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| Birth Name(s) : Jack Bauer |
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Full Jack Bauer Biography
Jack Bauer is the protagonist of the American television series 24, in which he has trained and worked in various capacities as a government agent, including US Army Delta Force, LAPD SWAT, and finally the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) Los Angeles. He is a key member of the latter and has helped prevent major terrorist attacks on the United States throughout the series, saving both civilians and government leaders. On many occasions Jack has done so at great personal expense, as those he has thwarted have targeted him and his loved ones many times, especially in Season 1. Actor Kiefer Sutherland portrays Jack Bauer in the television show and video game, and in 2006 signed on for at least three further seasons.
As the principal character in 24, Jack plays a prominent role in the television series as well as the video game. Jack is the main protagonist of the 24 series and the books, and has appeared in every episode to date. He is the only character to have done so, although Glenn Morshower, as Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce, has appeared in every season.
Bauer appeared in the first half of the season finale of the 18th season (episode 399) of The Simpsons with Chloe O'Brian as part of Springfield Elementary's new Counter Truancy Unit. He gets embarrassed on a prank call made by Bart Simpson (due to a crossover of calls). In the end, Bauer and the CTU breaks into Springfield Elementary, ruining its bake sale. They were about to arrest Bart for the prank call until a nuclear bomb activates in the background. Bauer then promptly tells the people that it was in Shelbyville, much to their relief.
In The Office episode "The Job", Dwight Schrute says that once he is promoted to regional manager his ideal choice for his number two will be Jack Bauer. However, Dwight says Jack "is unavailable, fictional, and overqualified".
Bauer's behavior and actions are consistent with doing that which has to be done to protect the United States and its citizens to the point of giving his own life. He appears to be entirely utilitarian and consequentialist in his moral thinking: when innocent lives are in danger he behaves as though obtaining a desired result is more important than how he obtains it, and he frequently performs controversial actions if he thinks they will achieve an important goal. His philosophy was perhaps best expressed after he shot a witness in front of George Mason, the CTU Special Agent in Charge. George expressed dismay at Jack's extreme action, and Jack replied: "That's the problem with people like you, George. You want results, but you never want to get your hands dirty." Lying, torture, theft, and even killing people he cares about are all viable options to Jack, a stark contrast to the vast majority of fictional heroes. Comparisons with the very people he battles are inevitable. As stated by George Mason in Day 1, "Rules don't apply to Jack Bauer. He does what he wants, when he wants, and he doesn't care whose life it affects." Jack also seems to show complete disregard for himself when situations occur. The very day he was released from a 20 month stay in a Chinese prison for violating the sovereignty of their consulate, he was willing to risk the exact same thing again by going into the Russian Consulate, even though he now knows better than anyone the consequences of that action, because innocent lives are on the line.
Jack's work brings with it dangers that occasionally put his and his family's life on the line, as well as the lives of those close to him, in order to serve the greater good. In one instance, he was forced to choose between defying a terrorist with a biological weapon or killing one of his superiors, Regional Director Ryan Chappelle. Despite efforts to locate the terrorist before the deadline, Bauer was forced to execute Chappelle to prevent the release of the weapon. In the fourth season, Bauer drew the ire of the Chinese government when he infiltrated and extracted a Chinese scientist named Lee Jong from the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles, which resulted in the death of the Chinese Consul. Lee was shot during the raid and needed immediate medical attention. At CTU, Bauer learned that the sole doctor was already working on Paul Raines, estranged husband of Audrey Raines (Jack's girlfriend) who earlier in the series had saved Jack's life. Much to Audrey's horror, Bauer drew his weapon and ordered the doctor to abandon Paul Raines and begin surgery on Lee. Raines went into cardiac arrest and died shortly afterward. With the information he obtained from Lee, though, Bauer was able to prevent a nuclear explosion in Los Angeles.
"Bauer", a common German surname often translated as "peasant" or "farmer", is also the German word used to refer to a certain chess piece: the pawn.
In 24, Sutherland must produce around 18 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."
Sutherland signed a contract to play the role of Bauer for three more seasons for $40 million. Reactions by critics to his performance have been very positive with five Emmy nominations and a win in 2006 for his work in Season 5. He also won a Golden Globe for the role in 2002. |
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