What happened to the cast of “24”? See the stars 25 years after the premiere
What happened to the cast of “24”? See the stars 25 years after the premiere
Matt CabralSat, November 14, 2026 at 12:45 PM UTC
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Jack Bauer and his happy family, plus the president and a secret traitorCredit: 20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection
24 arrived on television like an all-too-timely lightning bolt. The inaugural season of the groundbreaking thriller concluded with a shocking betrayal that led to an even more shocking death, setting a precedent that would push fans to the edge of their seats every week as that iconic clock started ticking.
But Fox’s award-winning thriller packed so much more than cliffhangers, plot twists, and post-9/11 escapist entertainment. In addition to its nerve-fraying real-time format, it boasted sharp writing, epic action, and the quintessential complicated 21st-century hero: Kiefer Sutherland‘s Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer.
Still, the tough, tortured protagonist couldn’t take on all those bad guys by himself. The show — across its eight full seasons, a TV movie, and a 12-episode limited return — featured a rotating cast of compelling supporting figures, many of whom never make it to the final hour of that titular 24-hour clock.
So what’s happened to the actors who played the agents, analysts, politicians, family members, and evildoers in the years since? While you anxiously keep your fingers crossed that another bad day for Bauer is on the horizon, join Entertainment Weekly as we catch up with some of the series’ most memorable characters.
01 of 12
Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer)
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer / Sutherland at the Venice Film Festival in 2026Credit: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX; Elisabetta A. Villa/Getty
Before saving the day every season as 24‘s terrorist-thwarting badass Jack Bauer — ranked by EW as one of pop culture’s all-time coolest heroes — Kiefer Sutherland was one of his generation’s signature bad boys.
He mean-mugged his way through Stand by Me (1986) and The Lost Boys (1987) before moving into leading roles like Flatliners (1990) and the Young Guns franchise. The Canadian actor stacked up a resume that included A Few Good Men (1992) and A Time to Kill (1996), a swashbuckling lead role in The Three Musketeers (1993), and a scene-stealing supporting turn in cult classic Dark City (1998).
Before it was fashionable for movie stars to slum it on the small screen, Sutherland took the risk, reinventing himself as the perfect post-9/11 action hero in 24. The only actor to appear in every episode, he became synonymous with the show’s scowling protagonist, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe in the process.
During the show’s run, the actor reunited with his frequent early-career director Joel Schumacher to play the creepy voice on the other end of the line in Phone Booth (2003) and later starred in The Sentinel (2006) and Mirrors (2008). But he kept busiest on TV, even squeezing in a two-season starring role on Fox’s Touch before 24‘s limited 2014 return.
Sutherland scored another hit with political thriller Designated Survivor, before returning to espionage for the Paramount+ actioner Rabbit Hole.
The son of legendary actor Donald Sutherland, the actor was famously engaged to his Flatliners costar Julia Roberts before the couple abruptly called it quits in 1991. Prior to that, he was married to Camelia Kath, with whom he shares a daughter and stepdaughter.
He has been in a long-term relationship with actress Cindy Vela since 2014. The actor has also faced a number of legal issues over the years, including multiple DUI arrests and allegations of physical assault.
02 of 12
Elisha Cuthbert (Kim Bauer)
Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer / Cuthbert at the ‘Every Year After’ premiere in 2026Credit: FOX; Dia Dipasupil/Getty
As Jack’s perpetually imperiled teen daughter, Elisha Cuthbert’s Kim was featured in some of the series’ most tense — and unintentionally silly — storylines.
Before 24, the Canadian-born Cuthbert worked as a child actor in her home country, starring on the spooky kids’ series Are You Afraid of the Dark? and serving as cohost of Popular Mechanics for Kids.
While a series regular in 24‘s early seasons, she also scored small roles in big-screen comedies Old School (2003) and Love Actually (2003), before graduating to leads in The Girl Next Door (2004) and House of Wax (2005).
The Calgary native found more TV fame on the cult-fave sitcom Happy Endings and Netflix’s The Ranch. Most recently, she’s appeared in a recurring role on Amazon’s romantic drama Every Year After.
Cuthbert shares a daughter and son with Dion Phaneuf, her husband of 13 years and a 14-year NHL veteran.
03 of 12
Dennis Haysbert (President David Palmer)
Dennis Haysbert as David Palmer / Haysbert at the ‘Gilded Age’ premiere in 2026Credit: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX; Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
Many presidents occupied the Oval Office over 24‘s nine seasons, but the most prominent was Dennis Haybert‘s David Palmer.
Before gaining widespread popularity as the stoic leader — and Bauer’s inside ally — he had established himself as a working character actor. He was Whitney Houston’s lover in Waiting to Exhale (1995) and a doomed ex-con (and short-order cook) in Heat (1995), in addition to appearances in Random Hearts (2000) and Love & Basketball (2000).
His most memorable movie character, however, was Pedro Cerrano, the voodoo-practicing slugger from the popular baseball comedy Major League (1989). He later earned acclaim for Todd Haynes’ Far from Heaven (2002), opposite Julianne Moore, and has maintained regular voice work in such animated hits as Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012).
Of course, fans also know him — and his commanding tone — from his long-running stint as an Allstate Insurance Company spokesperson. In addition to playing pitchmen and presidents, Haysbert has starred on Now and Again and The Unit, played God on Lucifer, and, most recently, voiced reptilian Jedi Master Eeko-Dio Daki on Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord.
Haysbert has been married twice, and shares two children with his second ex-wife, Lynn Griffith.
04 of 12
Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida)
Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida / Bernard at the Emmys Golf Classic in 2017Credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX; Brandon Williams/Getty
Before briefly breaking bad in season 7, Carlos Bernard‘s CTU hotshot Tony Almeida was a fan favorite who appeared in six of the show’s nine seasons.
Prior to fighting terrorist threats, Bernard had a brief run on The Young and the Restless and a handful of scattered guest spots elsewhere. He followed his initial 24 run with episodes of CSI: Miami, Hawaii Five-0, and Castle, and landed a recurring role on the Dallas reboot as Venezuelan criminal kingpin Vicente Cano.
The Illinois native later reprised his most famous character on 24: Legacy, the franchise’s 2017 single-season spinoff. Otherwise, the actor has primarily pivoted to directing, helming numerous episodes of Hawaii Five-0, Criminal Minds, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., and Law & Order.
Bernard has been married to actress Tessie Santiago since 2013, and they share a son. He also has a daughter from a previous marriage.
05 of 12
Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O’Brian)
Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O’Brian / Rajskub at the premiere of ‘Normal’ in 2026Credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX; Tommaso Boddi/Getty
24‘s nine seasons saw plenty of CTU techies come and go — with many meeting untimely deaths along the way — but Mary Lynn Rajskub‘s beloved Chloe was featured in more episodes than any other supporting character. But she wasn’t just another keyboard jockey — Chloe was one of Jack’s few loyal friends, who often risked her own hide to help her boss.
By the time she broke out as the nerdy sidekick, Rajskub had established herself in comedy, regularly stealing the spotlight on Mr. Show with Bob and David, The Larry Sanders Show, and Veronica’s Closet in the ‘90s.
That carried over to the big screen as well. Aside from being one of Adam Sandler’s many sisters in Punch-Drunk Love (2002), she popped up in countless other comedies, including Dude, Where’s My Car (2000), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and Safety Not Guaranteed (2012).
The Detroit native has kept up her prolific pace over the years, booking a regular gig in the first season of The Girlfriend Experience and guest spots on 2 Broke Girls and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as well as appearances as the grotesque Gail the Snail on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
The actress even did a comedic take on her most famous character, voicing Chloe in a 2007 24-themed of The Simpsons.
Rajskub has a son with her ex-husband, Matthew Rolph.
06 of 12
Kim Raver (Audrey Raines)
Kim Raver as Audrey Raines / Raver at Paris Fashion Week in 2026Credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX; Victor Boyko/Getty
The only thing more disposable than CTU analysts and agents was Jack Bauer’s love interests. Most met their doom before the show’s ticking clock ran out.
While Kim Raver‘s Audrey was no exception, President Heller’s (William Devane) daughter did survive longer than most, appearing in four seasons.
Before becoming entangled in Jack’s life-threatening exploits, Raver had already spent time on the front lines as a paramedic for six seasons of NBC’s first-responder drama Third Watch. She went on to star as a regular on The Nine and Lipstick Jungle, and had a recurring role on Revolution.
She also reprised Audrey in the Live Another Day limited series, and later reunited with Sutherland for a six-episode arc on Designated Survivor.
While Raver has held many notable TV roles, her most prominent is cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Teddy Altman, whom she played across 12 seasons of the long-running Grey’s Anatomy. She also picked up the character’s scalpel for a four-episode guest spot on the spinoff, Station 19.
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Raver has two sons with her husband of 26 years, writer/director Manuel Boyer.
07 of 12
Reiko Aylesworth (Michelle Dessler)
Reiko Aylesworth as Michelle Dessler / Aylesworth in Long Beach in 2019Credit: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX; Albert L. Ortega/Getty
Plenty of field agents and computer analysts hustled through the halls of CTU over the series’ nine seasons, but Michelle Dessler was more than just another member of the anti-terrorism team. Reiko Aylesworth’s character was a key part of early storylines, and her shocking season 5 death served as the catalyst for her husband Tony’s turn to the dark side.
Following a number of small roles in films (You’ve Got Mail, Random Hearts, Man on the Moon) and supporting TV parts (Law & Order, The West Wing, Ed), Aylesworth landed the role of Dessler. The smart, tough CTU agent is her most memorable role, but the part also served as a springboard to a steady career that continues today.
In addition to appearing in several movies, including the Kevin Costner serial killer thriller Mr. Brooks (2007) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), the actress has remained a small-screen staple, with appearances on ER, Lost, Damages, Hawaii Five-0, and Scorpion.
Also a prolific stage presence, Aylesworth is active in the theater community and, in 2022, became a Professor of Practice at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts.
She has a child with her husband, Shakespearean scholar Rob Clare, to whom she’s been married since 2013.
08 of 12
Gregory Itzin (President Charles Logan)
Gregory Itzin as Charles Logan / Itzin in Laguna Beach in 2019Credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX; Michael Kovac/Getty
Rather than giving fans another beloved commander-in-chief like President Palmer, 24 took a risk in season 4, putting Gregory Itzin‘s Charles Logan in the White House.
Seemingly incompetent — and absolutely corrupt — the weaselly POTUS became one of the show’s favorite antagonists, netting Itzin two Emmy nominations along the way.
While the popular character served as some viewers’ introduction to the actor, Itzin already had dozens of credits to his name before his breakout role. Beginning in the late ’70s, he appeared in numerous movies (Airplane!, Teen Wolf, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) and TV shows (Mork & Mindy, Hill Street Blues, Matlock, L.A. Law, ER, The Practice).
He continued to build his resume after 24, with recurring roles on The Mentalist, Covert Affairs, Big Love, and Mob City. He also scored guest spots in various Star Trek series and played a key supporting role in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning Lincoln (2012).
Itzin, who died at age 74 in 2022, was married over 40 years to his wife Judie. The couple shared two children.
09 of 12
Jean Smart (Martha Logan)
Jean Smart as Martha Logan / Smart at the Emmys in 2026Credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX; Monica Schipper/Getty
Jean Smart was already well on her way to becoming one of television’s most accomplished actors before she played tough but troubled first lady Martha Logan to Gregory Itzin’s villainous president. The role landed her a pair of Emmy nominations (in a career full of them).
After breaking out in the 1980s as Charlene on the hit CBS sitcom Designing Women, the Seattle native spent the next few decades racking up Emmy and Golden Globe wins — most notably for what may now be her signature role on Hacks, but also for her guest turn on Frasier and scene-stealing supporting part on Samantha Who?
In recent decades, she became a fixture of event television, landing Emmy nominations for Fargo, Watchmen, and Mare of Easttown in addition to acclaimed performances on Legion, The District, and Harry’s Law.
Of course, Smart’s breadth of work extends far past her bookshelf of eight Emmys and three Golden Globes. She was an Independent Spirit nominee for Guinevere (1999) and boasts supporting work in Sweet Home Alabama (2002), I Heart Huckabees (2004), A Simple Favor (2018), and Babylon (2022).
Her resume is just as packed with theater credits. She’s appeared in over two dozen stage productions, including 2000’s Broadway revival of The Man Who Came to Dinner, for which she was nominated for a Tony.
Smart wed actor Richard Gilliland — whom she met on the set of Designing Women — in 1987. The couple, who had two sons, remained together until Gilliland’s 2021 death.
10 of 12
Cherry Jones (President Allison Taylor)
Cherry Jones as Allison Taylor / Jones at a ‘Five Days at Memorial’ event in 2022Credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX; Araya Doheny/FilmMagic
24‘s first female president quickly became a fan favorite, a sentiment that paid off when Cherry Jones won the Emmy for her portrayal of POTUS Allison Taylor.
Jones first appeared in 24: Redemption — the TV-movie bridge between the sixth and seventh seasons — and remained in the role through season 8.
Jones previously played Republican congresswoman Barbara Layton in a 2004 episode of The West Wing. But her prolific career began in theater (aside from a handful of small early film and TV roles). She made her Broadway debut in 1987’s Stepping Out. Two Tonys would soon follow for her performances in The Heiress (1995) and Doubt (2005).
She’s been a regular presence on the stage for over five decades, but has spent equal time appearing in movies and on television. The former includes supporting roles in The Horse Whisperer (1998), Erin Brockovich (2000), The Perfect Storm (2000), Ocean’s Twelve (2004), and The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021). Back on the small screen, she parlayed her 24 popularity into a number of high-profile parts, including Leslie Mackinaw on Transparent.
She also took home guest Emmys for her roles on The Handmaid’s Tale and Succession.
Following a five-year romantic relationship with actress Sarah Paulson, Jones married filmmaker Sophie Huber in 2015.
11 of 12
Roger Cross (Curtis Manning)
Roger Cross as Curtis Manning / Cross at the ‘12 Dates of Christmas’ premiere in 2026Credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX; Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty
24 established early on that it had no problem killing off beloved characters. Even so, that didn’t make the murder of CTU agent Curtis Manning (Roger Cross) — at the hands of friend and colleague Jack Bauer — any less shocking.
But starring in one of the series’ most memorable scenes was just another day at the office for the busy actor, who’d already accrued dozens of film credits, including roles in Final Destination 2 (2003), X2 (2003), and The Chronicles of Riddick (2004).
The Jamaican actor secured even meatier roles on television, with substantial parts in Canadian series First Wave and Just Cause. And while his three-season run as Manning remains his most recognizable role, Cross has plenty of high-profile work on his resume, including The L Word, Arrow, The Strain, and Dark Matter.
He’s also a staple of Canadian crime and sci-fi dramas, with prominent roles on Continuum, Coroner, Murdoch Mysteries, and Sight Unseen.
Cross shares two sons, including actor Gabriel Jacob-Cross (Snowpiercer), with his longtime partner, actress Josephine Jacob.
12 of 12
Sarah Clarke (Nina Myers)
Sarah Clarke as Nina Myers / Clarke in Beverly Hills in 2024Credit: FOX; JC Olivera/Getty
Spoiler alert: The debut season’s precedent-setting, one-two gut punch was carried out by Sarah Clarke‘s Nina Myers. Jack’s ex and a high-ranking CTU agent, Nina was revealed as a mole late in that first season before murdering Mrs. Bauer (Leslie Hope).
While Clarke was a series regular only in the first season — returning in a recurring capacity in the following two installments — her traitorous turn remains her most memorable role.
But the busy actress, who kicked off her career in the early aughts with bit parts in Sex and the City and Ed, has no shortage of TV and film credits to her name.
On the big screen, she’s best known as Bella Swan’s (Kristen Stewart) eccentric mom in the Twilight franchise, though she also had a small part in the Best Picture-winning CODA (2021). Television viewers may recognize Clarke from any number of her appearances on on Nikita, Covert Affairs, Tomorrow People, and NCIS.
She also played Harry Bosch‘s (Titus Welliver) ex-wife in the eponymous crime drama’s first four seasons.
Clarke has two daughters with her husband, 24 costar Xander Berkeley, who played her boss, CTU Director George Mason.
Where can I watch 24?
24 is currently available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
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