Donald Sutherland, Legendary Actor Of Incredible Range, Has Died At 88
Not even legends live forever. Donald Sutherland, the acclaimed Canadian actor with decades worth of roles and awards to his name, has died at age 88, Deadline reports. He is survived by his wife Francine Racette, who he'd been with since 1972. Sutherland had been married twice before meeting Racette, first to Lois Hardwick from 1959 to 1966 and then to the late Shirley Douglas from 1966 to 1970.
Sutherland also leaves behind five children: Kiefer ("24"), Rachel, Rossif ("Three Pines"), Angus ("1917"), and Roeg. All of Sutherland's children followed him into the entertainment business: Kiefer, Rossif, and Angus are actors (as is Kiefer's own daughter, Sarah), Rachel is a production manager, and Roeg is a talent agent.
Born in Saint John, New Brunswick on July 17, 1935, Sutherland had a middle-class upbringing — his father Frederick was a salesman and his mother Dorothy was a teacher. However, he was also a sickly child, suffering at different points from polio, rheumatic fever, hepatitis, pneumonia, and scarlet fever. None were able to keep him down, though. He went on to study Engineering and Drama at Victoria University in Toronto, graduating in 1956. Choosing his passion over a steady career choice, he continued to study acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
After a string of small-time work during the 1960s, Sutherland broke out after appearing in 1967's "The Dirty Dozen" and his career never looked back. Honors to his name include stars on both Hollywood's and Canada's Walk(s) of Fame, two Golden Globes (one in 1995 for "Citizen X," the other in 2002 for "Path to War"), an Emmy (also for "Citizen X"), and an Academy Honorary Award in 2017, "for a lifetime of indelible characters, rendered with unwavering truthfulness."
Riding the wave of New Hollywood
Donald Sutherland was one of the greatest actors of the 1970s — no small compliment considering this is when Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and plenty of other Hollywood legends came to prominence. Like his contemporaries, Sutherland wasn't defined by a particular role or archetype, enabling him to show up in many films destined to be classics. He had distinguishing features — a mustache, curly hair, and a baritone voice both commanding and soothing — but none so much that typecasting subsumed him.
His first starring part was in Robert Altman's 1970 "M*A*S*H" as the original Hawkeye Pierce — Alan Alda would take over for the TV remake and define the character more than Sutherland. Not to worry, since Sutherland still had plenty of roles coming his way. He appeared in "Klute" the next year. Though his role was the titular detective, he was ultimately a supporting part next to Jane Fonda's Oscar-winning turn.
In 1973, Sutherland turned to horror with "Don't Look Now," directed by Nicolas Roeg (the inspiration for his son's name). As one half of a couple grieving their lost daughter, this was Sutherland's most emotionally taxing role— the film's opening saw him discover his drowned daughter, dive into and then emerge from the pond in tears — and he delivered on the requisite physical display of grief.
A remake of a '50s B-movie may have seemed like an odd choice for Sutherland, but Philip Kaufman's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" in 1978 was no bargain-bin remake. Sutherland led an ensemble of great characters as Matthew Bennell, a health inspector who discovers something much darker is afoot in San Francisco than health code violations.
Later career
It wasn't all dramas, thrillers, or horror for Donald Sutherland though. In the same year as "Body Snatchers," he also appeared in "Animal House" as Professor Dave Jennings. After "Ordinary People" in 1980 (where he again played a father grieving the loss of his child), Sutherland went from star to more of a supporting character actor — and he handled the transition with grace. Take Oliver Stone's 1991 "JFK," where he plays a mysterious government official, Mr. X, who offers insight into the Kennedy assassination in a breathtaking monologue that never slows down or loses track of the point.
Speaking of, Sutherland had a politically active streak — he was the son-in-law of Tommy Douglas, former Premier of Saskatchewan, after all. A supporter of the progressive New Democratic Party in his homeland, Sutherland even once had a side gig as a Huffington Post contributor. During the 1970s, he was even placed on an NSA watchlist due to his antiwar activism — talk about a badge of honor.
He never stopped acting, either. Younger audiences probably know him best as President Coriolanus Snow, the main villain of the "Hunger Games" series. He finally acted alongside his son Kiefer in the otherwise unremarkable Western, "Forsaken." Like many movie stars, Sutherland embraced television in his final years, appearing as oil billionaire J. Paul Getty in the mini-series "Trust" and winning a Critic's Choice Award in 2020 for "The Undoing."
Few actors have lives, or careers, as storied as Donald Sutherland did, and he'll be fondly remembered for it. May he rest in peace.