Donald Sutherland — the beloved actor who starred in films like “MASH,” “The Dirty Dozen,” “The Hunger Games,” and “Ordinary People” — has passed away after a long battle with illness.
The Canadian actor died in Miami at the age of 88 after a prolonged illness.
“With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away,” his son, Kiefer, shared on X. “I personally believe he was one of the most significant actors in film history. He never shied away from any role, whether 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.”
With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally believe he was one of the most significant actors in film history. He never shied away from any role, whether good, bad, or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more… pic.twitter.com/3EdJB03KKT
— Kiefer Sutherland (@RealKiefer) June 20, 2024
Throughout a career that spanned over seven decades, Sutherland will be remembered as one of the most versatile and respected actors in entertainment history — and one of the best actors never to have won an Academy Award.
In 2017, however, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him with an Honorary Oscar “for a lifetime of indelible characters, portrayed with unwavering truthfulness.”
His accolades include a Supporting Actor Emmy for HBO’s “Citizen X,” a Golden Globe for the same role, a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for HBO’s “Path to War,” seven other Golden Globe nominations, and an additional Emmy nomination.
Last year, Canada Post released a stamp in Sutherland’s honor. Among the other honors he received during his career were stars on the Canadian and Hollywood Walks of Fame, and being named an Officer of the Order of Canada.
But beyond the awards, Sutherland’s body of work speaks for itself. He appeared in various roles annually, from portraying the villain President Snow in “The Hunger Games” series to a hippie tank commander in “Kelly’s Heroes,” an ex-convict aspiring to become a demolition derby driver in “Steelyard Blues,” a compassionate father in a grieving family in “Ordinary People,” and an anti-authoritarian Army medic in “MASH” — a role that made him a major star in 1970.
His extensive resume also includes films such as “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “JFK,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “The Day of the Locust,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Human Trafficking,” “Space Cowboys,” “Man on the Train,” “Horrible Bosses,” “The Undoing,” and most recently in the previous year, “Miranda’s Victim” and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves.”
He is survived by his wife since 1972, Francine Racette, his daughter Rachel Sutherland, who works as a Hollywood production manager, his four sons — Emmy-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland, actor Rossif Sutherland, producer Angus Sutherland, and CAA executive Roeg Sutherland — and four grandchildren.
