We’ve just heard that Donald Sutherland has passed away at the age of 88. The Canadian actor, a screen legend of multiple decades, dies after a long illness, according to his son, actor Kiefer Sutherland who released a statement.
Kiefer, via the BBC, said:
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Sutherland appeared in films like the movie version of MASH, The Dirty Dozen, Don’t Look Now, National Lampoon’s Animal House and Ordinary People, to name but a few.
We interviewed him in 2011 for his work on the remake of The Mechanic where he was on great form talking very positively of the Jason Statham movie. He said of the film: “The thing about Simon West [director of The Mechanic 2011] is, his intent is to tell the truth, it’s to tell the truth about the relationship between fathers and sons. Between a surrogate father and a son. And between those two boys. He does that with such psychological truth and the basis of that and the coherency of this film is extraordinary, it’s exquisite and Jason Statham comes to life as an actor.”
More recently Sutherland appeared in the likes of The Hunger Games movies, and in 2017 was given the honorary Academy Award. He was sadly never nominated for an Oscar despite many remarkable performances across dozens of movies.
Sutherland is survived by his four sons and one daughter, along with his wife, Francine Racette.
