Canadian actor Donald Sutherland, renowned for his roles in films like *The Hunger Games* and *Don’t Look Now*, has passed away at the age of 88 after a prolonged illness.
His son, actor Kiefer Sutherland, shared, “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 loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that.
A life well lived,” Kiefer added.
Sutherland’s illustrious career spanned over fifty years, during which he accumulated nearly 200 credits.
The announcement of his death was met with an outpouring of tributes and support.
Actor Rob Lowe, who acted with Sutherland in the miniseries *Salem’s Lot*, referred to him as “one of our greatest actors” and expressed his honor in having worked with him.
Cary Elwes, who co-starred with Sutherland in the 2001 television film *Uprising*, conveyed his devastation at the news.
“Our hearts are breaking for you,” he wrote to Kiefer on Instagram, adding that he was grateful to have known and worked with Sutherland.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recalled feeling “deeply, deeply star-struck” upon meeting Sutherland.
“He was a man with a strong presence, a brilliance in his craft and truly, truly a great Canadian artist,” Trudeau stated, extending his condolences to the Sutherland family and all Canadians.
Director Ron Howard, who worked with Sutherland on the 1991 film *Backdraft*, described him as “one of the most intelligent, interesting [and] engrossing film actors of all time.”
Born in New Brunswick, Canada, Sutherland began his career as a radio news reporter before moving to London in 1957 to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
He initially took on small roles in British film and television, with early notable appearances in war films such as 1967’s *The Dirty Dozen*, *Kelly’s Heroes*, and *M*A*S*H* in 1970.
Sutherland co-starred with Jane Fonda in Alan J Pakula’s 1971 thriller *Klute*. The two dated for two years following their collaboration.
The 1970s saw Sutherland in diverse roles, from an IRA member in *The Eagle Has Landed* to a pot-smoking professor in *National Lampoon’s Animal House*, and the lead in the 1978 remake of *Invasion of the Body Snatchers*.
In the 1980s, he played the father of a troubled teenager in the Oscar-winning *Ordinary People*.
He later transitioned to television in the 2000s, appearing in series such as *Dirty Sexy Money* and *Commander-in-Chief*.
Despite his extensive filmography, Sutherland never received an Oscar nomination, though he was honored with an honorary Academy Award in 2017.
Known for his political activism, Sutherland protested against the Vietnam War alongside Fonda and incorporated his beliefs into some of his roles, notably as the tyrannical President Snow in *The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2*.
He hoped the film’s message would inspire young fans to become more socially aware.
“We asked the kindest man in the world to portray the most corrupt, ruthless dictator we’ve ever seen,” the official Hunger Games Twitter account posted.
“Such was the power and skill of Donald Sutherland’s acting that he created one more indelible character among many others that defined his legendary career.
We are privileged to have known and worked with him, and our thoughts are with his family.”
Reflecting on the industry’s evolution, Sutherland remarked to the BBC that actors today make “a lot of money.”
He noted, “I don’t think anybody of my generation became an actor to make money. It never occurred to me.”
Sutherland had no intentions of retiring from acting, declaring, “It’s a passionate endeavor. Retirement for actors is spelled ‘DEATH’.”
His memoir, *Made Up, But Still True*, is set to be published in November.
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