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. 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, through the jus soli and the jus sanguinis, he holds both a Canadian passport and a British passport with certificate of Right to Abode.His family moved to Corona, California, shortly afterwards, but his parents eventually divorced in 1972. In 1975, Sutherland moved with his mother to Toronto, Canada, where he attended elementary school at Crescent Town School in East York, Toronto, and high school at St. Andrew's College, Martingrove Collegiate Institute, Harbord Collegiate Institute and Malvern Collegiate Institute. He also spent a semester at Regina Mundi College in London, Ontario, Canada, and attended Crescent Town Elementary School and St. Clair Junior High School in East York, Ontario.
He has one daughter, Sarah Jude, born February 18, 1988, along with a stepdaughter, Michelle Kath, from his first marriage to Camelia Kath. Michelle is the daughter of Chicago guitarist/singer Terry Kath. Sutherland's marriage to Camelia lasted from September 12, 1987 - 1990.
Julia Roberts met Sutherland in 1990, when he was her co-star in Flatliners; he left his wife and children to move in with Roberts. In August 1990, Roberts and Sutherland announced their engagement, with an elaborate studio-planned wedding scheduled for June 14, 1991. Roberts broke the engagement three days before the wedding when she discovered Sutherland had been meeting with a stripper named Amanda Rice. His friend Jason Patrick ran off with Roberts to Ireland.
In 2006, Sutherland became a step-grandfather when Michelle gave birth to a son, Hamish. Michelle, born in 1976, is just ten years younger than Sutherland. On June 29, 1996, he married Kelly Winn. They separated in 1999. He filed for divorce in 2004 (the same year Sutherland got arrested the first time). Their divorce was finalized on May 16, 2008. He has two stepsons from this marriage, named Timothy and Julian Daily.
Sutherland is a well-known collector of many guitars, a majority of which are Gibson Les Pauls. Recently, the Gibson Custom shop has released a guitar (signed by Sutherland himself), the KS-336, as part of their 'Inspired By' series.
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