Canadian superstar and renowned character actor Donald Sutherland, whose career spanned the gamut from detective fare like Klute (in which he starred opposite Jane Fonda), to disaster thrillers like Outbreak, to recent blockbusters such as The Hunger Games, has died at the age of 88 following an extended illness.
His son Kiefer Sutherland, an acclaimed actor in his own right, announced the death on twitter. Donald was, in Kiefer’s estimation, one of the most important actors in film history with a spectacular range. He memorialized his father for “a life well lived.”
Donald Sutherland’s extensive filmography spans over half a century and boasts nearly two hundred credited roles, running the gamut from villains to heroes to ambiguous and shadowy figures such as the intelligence industry informant he played in Oliver Stone’s JFK.
News of his death was met with a groundswell of popular sympathy, support for his family, and tributes from his colleagues.
Rob Lowe, who shared the screen with Sutherland in the late 1970s Stephen King miniseries Salem’s Lot, said that his former co-star was one of the greatest of American actors. He described his time working with Sutherland as an “honor” and said that Sutherland was a man possessed of immense charisma and ability.
Cary Elwes, most famous for playing Westley in The Princess Bride, chimed in to tell Keifer that he was devastated to hear of Donald’s death. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to know and work with the silver screen legend.
Sutherland was born in New Brunswick, Canada. He began his career as a news reporter for local radio before a 1957 move to London, where he studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He then moved on to small rolls in British TV and film. He first leapt to international attention in the late 1960s and early 1970s with roles in the international hits Kelley’s Heroes, The Dirty Dozen, and Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H.
