Actor Donald Sutherland dead at 88
Donald Sutherland, the Canadian actor whose career spanned more than six decades, has died at the age of 88.
His son, actor Kiefer Sutherland, confirmed his death on Thursday.
“With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away,” read the post on X. “I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. 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.
“A life well lived.”
Born Donald McNichol Sutherland in Saint John on July 17, 1935, the actor became a magnetic screen star whose penchant for a range of unconventional characters would sustain him throughout a seldom interrupted six-decade career. He starred in acclaimed movies of the 1970s and ’80s, including M*A*S*H, Klute, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Ordinary People.
His role as President Snow, the quietly sadistic antagonist in The Hunger Games franchise, made him a recognizable face among a new generation, as did his role in 2005’s Pride and Prejudice.
WATCH | Sutherland on getting an honourary Oscar 65 years into his career:
Actor Donald Sutherland, at TIFF for his new road trip movie The Leisure Seekers, shares what it means to be named an honorary Oscar-winner.
He portrayed real-life figures from Canadian history throughout his career and spoke proudly about his deep connection to the country.
“I’m a Canadian. The thing about Canada is that you go from east to west, from Nova Scotia to Vancouver. I go away, I will go and live in Paris or I will go and live in London or whatever — [and] even in the United States — but my humour, what I am as a person is here, is rooted here,” he said during an interview with CBC News in 1985.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sutherland “will be deeply missed.”
“I had the opportunity when I was much younger to meet Donald Sutherland, and even as a young man who hadn’t had a full exposure to the depth of brilliance of Donald Sutherland, I was deeply, deeply starstruck. He was a man with a strong presence, a brilliance in his craft and truly, truly a great Canadian artist,” Trudeau said at a news conference in Westville, N.S.
“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.”
Sutherland is survived by his five children — Kiefer, Rossif, Angus, Rachel and Roeg — his grandchildren, and his wife, Francine.
