Donald Sutherland(1935-2024)

The towering presence of Canadian actor Donald Sutherland was often noticed, as were his legendary contributions to cinema. He appeared in almost 200 different shows and films. He was also the father of renowned actorKiefer Sutherland,among others.

Donald McNichol Sutherland was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, to Dorothy Isobel (McNichol) and Frederick McLea Sutherland, who worked in sales and electricity. He had Scottish, as well as German and English, ancestry. Sutherland worked in several different jobs - he was a radio DJ in his youth - and was almost set on becoming an engineer after graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in engineering. However, he also graduated with a degree in drama, and he chose to abandon becoming an engineer in favour of an actor.

Sutherland's first roles were bit parts and consisted of such films as the horror film Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) which starredChristopher Lee. He was also appearing in episodes of TV shows such as "The Saint" and "Court Martial". Sutherland's break would come soon, though, and it would come in the form of a war film in which he was barely cast.

The reason he was barely cast was because he had been a last-minute replacement for an actor that had dropped out of the film. The role he played was that of the dopey but loyal Vernon Pinkley in the war film The Dirty Dozen (1967).The film also starredLee Marvin, Charles Bronson,and Telly Savalas.The picture was an instant success as an action/war film, and Sutherland played upon this success by taking another role in a war film: this was, however, a comedy calledMASH (1970)which landed Sutherland the starring role alongsideElliott Gould andTom Skerritt.This is now considered a classic among film goers, and the 35-year old actor was only getting warmed up.

Sutherland took a number of other roles in between these two films, such as the theatrical adaptation Oedipus the King (1968),the musicalJoanna (1968)and the Clint Eastwood-helmed war comedy Kelly's Heroes (1970).It was Kelly's Heroes (1970)that became more well-known, and it reunited Sutherland with Telly Savalas.1970 and 1971 offered Sutherland a number of other films, the best of them would have to be Klute (1971).The film, which made Jane Fondaa star, is about a prostitute whose friend is mysteriously murdered. Sutherland received no critical acclaim like his co-star Fonda (she won an Oscar) but his career did not fade.

Moving on fromKlute (1971),Sutherland landed roles such as the lead in the thriller Lady Ice (1973),and another lead in the westernAlien Thunder (1974).These films did not match up to "Klute" 's success, though Sutherland took a supporting role that would become one of his most infamous and most critically acclaimed. He played the role of the murderous fascist leader in theBernardo Bertolucci Italian epicNovecento (1976). Sutherland also gained another memorable role as a marijuana-smoking university professor in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)among other work that he did in this time.

Another classic role came in the form of the Robert Redfordfilm, Ordinary People (1980). Sutherland portrayed an older father figure who must deal with his children in an emotional drama of a film. It won Best Picture, and while both the supporting stars were nominated for Oscars, Sutherland once again did not receive any Academy Award nomination. He moved on to play a Nazi spy in a film based on Ken Follett's book "Eye of the Needle" and he would star alongsideAl Pacinoin the commercial and critical disaster that was Revolution (1985).While it drove Al Pacinoout of films for four years, Sutherland continued to find work. This work led to the dramatic, well-told story of apartheid A Dry White Season (1989) alongside the legendary actor Marlon Brando.

Sutherland's next big success came in the Oliver Stonefilm JFK (1991)where Sutherland plays the chilling role of Mister X, an anonymous source who gives crucial information about the politics surrounding President Kennedy. Once again, he was passed over at the Oscars, though Tommy Lee Joneswas nominated for his performance as Clay Shaw. Sutherland went on to appear in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Shadow of the Wolf (1992),and Disclosure (1994).

The new millennium provided an interesting turn in Sutherland's career: reuniting with such former collaborators as Clint Eastwoodand Tommy Lee Jones,Sutherland starred in Space Cowboys (2000).He also appeared as the father figure to Nicole Kidman's character in Cold Mountain (2003)and Charlize Theron's character in The Italian Job (2003).He also made a fascinating, Oscar-worthy performance as the revolutionist Mr. Thorne in Land of the Blind (2006)and also as a judge in Reign Over Me (2007).He also joined forces with his son Rossif Sutherlandand Canadian comic Russell Peterswith the new comedy The Con Artist (2010),as well as acting alongsideJamie Belland Channing Tatumin the sword-and-sandal filmThe Eagle (2011).Sutherland also taken a role in the remake of Charles Bronson's film The Mechanic (1972).

Donald Sutherland made a lasting legacy on Hollywood, whether portraying a chilling and horrifying villain, or playing the older respectable character in his films. A true character actor, Sutherland was one of Canada's most well-known names and will hopefully continue to be remembered long after his time.