Actor Donald Sutherland has passed away at the age of 88. Following the announcement of his death, tributes poured in from across the industry.
Donald Sutherland, the renowned Canadian actor who captivated audiences across generations with his performances in films such as MASH, Klute, and The Hunger Games, has passed away at the age of 88.
His son, actor Kiefer Sutherland, announced the news on social media, stating that his father died on Thursday. He shared a heartfelt tribute: “Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that,” on X.
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Donald Sutherland, a tall figure with a resonant voice, striking blue eyes, and a playful smile, seamlessly transitioned between diverse roles, from character parts to romantic leads opposite stars like Jane Fonda and Julie Christie.
One of his most iconic roles was Hawkeye Pierce in Robert Altman’s MASH, a film set in a military field hospital during the Korean War. He also played a grieving father in Robert Redford’s Oscar-winning directorial debut, Ordinary People.
He gained a new generation of fans with his role as the tyrannical President Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games series, a part he actively pursued.
In 2017, while accepting an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement, Sutherland reflected on his career: “I wish I could say thank you to all of the characters that I’ve played, thank them for using their lives to inform my life.”
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About Donald Sutherland
Born Donald McNichol Sutherland on July 17, 1935, in St. John, New Brunswick, he was the son of a salesman and a math teacher. Raised in Nova Scotia, he began acting in school productions and later trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Sutherland’s Hollywood breakthrough came with his role as Vernon Pinkley, a psychopathic officer impersonator, in the 1967 war film, The Dirty Dozen. His star rose further with MASH in 1970, a film whose antiwar message he resonated with deeply.
An outspoken critic of the Vietnam War, Sutherland collaborated with Jane Fonda, with whom he had a romantic relationship and co-starred in Klute, to establish the Free Theater Associates in 1971. Due to their political views, they were banned by the army but performed near military bases in Southeast Asia in 1973. Declassified documents in 2017 revealed that Sutherland was on the National Security Agency’s Watch List from 1971 to 1973.
Donald Sutherland once told the Los Angeles Times, “I thought I was going to be part of a revolution that was going to change movies and its influence on people.”
His standout performances include his role as a detective in Alan Pakula’s Klute, where he met Fonda, and as a bereaved husband in Nicolas Roeg’s psychological thriller, Don’t Look Now.
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Donald Sutherland Death: Tributes Poured In
Following the announcement of his death, tributes poured in from across the industry. Director Ron Howard, who worked with Sutherland on Backdraft, praised him as “one of the most intelligent, interesting, and engrossing film actors of all time.” British actress Helen Mirren, who co-starred with him in 2017’s The Leisure Seeker, remembered him as a “legend of film” and a cherished colleague.
“He had a wonderful enquiring brain, and a great knowledge on a wide variety of subjects,” Mirren told Variety. “He combined this great intelligence with a deep sensitivity, and with a seriousness about his profession as an actor.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking in Nova Scotia, honored Sutherland as “a man with a strong presence, a brilliance in his craft and truly, truly a great Canadian artist.”
Donald Sutherland’s accolades include an Emmy, two Golden Globes, and a BAFTA. He was married three times and had five children, including Kiefer. His memoir, Made Up, But Still True, is set to be published in November.
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