Renowned actor Donald Sutherland has passed away at the age of 88 following a prolonged ailment. His illustrious acting career spread across a prodigious six decades, featuring a plethora of well-received films like Don’t Look Now, M*A*S*H, and The Hunger Games. The news of his passing was conveyed by his son, fellow actor Kiefer Sutherland, via X (previously known as Twitter).
Kiefer, with profound sadness, announced the death of his father whom he considered among cinema’s critical figures. Donald was never intimidated by any character; he poured his heart into his passion, leaving his mark on roles whether they be commendable, disreputable, or formidable. His devotion to his craft enriched his life enormously.
Donald, a quintessential actor who starred in upwards of 190 films and television series, cultivated an unconventional charm. This appeal carried him with finesse through the ageless classics of the 1970s and later matured into a venerable dignity in the concluding stages of his career.
Despite never clinching a major award or even an Oscar nomination for his cinematic expeditions, he secured two Golden Globes for best supporting actor in the TV films Citizen X (1996) and Path to War (2003). The Academy honoured him with an Oscar in 2017.
Born in Canada in 1935, Donald pursued engineering and drama at the University of Toronto. He moved to London in 1957 to hone his acting skills at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Lamda). After performing in minor roles on a smattering of British TV series like Man of the World, The Saint, and The Avengers, and films like Hammer horror’s Fanatic and Amicus anthology’s Dr Terror’s House of Horrors, Sutherland was selected for the action film The Dirty Dozen.
The Dirty Dozen, a tale of a team of convict soldiers trained for a high-risk mission during World War II, was a smash hit. Subsequently, Sutherland starred in two more war films infused with rebellious tones, the ground-breaking Korean War comedy M*A*S*H, with Sutherland portraying the unconventional surgeon “Hawkeye” Pierce, and Kelly’s Heroes, wherein he played a quirky tank commander participating in Clint Eastwood’s bank heist.
In 1968, Sutherland experienced a near-death episode after catching meningitis while filming a movie. His work took on an edgier tone, highlighted by his lead role in “Klute”, and he garnered attention for his role in a controversial anti-Vietnam War documentary alongside Jane Fonda. Between 1971 and 1973, he featured on the National Security Agency’s “watch list” due to his fervent anti-war activism, as revealed by declassified documents in 2017.
Sutherland subsequently journeyed through a vast array of roles that eventually cemented his position as a leading man. He starred in the psychological horror “Don’t Look Now” in 1973, where he co-starred with Julie Christie. The film, notorious at the time for its explicit sex scene, had persistent rumours of authenticity, which he continuously denied.
Sutherland widened his acting horizons by playing various characters in “Casanova”, Bernardo Bertolucci’s “1900”, and “The Eagle Has Landed” alongside Michael Caine. He portrayed a marijuana-consuming professor in “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and combated “pod people” in a remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, which became a popular gif in the film’s last moments.
In 1980, he was the front man of an ensemble cast in Robert Redford’s directing debut, “Ordinary People”, stepping in after Gene Hackman vacated the role. Over the next couple of decades, he took on supporting roles, including an art dealer in “Six Degrees of Separation”, a high-ranking whistleblower in “JFK”, and a vampire-killer trainer in the movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.
In addition, Sutherland acted in the court drama “A Time to Kill” with his son, Kiefer, portrayed an astronaut in “Space Cowboys”, and played a notable role in the adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic, “Pride & Prejudice”.
In the cinematic landscape, his portrayal of the nefarious President Snow in The Hunger Games in 2012 acquainted him with a fresh cadre of cinephiles. Furthermore, in 2022, he was a notable presence in the terror film, Mr Harrigan’s Phone, based on Stephen King’s horror tale, as well as the catastrophe-filled thriller, Moonfall.
Most notably, he was part of the recurring cast in the television drama, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, alongside David Oyelowo.
Sutherland walked down the aisle thrice, first with Lois Hardwick from 1959 to 1966. His second marriage was to Shirley Douglas, spanning from 1966 to 1970. He has been married to Francine Racette since 1972.