Cuthbert was born in Calgary, Alberta, the daughter of Patricia, a homemaker, and Kevin, an automotive design engineer.[1] She has two younger siblings, Jonathan and Lee-Ann, and she grew up in Greenfield Park, near Montreal, Quebec. In 2000, she graduated from Centennial Regional High School and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career.[citation needed]
When she was 9, Cuthbert started modeling for various lines of children's clothing and also became a foot model.[2] She made her first televised appearance as an extra in the horror-themed series for children Are You Afraid of the Dark?; she later became a series regular on the show.[citation needed] Cuthbert also co-hosted Popular Mechanics for Kids, which was filmed in Montreal. Her reporting captured the attention of then–First Lady Hillary Clinton, who invited her to visit the White House.[3]
Cuthbert landed her first role in a feature film in the family drama Dancing on the Moon (1997).[citation needed] She appeared in several other Canadian family-themed movies and an airplane thriller, Airspeed. Cuthbert starred in the Canadian television movie Lucky Girl in 2001 and was awarded a Gemini Award for her performance.[4]
Soon after her move to Hollywood, Cuthbert was cast in the role of Kim Bauer, daughter of federal agent Jack Bauer in the television series 24.[citation needed] She appeared in the show's first three seasons, but not in its fourth;[citation needed] she guest-starred in two episodes in the fifth season.[citation needed] She also reprised her role as Kim Bauer in 24: The Game and again guest-starred in five episodes of the seventh season and in two episodes of the eighth season.[c
