We're very sad to report that Donald Sutherland has passed away at the age of 88 after a long illness.
Sutherland appeared in countless movies and TV shows over the course of his six-decade career, taking on a wide range of roles. Early standouts include Pvt. Vernon Pinkley in The Dirty Dozen (1967), Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce in M*A*S*H (1970), hippie tank commander Sgt. Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes (1970), and the titular private eye in Alan J. Pakula’s Klute (1971).
Though he often played heroic characters, Sutherland also brought life to his share of villains, including a ruthless Nazi spy in Eye of the Needle (1981), and President Snow in the Hunger Games movies. He is also known for his devastating turn as a grieving father in Nicholas Roeg's sinister horror/thriller Don't Look Now (1973), which featured an infamously graphic (for its time) sex scene with Julie Christie.
The prolific actor's résumé also includes: The Split (1968); Paul Mazursky‘s Alex in Wonderland (1970); Start the Revolution Without Me (1970); Little Murders (1971); John Schlesinger’s The Day of the Locust (1975); The Eagle Has Landed (1976); Bernardo Bertolucci‘s 1900 (1976); Max Dugan Returns (1983); Oliver Stone‘s JFK (1991); A Time to Kill (1996); Without Limits (1998); Clint Eastwood‘s Space Cowboys (2000); Pride & Prejudice (2005); American Gun (2005); Ask the Dust (2006); Man on the Train (2011); The Leisure Seeker (2017); and The Burnt Orange Heresy (2020).
Sutherland is survived by his four sons, actors Kiefer Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland and Angus Sutherland and CAA executive Roeg Sutherland; a granddaughter, Sarah Sutherland, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' daughter on Veep; and his partner/wife since 1972, actress Francine Racette.
Kiefer confirmed his father's passing on Twitter, and shared the following tribute.
"With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. 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…"