Canadian master actor Donald Sutherland, who made a name for himself with The Hunger Games film series, passed away at the age of 88. The news of Sutherland's death was announced by his son Kiefer Sutherland, who is also an actor.
In his statement, Sutherland stated that his father was "not afraid of any role, good, bad or ugly" and that he lived by doing what he loved, adding, "No one can ever ask for more than this. My father's was a life well lived."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also published a condolence message for Donald Sutherland.
"He had a strong presence, he was a genius, and he was a truly great Canadian artist," Trudeau said of Sutherland.
Who is Donald Sutherland?
Donald Sutherland was born in New Brunswick, Canada on July 17, 1935.
He worked as a radio reporter before leaving Canada to move to England in 1957. He later studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, Sutherland received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. He is considered one of the best actors never nominated for an Academy Award, but was given an Academy Honorary Award in 2017.
He started his acting career in England with small roles in films and television series.
Donald Sutherland's film career, which spanned 70 years, began in the 1960s.
He was one of Canada's most talented players.
He attracted attention with his performance in the action movie The Dirty Dozen, released in 1967, and MASH shot in 1970.
In 1971, he starred in director Alan J Pakula's film Klute, alongside Jane Fonda, with whom he would be together for 2 years.
Following a sex scene in the 1973 film Don't Look Now, many viewers believed that Sutherland had actually made love with his co-star Julie Christie, but Sutherland later denied these rumors.
Sutherland, who played an IRA militant in the 1976 film The Eagle Has Landed, played the father of a suicidal teenager in the Oscar-winning film Ordinary People in 1980.
After appearing in many films in the 1980s and 90s, Sutherland turned to television series in the 2000s. Dirty Sexy Money and Commander-in-Chief were just two of the series he starred in.
Although he was never nominated for an Oscar during his career, he was also awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2017.
Sutherland, also known for his political activism, also participated in anti-Vietnam War protests in the USA with Jane Fonda.
He took an active stance against the US war in Vietnam and preferred to act in films advocating the fight against poverty and injustice.
Sutherland recently attracted attention with his performance in Mockingjay, the second movie of The Hunger Games series, which was released in 2015.
In this film, the famous actor played Coriolanus Snow, the cruel head of the Panem society where an elite class rules over the poor masses, who is the target of the heroine Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence.
Sutherland worked with master directors such as Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Robert Altman.
The actor, who passed away at the age of 88, left behind more than 190 films and TV series. Donald Sutherland was also known for his anti-war stance.
Sutherland's memoir, "Made Up, But Still True," will be released in November.