reservations about playing Bauer, stating, "I thought, 'This is really clever and different, so there's no way they're going to pick it up. But I could use the money, and no one will ever see it'."

Sutherland must produce around 24 hours of film each season, "which is like making 12 movies, so there are going to be mistakes along the way, but I am incredibly surprised by how many things work well as a result of working at that pace."

In 2006, Sutherland signed a contract to play the role of Bauer for three seasons following season five.

The contract was reported to be worth $40 million.

Sutherland is also an executive producer of 24.

The television series was originally set to end on May 24, 2010, after eight successful seasons but was renewed for a ninth season, which premiered on May 5, 2014.

A feature film was set to be released; however, discussions ended over a contract dispute with Fox.

TV Guide ranked him No. 49 on their list of "TV's Top 50 Heroes" and Sky 1 listed Jack as No. 1 on their list of "TV's toughest men".

Entertainment Weekly named Jack Bauer one of The 20 All Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture.

In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly also named him one of the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years.

Jack is also the only character in the show to have appeared in all episodes.

24 co-creator Joel Surnow commented that they did not have any actors in mind for the part; "We didn't really know who it was. We were casting a lot of people and then we heard Kiefer Sutherland's name and thought, that's Jack Bauer."