Washington – Donald Sutherland, the Canadian actor who starred in films like The Hunger Games and Don’t Look Now, died at the age of 88 after a protracted illness.
His son, actor Kiefer Sutherland, stated: “With a heavy heart, I inform you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has gone away. I consider this actor to be one of the most significant in film history.
Never be intimidated by a part good bad, or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and you can’t ask for more. “A life well lived.”
Sutherland had around 200 credits to his name in a career spanning more than 50 years.
The announcement prompted an outpouring of solidarity and tributes. Rob Lowe, who co-starred with Sutherland in the miniseries Salem’s Lot, described his former co-star as “one of our greatest actors”.
“It was my honor to work with him many years ago, and I will never forget his charisma and ability,” he stated on Twitter.
Cary Elwes, who co-starred in the 2001 television film Uprising, said he was “devastated” by Sutherland’s passing.
“Our hearts are breaking for you,” he wrote to Kiefer on Instagram. “I’m very grateful to have known and worked with him. Sending our love.
Donald Sutherland’s Personal Experience
Sutherland was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and began his career as a radio news reporter before moving to London in 1957 to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.
He thereafter played minor roles in British films and television. His early high-profile performances were in military films such as The Dirty Dozen (1967) and Kelly’s Heroes and M*A*S*H (1970).
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described being “deeply, deeply star-struck” when he first met Sutherland.
“My thoughts go out to Kiefer and the entire Sutherland family, as well as all Canadians who are no doubt saddened to learn, as I am right now,” remarked the actor.
“He was a man with a strong presence, a brilliance in his craft and truly, truly a great Canadian artist,” the politician said.
US President Joe Biden described Sutherland as a “one-of-a-kind actor who inspired and entertained the world for decades”.
Ron Howard, who directed Sutherland in the 1991 film Backdraft, described him as “one of the most intelligent, interesting [and] engrossing film actors of all time”.
Jane Fonda co-starred with Sutherland in Alan J Pakula’s 1971 thriller Klute, which follows a detective who is supported in his search for a missing individual by a high-priced call girl. They dated for two years.
Fonda paid tribute to Sutherland on Instagram, describing him as a “brilliant actor” with whom she enjoyed “quite a few adventures” including performances for active military during an anti-Vietnam War tour of Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines.”I am heartbroken” she explained.
Helen Mirren, who starred opposite Sutherland in the 2017 film The Leisure Seeker, paid tribute to her “friend” and “one of the smartest actors I’ve ever worked with” in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“He had a wonderful enquiring brain, and a great knowledge on a wide variety of subjects,” she told me. “He combined intelligence, sensitivity, and professionalism as an actor to become a film legend.” He began as a colleague and then became a buddy. I’ll miss his presence in this world.
Elliott Gould, Sutherland’s co-star on M*A*S*H, called him a “brother” in a statement to the Associated Press.
“It’s never easy losing the calibre of a human being and actor like Donald Sutherland, but this one really profoundly hurts because Donald was like my brother and a big part of my own career,” he told reporters.
Will Smith, who co-starred with Sutherland in Six Degrees of Separation, paid tribute by uploading two photos from the 1993 film on Instagram with the statement, “Rest in peace, Donald”.
In the 1970s, Sutherland played an IRA member in The Eagle Has Landed, a pot-smoking college lecturer in National Lampoon’s Animal House and the lead in the 1978 adaptation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
In the Oscar-winning film Ordinary People from the 1980s, he portrayed the father of a suicidal adolescent.
In the 2000s, he transitioned to television, featuring in shows like Dirty Sexy Money and Commander-in-Chief.
Despite his many roles, he was never nominated for an Oscar. He did get an honorary Academy Award in 2017.
Throughout his career, Sutherland was well-known for his political activity; he and Fonda participated in anti-Vietnam War demonstrations.
In several of his characters, such as the oppressive President Snow in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, he also incorporated his ideals. In 2015, Sutherland expressed his hope to the BBC that the film’s social-political message will increase the awareness of the outside world among young viewers.
“We requested the most compassionate individual on the planet to play the most unscrupulous and brutal leader we’ve ever witnessed,” the official Hunger Games X account stated after the news of his passing.
“Among the many unforgettable characters that shaped Donald Sutherland’s illustrious career he was able to create one more due to his extraordinary acting prowess. Our condolences go out to his family.
We consider ourselves fortunate to have met and collaborated with him.”
He also said to the BBC that the biggest shift he had seen in the business was the increase in “a lot of money” that actors were making.
“I don’t believe that anyone in my generation went into acting in order to get money. I had never thought of it. I was earning £8 a week [here, on a London theater.
In 1964, I earned £17 a week as a lead actor in a play at the Royal Court,” he remarked. He indicated he had no plans to retire at the time. from acting.
“It’s a passionate endeavour. Retirement for actors is spelt ‘DEATH’.” he said. His memoir, Made Up, But Still True, is due to be published in November.
What is Donald cause of death?
He was eighty-eight. After a protracted illness, Sutherland passed away in Miami on Thursday, according to a statement from his agency, Creative Artists Agency. On X, Kiefer Sutherland stated that he thought his father was among the greatest actors in movie history because he was “never daunted by a role, good, bad, or ugl
What was Donald last movie?
Donald Sutherland on ‘Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1‘
Donald Sutherland’s final on-screen role was as the no-nonsense Judge Isaac Parker in the 2023 Western television miniseries “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” opposite star David Oyelowo
Who did Donald Sutherland play in M * A * S * H?
He rocketed to fame three years later playing nonconformist surgeon Hawkeye Pierce in director Robert Altman’s Korean War satire “M*A*S*H” (1970)
Source
BBC
What did Donald do?
Canadian actor Donald Sutherland dead at 88
Born in Saint John, N.B., he starred in several acclaimed titles in the 1970s and ’80s, including M*A*S*H, Ordinary People and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He also played President Snow in The Hunger Games franchise in the early 2010s.
Does Donald Sutherland have kids?
His second marriage, to actress Shirley Douglas, lasted from 1966 to 1971 and produced two children, son Kiefer and daughter Rachel. He went on to have three sons, Roeg, Rossif and Angus, with his third wife, Canadian actress Francine Racette
What disease does Donald Sutherland have?
In 1970, while filming “Kelly’s Heroes” in Yugoslavia, he came down with spinal meningitis. “I went into a coma,” he told an interviewer years later, “and they tell me that for a few seconds, I died.” Mr. Sutherland went to schools in Bridgewater, where he worked as a disc jockey at a local radio station at age 14
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