24: 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Jack Bauer

It’s been over 6 years since Jack Bauer last saved the world but the CTU agent’s legacy remains firm. The character’s toughness became the subject of internet jokes, as he could keep going for 24 straight hours without eating, sleeping, or going to the bathroom. He would also pick himself up very easily after being tortured by enemies.

Despite Jack’s flaws, he was a big improvement from action heroes of earlier decades whose actions were often seen as unrealistic. Actors portraying action stars are often snubbed by award bodies too but thanks to Jack’s coolness and character development, Kiefer Sutherland scooped a couple of Emmys.

9 He Uses The Krav Maga Fighting Style

As an army veteran, Jack was good with weapons but he was involved in plenty of physical fights in the FOX series. He mainly made use of the Krav Maga fighting technique when engaging opponents. This is a self-defense system invented by the Israel Defense Forces. It combines several techniques from Wrestling, Aikido, Boxing, Judo, and Karate.

Occasionally, the protagonist was seen using Brazilian Jiujitsu, Muay Thai, Hapkido, Kali, and Wing Chun Kung Fu. There is no explanation on the show as to how he learned these techniques but a good guess would be that it was part of his military training.

8 Kiefer Sutherland’s Daughter “Helped” Him Get The Role

Before production on the first season began, several actors auditioned for the role of the star CTU agent, including Carlos Bernard who went on to portray CTU agent Tony Almeida. Richard Bugi, who played secondary antagonist Kevin Caroll in Season 1. also auditioned for the role.

Sutherland emerged as a major contender when the pilot episode’s director Stephen Hopkins suggested him for the role. Series creator Robert Cochran was skeptical as he felt Sutherland was too young and wouldn’t fit the role because Jack had a teenage daughter. He changed his mind after finding out that Sutherland also had a daughter who was 13 at the time.

7 He Had A Military Career

During the “6:00pm – 7:00pm” hour on Day 1, a photo in Jack’s home showed him in his army uniform. As per the explanation given, Jack served in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, also known as the Delta Force. His father had wanted him to join his company, BXJ Technologies, but he loved fieldwork more.

About the photo at his home, it showed him donning a United States Marine Corps officer’s uniform. The picture is actually that of Lieutenant Jonathan Kendrick, Kiefer Sutherland’s character in the critically acclaimed 1992 movie A Few Good Men.

6 His Changes In Vehicles

Jack used a couple of car models in the show. He started out with a GMC Yukon but was normally seen driving several Ford Expeditions belonging to CTU. This was because Ford was the show’s official sponsor during the first four seasons.

From Season 5, Toyota became the official sponsor. As a result, Jack was seen with a personal silver Toyota Tundra at the start of Day 5. He also drove a dark blue Tundra owned by Tundra in Day 6. In Day 8, Jack drove a Chevrolet Malibu as American car manufacturer as Chevrolet had now become the official sponsor.

5 His Height, Weight, and Agent Profile

Jack’s badge number was rarely seen because CTU agents rarely flashed or wore their badges all the time like other American law enforcement officers. The one time it could be spotted was the Season 3 premiere, where it was displayed as #9431066. The number was revealed while pulling Jack’s file from his time as an undercover agent in Ramon Salazar’s cartel.

Jack’s employee number as seen on his file was 68025638X. As for more personal details, he was 5′ 11” tall, and weighed 170 pounds, with green eyes.

4 History Of Phone Numbers

Four of Jack’s phone numbers were revealed on the show. The first number was 318-679-6025, as seen on Day 4. This appeared on Agent Drake’s phone as he tried calling Jack while checking out Mitch Anderson’s apartment. Also on Day 4, a civilian who encountered the Air Force One wreckage was patched over to Jack when he called the police and the number was 310-597-3781.

On Day 6, terrorist leader Hamri Al-Assad called Jack using the number Hamri Al-Assad. The number 310-597-3781 was also used by Jack in Season 1 and apparently, it was real. The phone was answered by a member of the production crew whenever someone tried to call it.

February 18 also happens to be the birthday of star Kiefer Sutherland’s real-life daughter. This information came up on the web series 24: Day 6 Debrief. The short web series was set a few hours after the events of Day 6. In it, Jack was taken back to Division where he was debriefed on his time in captivity in China.

The Day 6 Debrief web series was accessible to American Express cardholders on the 24 official website. It was also part of the Season 6 DVD set in the United States and the UK.

3 His Kill Count

As one of the greatest TV heroes of all time, Jack sent plenty of baddies to the afterlife. The last time he appeared on the show, Jack’s kill count stood at 309, which is a rather impressive figure. And those are just his on-screen kills only. He probably killed more people before the start of the series and on days that weren’t the focus of the series.

Jack was also an expert at incapacitating opponents and rendering them unconscious. He did this to a total of 87 people on-screen. Though the statistics are not as overblown as those of action figures in the ’80s and ’90s, they are quite large by modern-day standards.

2 He Is Multilingual

Among Jack’s many impressive skills was his familiarity with several languages. The no-nonsense CTU agent could speak Russian, German, Spanish, Arabic, and Serbian.

He demonstrated his fluency in Russian when he disguised himself as a Russian agent on Day 6 in order to infiltrate the Russian consulate in Los Angeles. During Day 8, he pretended to be a German arms dealer and spoke to gangster Lugo Elson in German. And during a standoff with Greg Penticoff on Day 1, he spoke Spanish while trying to warn Jessie Hampton.

1 The Show Was Supposed To End With Jack’s Death

Many great TV heroes and antiheroes have died at the end of the series and the plan was to give Jack the same treatment. If things had gone this way, 24: Live Another Day would never have happened.

According to producer Howard Gordon, the initial plan was to conclude the events of Day 8 with Jack’s death. His death would probably have come at the hands of the Russians since he had gone on a rampage and killed several high-ranking officials. Instead, he fled the country, with help from President Allison Taylor.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1222 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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