Jack Bauer

Jack Bauer was a federal agent responsible for helping save the United States from devastating terrorist attacks on many occasions. He took a leadership role in various covert and undercover missions, and served as both Special Agent in Charge and Director of Field Operations of CTU Los Angeles. His dedication to keeping U.S. citizens safe led him to make some deep personal sacrifices. Jack lost his job, his family, his friends, and, for a period of nearly two years after Day 5, his freedom. He even showed his willingness to sacrifice his life on two different occasions, but both times ultimately proved his sacrifice to be unnecessary.

On Day 6, Jack Bauer was appointed by President Wayne Palmer to lead the search for five suitcase nukes held by Abu Fayed and Dmitri Gredenko, in cooperation with CTU. After the nuclear threat was eliminated, he was shocked to learn that his lover Audrey Raines, allegedly killed in China while searching for him, had been taken hostage by Chinese agent Cheng Zhi, who used her to coerce Jack into providing him an FB subcircuitboard from one of the bombs. Although Cheng managed to secure the component, Jack was able to destroy it and take Cheng into custody. At the end of the day, with no one and nowhere to turn, Jack bade a final farewell to a shattered and catatonic Audrey and stood alone, facing a crossroads in his life.

Before Day 1

 * Read more about Jack Bauer before Day 1

Jack Bauer was born in Santa Monica, California on February 18, 1966 to Phillip Bauer and an unknown mother. Jack was never close to his father, nor to his brother Graem; as of Day 6, he hadn't seen either of them in over nine years (since Teri Bauer's funeral). He was apparently close to his father's butler and chief servant Sam, judging by their conversation in Day 6.

In high school, Jack rode motorcycles and often surfed for fun. He was familiar with Jessica Abrams and Tracy Zigler during this time.

Before being recruited into CTU, he was a member of the United States Army's elite Special Forces, Delta Force, and of the Los Angeles Police Department's SWAT team. He also did fieldwork for the Central Intelligence Agency as a case officer in Clandestine Services.

Jack was recruited into CTU by his mentor and then-Director of Field Ops, Christopher Henderson. At some point, he met and married Teri Bauer and together they had a daughter, Kim.

In 1999, Jack was assigned to interrogate the brother of Abu Fayed, who had been implicated in the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Lebanon. Jack was too rough on him, however, and Fayed's brother was ultimately killed in the process.

A year before Day 1, Jack built a case against Christopher Henderson, Seth Campbell, and another CTU agent and had all three arrested for taking bribes. This was a controversial operation that earned Jack the scorn and distrust of many at CTU, including Tony Almeida and Teddy Hanlin. Campbell's wife Judy ultimately committed suicide from the shame and the pressure of raising their four children alone, while Henderson's bitterness and resentment would continue for several years, up through the events of Day 5.

After that operation, Jack became distant and withdrawn, leading to a separation six months before Day 1. During the separation Jack had an affair with Nina Myers. Shortly before Day 1, Jack moved back in with Teri and Kim and the couple began working hard to repair their marriage. Kim remained very resentful towards her mother even after Jack moved back in.

Jack appeared in all of the 24: Declassified novels, starting with Operation Hell Gate.

Day 1

 * Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 1



Shortly after midnight, Jack's daughter Kim snuck out of the house. Jack and his wife Teri were handling the situation, when Jack was called into work. Jack was forced to leave and after he arrived at CTU, he learned that their was a possible assassination attempt on Senator David Palmer (a Presidential candidate). As the Special Agent in Charge of CTU, Jack was put in charge of the investigation. He also learned from Richard Walsh that there is a mole inside CTU.

After the death of Scott Baylor and Walsh, the only people Jack could trust were Nina Myers and Jamey Farrell. Jack eventually learned that his daughter was kidnapped and Ira Gaines began to blackmail him. If Jack didn't follow Gaines' orders, Gaines would kill Kim. After Jack switched a keycard, that had information on the Palmer hit, he was forced to help Jonathan assassinate Palmer. However, Jack was able to create a diversion and save Palmer's life.

Jack was arrested by the FBI, but he was able to escape. Teri was also kidnapped and Jack was able to get in touch with her. With help from Nina and Tony Almeida, Jack successfully rescued his family. However, Ryan Chappelle and Alberta Green took him into custody for the attempted assassination of Senator Palmer. When Jack met with Palmer, they realized that the sons of Victor Drazen were getting revenge for their father's death (Jack had lead the team that killed him, while Palmer had authorized the mission). With help from Palmer, Jack was reinstated at CTU.

Eventually Jack was lead to a detention facility and discovered that Drazen himself was still alive. With help from Mark DeSalvo, Jack transported Drazen, but Alexis Drazen had the power shut down at the facility. Jack ended up getting taken hostage and the Drazens were willing to trade Jack for Alexis Drazen, who was in CTU custody. After George Mason received pressure from Palmer, he went forward with the trade.

After stopping a second attempt on Palmer's life, Jack went to meet with the Drazens, as they recaptured his daughter. Before going forward with the trade, Jack got a call from Nina and learned Kim was dead. Jack killed Victor and Andre in cold blood and when he realized Nina lied to him, he sent proof to Mason and she was arrested. The day did not end without personal sacrifice for Jack: Teri was shot and killed by Nina moments before her capture.

After Day 1
Though Jack committed several felonies during the events of Day 1, nobody sought to prosecute him for them due to the special circumstances. After testifying to the House Sub-Committee on the events of Day 1, Jack stepped down as the Special Agent in Charge of CTU Los Angeles, and George Mason replaced him. Due to the death of his wife Teri and the betrayal of Nina, Jack isolated himself from the world. He tried to stay in contact with his daughter Kim, but she felt being around Jack would remind her of the emotional pain of her mother's death. After Teri's funeral, Jack stopped talking to his father, brother, and sister-in-law.

Day 2

 * Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 2



During the events of Day 2, Intel suggested that a nuclear bomb would detonate in the city of Los Angeles. Tony Almeida and George Mason suggested that it would be best if Jack was brought into the operation, as he had a connection CTU needed. Jack didn't go into CTU until President David Palmer called him and asked him to. Jack agreed to help the investigation if CTU found Kim and transported her out of the city.

Jack went undercover, working with terrorists Eddie Grant and Joseph Wald. When Jack learned Grant planned on bombing CTU, Jack called Lynne Kresge, as CTU's phone lines were disabled. Jack managed to warn CTU through a civilian, but CTU didn't get chance to evacuate the building into moments before the bomb went off. Jack later learned that Wald got the schematics of CTU from Nina Myers. Nina was released from prison and brought to CTU. She agreed to help find the nuclear bomb in exchange for immunity. After she took Jack hostage, Nina was apprehended and brought back to CTU.

With help from Kate Warner, Jack was able to bring Syed Ali into custody and he eventually found the location of the nuclear bomb. Jack planned on flying the bomb to the Mojave Desert, so it could detonate in an area where no civilian lives were lost. Jack said a tearful good-bye to his daughter Kim, and was shocked when he found Mason on the plane. George was dying from radiation poisoning and he wanted to fly the plane. He asked for Jack to parachute out of the plane and put the pieces of his life back together. Jack agreed to check on Mason's son John and he parachuted out of the plane.

Audio recordings were found in Syed Ali's possessions and they proved that three Middle Eastern countries funded Second Wave's operation. Ali told Michelle Dessler the recordings were fabricated and Jack decided to work with Michelle in proving it. Jack escaped from CTU with Kate Warner, and in the process he injured Tony. President Palmer decided not to go forward with the retaliation attack until he was certain the recordings were legit. This caused Vice President Prescott to activate the 25th Amendment.



Jack eventually found help from Yusuf Auda and they recovered the microchip that proved the recordings were falsified. However, Jack ended up getting kidnapped by men working for Peter Kingsley, and Yusuf was killed by angry civilians. Jack rescued Kate from the civilians, but the microchip was damaged and would no longer be a reliable source. Eventually Jack was lead to Alex Hewitt, who created the conversations. Jack also discovered that Sherry Palmer was working with Hewitt.

Eventually President Palmer regained his power as president back and Ryan Chappelle dropped charges against Tony and Michelle, who were aiding Jack. In the final moments of the day, Sherry entered a sting operation that proved Kingsley was behind the conversations. Jack killed all of the hostiles, but he was exhausted when Kingsley approached him. Kingsley was taken out by CTU field agents, and Jack was brought to the hospital, with Kim in his arms.

24: The Game


Six months after the events of Day 2, a new terrorist threat introduced Jack to Chase Edmunds, and the two found they worked well together. Kim was kidnapped during the course of the day, but Jack rescued her - only to have girlfriend Kate Warner taken as well. He killed Peter Madsen, who kidnapped Kim, and then took off after Max. After a firefight on a yacht, Kate was safe, and Chase and Tony Almeida took a wounded Jack to the hospital.

Midnight Sun
Undercover with environmental group Global Peace for a Cleaner Environment, Jack took down a group of eco-terrorists trying to sabotage the oil field under the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Chase was also loaned to CTU Fairbanks for this operation.

Stories
Sometime after Midnight Sun, Jack went undercover with drug lords Hector and Ramon Salazar and became addicted to heroin as part of his cover. During this time, the Salazars sent him to the Hotel Long Beach to pick up a package and prove his loyalty to them. While there, he and undercover DEA agent Enrique Hinojosa stopped a group of Chechen separatists from blowing up the hotel and two ambassadors.

Jack tried to fight his addiction; however, he was not able to quit until he got into a drug rehabilitation program. He also organized an operation to get Ramon Salazar put in prison. At the same time, Chase Edmunds transfered over to CTU Los Angeles as Jack's partner. Jack got Kim a position at CTU Los Angeles, hoping to keep her safely under his watch.

Day 3

 * Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 3



During the events of Day 3, Jack was the Director of Field Operations of CTU Los Angeles. Jack and his partner Chase Edmunds recently jailed drug lord Ramon Salazar, who had several terrorist cell connections around the world. The government got a call from an unknown caller, who threatened to release the Cordilla Virus if Ramon wasn't released from prison.

Due to being undercover with Ramon and Hector Salazar for months, Jack received a heroin addiction, and he also learned about Chase's relationship with Kim at the start of the day. With no other options, Jack was forced to break Ramon Salazar out of prison, with President Palmer and Chief of Staff Wayne Palmer knowing about Jack's plan. This would save Palmer from any political back fall.

When Jack delivered Ramon, he was taken hostage and boarded onto the airplane. During the flight to Mexico, Jack was able to gain control of the flight. Once he arrived, he approached Hector and handed over his gun. Ramon was shocked when he learned that Jack was working with Hector. A contact of Jack's, Michael Amador, was selling the Cordilla Virus, and Jack would get the Salazars a billion dollars by purchasing it. Chase didn't know Jack was in an undercover sting operation with Tony Almeida and Gael Ortega, but he eventually learned about it.

During the bidding, Jack was shocked when he learned that Nina Myers was representing a bidder. Eventually Hector decided to betray the original plan and Ramon killed him. Nina bought the virus and Jack persuaded her to work with the Salazars. After Salazar gained access to the virus, he attempted to escape, as he realized Jack was still with CTU. Jack and Chase managed to catch up to him, but Salazar had the virus released. Amador double-crossed Nina, as the virus was a bomb instead.

Jack and Chase arrived back at CTU with Nina, who fed a worm into CTU's computers before the arrival. However, Chloe O'Brian was able to stop the worm from having a lasting effect. When Nina escaped from her holding cell, she prepared to kill Kim. Jack arrived and when he learned she had no more useful information, Jack killed her. Eventually it was learned that Stephen Saunders was the man behind the day's events and he would release a vial of the virus if Palmer didn't fulfill his demands.



Jack was forced to execute Ryan Chappelle when it became one of Saunders demands. Eventually Jack used Saunders daughter Jane as leverage, and he got Saunders location. However, Saunders managed to escape when he kidnapped Michelle Dessler and used this as leverage against Jack. Tony was ultimately forced to step down, and Jack took over CTU. However, Tony escaped from the building with Jane, with a plan to exchange Jane for Michelle.

Eventually Jack caught up with Tony and he decided to play Saunders. When Michelle managed to escape from Saunders, Jack asked her to surrender. During the exchange, Saunders revealed himself when Jane refused to go with his men. Saunders was caught and he agreed to help CTU secure the vials when Jack threatened to expose Jane to the virus. However, the final courier, Arthur Rabens, had access to the final vial and he planned on having it released in LA or duplicating it.

Jack and Chase were lead to a middle school, where Rabens ran off to. Chase found Rabens and got into a physical brawl with him. In order to prevent Rabens from escaping with the virus, Chase was forced to lock the virus to his hand. Jack killed Rabens and was forced to cut off Chase's hand. Chase was rushed to a hospital, were his arm was reattached. Before the end of the day, Jack was informed President Palmer didn't wish to seek reelection. Jack also broke down, due to the stressful events of the day.

After Day 3


Three months after the events of Day 3, Erin Driscoll became the Special Agent in Charge of CTU Los Angeles. She was uncompromising and saw Jack's previous addiction to heroin as a major weakness, so she fired him. She offered to help him find a job, but he fiercely declined. He got a job at the Department of Defense, working for Secretary of Defense James Heller. Jack met and became romantically involved with Audrey Raines while working with her father. He did not return to CTU until Day 4.

Day 4

 * Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 4.



During the events of Day 4, Jack had to go back to CTU Los Angeles to attend a budget meeting with Erin Driscoll. When Jack returned to CTU, he helped CTU apprehend Tomas Sherek, who was responsible for a train bombing that happened at 7 AM. Jack realized that another attack would happen at 8 AM and he tortured Sherek. Jack shot Sherek in the leg and added pressure. He learned the target was Secretary of Defense James Heller. Jack attempted to warn his girlfriend Audrey Raines, but both she and her father were kidnapped.

Jack forced Erin to reinstate him to CTU and Jack had to work with Ronnie Lobell, who had his old job. When Andrew Paige, CTU's only lead, was taken by a hostile, Jack thought it would be best to track the hostile. Ronnie had a different perspective and he ended up getting killed. Jack followed the hostile and went against Driscoll's orders. With help from Chloe, Jack was able to save Andrew and follow the hostile undetected. However, Jack was arrested when he was forced to stage a robbery. Driscoll realized Jack was right and she continued to keep coverage of Kalil. She told LAPD that the robbery was a sting operation and Jack took over Ronnie's job.

After the successful rescue of Heller and Audrey, Jack brought Audrey to Felsted Security. Audrey had recognized one of her kidnappers, who was American and not among the captured or deceased hostiles. Hostiles entered the security building and took out Jack's TAC unit. Jack and Audrey were about to be killed by the hostiles, but Tony Almeida arrived and saved their lives. Tony was eventually convinced to return to CTU by Jack.

Jack was eventually lead to the Rockland Building, where Habib Marwan was. Marwan had the Dobson Override device in his possession and he attempted to cause nuclear plant meltdowns. Curtis Manning managed to stop the meltdowns from help with Edgar Stiles, and Marwan managed to escape. Jack then discovered a hard drive at the apartment of Mitch Anderson. It had schematics of a stealth fighter and Jack contacted Anderson, with an attempt to convince Anderson to stop his attack. Anderson shut off all communication and shot down Air Force One, which caused President Keeler to be incapacitated.



Jack managed to recover the Nuclear football, but Marwan was able to gain the access to the country's nuclear warheads. Jack was then lead to Lee Jong, but he sought cover at the Chinese consulate. President David Palmer, who was acting in the position of newly sworn in President Charles Logan, attempted to have the Chinese to cooperate. When China's cooperation didn't meet the proper time frame, Palmer gave authorization for the consulate to be raided. In a covert operation, Jack worked with Tony, Curtis, and Howard Bern in the apprehension of Jong.

Jong was shot and he sought medical attention. The only available surgeon team was working on Audrey's estranged husband Paul, who was shot when he saved Jack's life. Jack forced the doctors to work on Jong and Paul died as a result of it. Audrey claimed she hated Jack and he then got a location on Marwan. Though CTU captured Marwan, Jack and Curtis' team were ambushed and he managed to escape.

Jack and Curtis eventually recaptured Marwan, but he committed suicide by jumping off a ledge. Marwan had a nuclear missile launched, but the military was able to shoot it down. Jack was also forced to turn himself when China learned about his involvement in the raiding of the consulate, as Consul Koo Yin died in friendly fire. Jack learned from Palmer that Dale Spalding was sent to kill him. With help from Tony, Chloe, and Michelle, Jack managed to stage his own death and he walked away with a new identity.

After Day 4


With chances of being handed over to the Chinese by President Charles Logan's administration, Jack was forced to go into hiding, not having contact with his daughter Kim, or his lover Audrey Raines. Because of his situation, Jack had to move from location to location often and at random, keeping in touch with only Chloe O'Brian.

Twelve months after Day 4, Jack met up with Chloe in Chicago, and she informed him on how Kim handled his death. She also reveals that someone hacked into her hard drive and found out that he is alive. After Chloe left, Jack was pursued by a motorcycle and a black automobile. After an intense chase, Jack is able to lose them.

Eventually Jack went under the alias Frank Flynn, and got a job as an oil driller working in the Mojave Desert. Jack rented an apartment from Diane Huxley, and the two were romantically involved. Diane's son Derek had a hard time accepting Jack, as he felt Jack was hiding something.

Day 5

 * Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 5



Jack was living as Frank Flynn when he learned that President David Palmer was assassinated in Los Angeles. When Chloe called Jack and told him that Michelle was killed and Tony was critically wounded, Jack decided to go back to his old life, as all the people who knew he was alive where targeted and/or killed. He eventually learned he was being set-up for Palmer's assassination, Michelle's death and the attempts on Chloe and Tony. With help from Wayne Palmer, Jack was lead to the Ontario Airport, but terrorists seized it. Jack, inside the airport, provided intel to CTU and a TAC team stormed in, rescuing the hostages. Jack was brought back by CTU and cleared of Palmer's death.

CTU reinstated him and Jack was eventually lead to Walt Cummings, President Charles Logan's Chief of Staff, who helped supply Sentox nerve gas to Russian terrorists. Jack was asked to remain at CTU at the request of President Logan.

Eventually Jack found a connection between the Sentox and Christopher Henderson, the man who recruited him to CTU. Jack brought Henderson back to CTU, but CTU was infiltrated and nerve gas was released in the building. When the gas was flushed out, Jack rushed down to medical, where he found Tony on the floor. Henderson managed to inject Tony with Hyoscine-pentothol and escape.



Jack and Manning were able to stop Vladimir Bierko from his final attack and he was taken into custody. Instead of heading back to CTU, Jack met with Wayne Palmer and Aaron Pierce. Jack learned that President Logan was involved in Palmer's assassination and the Sentox conspiracy. Jack was able to get access to an audio recording that proved it, but Henderson and his men had several attempts to get it back. The recording was destroyed, but Jack was forced to put the Logan situation aside when Bierko escaped and took over the Natalia. Jack and Henderson were able to get on board the Russian ship and Henderson disarmed the missiles. Jack killed Bierko and all of the hostiles, and he also killed Henderson in revenge for the death of Palmer, Michelle, and Tony.

With help from Aaron, Mike Novick, and First Lady Martha Logan, Jack was able to gain access to Marine One and he kidnapped Logan. Jack failed to get Logan to confess, but he planted a micro-transmitter on Logan's pen. Martha was the one who tricked Logan into a confession and Secret Service released Jack from custody. After a reunion with Audrey, Jack went to take a call from Kim. However, he was kidnapped by masked men and brought to Cheng Zhi, who wanted pay back for the events that happened 18 months earlier.

After Day 5


The Chinese sought after American National Security information and they brought Jack back to China, torturing him until he would give up any sensitive information. Jack stayed silent and he struggled to stay alive, not wanting to die for nothing. Seven months into his incarceration, Jack was tricked into revealing that Hong Wai was a spy for the United States. While Jack wouldn't reveal any information through torture, Cheng Zhi created a false rescue attempt in which two American mercenaries masqueraded as Special Operations agents to retrieve Jack from China. As they escaped, the two agents and Jack met up with Hong, who Jack clearly recognized. Zhi was able to determine Hong was the spy and he executed him, and had Jack returned to his cell.

Day 6

 * Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 6



During Day 6, Jack Bauer was returned by the Chinese government on the request of the United States. Terrorist Abu Fayed demanded that Jack be killed as vengeance for murdering Fayed's brother. CTU delivered Jack to Fayed in order to supposedly stop the attacks. Learning that Fayed was the main conspirator behind the terrorist attacks throughout and shortly before Day 6; and that Hamri Al-Assad, the former terrorist blamed for the attacks was actually innocent, Jack escaped from Fayed's custody and saved Assad from being assassinated by the American government. Fayed would later detonate a suitcase nuclear device in the city of Valencia, resulting in Jack searching for the people responsible for the terrorists acquiring this weapon. In his investigation, his father and his brother were implicated for their company's involvement with the nuclear devices, as well as the events during Day 5. Jack would discover from his family members that four more nuclear weapons were in the possession of Abu Fayed and Russian general Dmitri Gredenko. Jack personally secured the remaining nuclear suitcases by 11pm, but discovered that Audrey Raines was still alive and in custody of the Chinese Government. Jack sought CTU's help in the matter, but when that was not possible, Jack went rogue, embarking on a personal rescue mission to retrieve Audrey from her captors. The attempt was successful, but Jack was arrested in the process, while his bargaining chip, a subprocessor from one of the nuclear suitcases, ended up in the hands of the Chinese. It was revealed that Audrey had some sort of post-traumatic stress and was not being communicative. At CTU, Jack and Audrey are separated and James Heller puts a restraining order on Jack. As CTU follows up on a lead from Audrey, Cheng's crew manages to break into CTU and hold the staff hostage. Cheng's crew are able to intercept a breakout attempt by Jack, Josh, and Marilyn and kidnap Josh with the goal of turning him over to Jack's father, Phillip Bauer. The rest of CTU, including Jack and Marilyn, are held hostage.After this Jack and some of CTU's staff stage a break out.Jack then goes after Josh with the help of Doyle and a TAC team. He successfully retreives Josh only to be arested again as Josh calls for him.Jack is then loaded for transport to a detention facility but with a little help from Karen and Buchanan he manages to escape and go after Josh.They arrive only to see Josh be taken by Phillip's men.Jack and Buchanan hijack a CTU chopper and persue the men to an oil rig.With only 18 minutes before the oil rig is blown up Jack engages in a firefight with countless hostiles.He manages to capture Cheng,sends Josh back to thee choper and leaves Philip to die.Jack,Buchanan,Josh and Cheng escape. Buchanan,Josh and Cheng head back to CTU but Jack decides to pay a visit to James Heller. He wants Audrey back in his life but after a heated conversation Jack realises that as long as Audrey is with him she is in danger. Jack leaves Heller's house goes to the cliff top and looks out over the ocean....

After Day 6
Fifteen hours after Day 6 concluded, Jack was alone in a hotel room watching a news report on the nuclear explosion in Valencia when there was a knock on his door. He answered to find two agents from District, Ramirez and Moss, who asked Jack to return to CTU to debrief the White House on the events of the day. He reluctantly agreed and left with the two agents.

At CTU, Bauer was questioned about his time in China, and specifically if he had anything to do with the death of Marcus Holt, one of the US Government's best operatives in China, who died two months after Bauer's capture. Appalled by being accused of giving up a fellow agent, Jack told Ramirez that he had nothing to do with Holt's death. By taking his interrogator Rick Burke hostage, he managed to convince Ramirez to let him leave, though not before promising to kill Ramirez the next time they met.

Background information and notes

 * Jack Bauer is the only character to appear in every episode of the series. Only Jack and Aaron Pierce have appeared in all six seasons. Bauer is also one of five characters to appear in all 24: Declassified novels, along with Ryan Chappelle, Tony Almeida, Nina Myers, and Jamey Farrell.
 * As seen in the premiere episode of Day 3, Jack's Badge Number is 9431066 and Jack's Employee Number is 68025638X. We also see that he is 5' 10 '', 168 pounds, and has green eyes.