Donald Sutherland, the prolific and versatile actor whose long career included memorable roles in The Hunger Games films, M*A*S*H, Ordinary People, Klute, Animal House, and much more, has passed away. He was 88.
His son, fellow actor Kiefer Sutherland, announced the news with a statement on X/Twitter on Thursday, which you can read in full below.
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. 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… pic.twitter.com/3EdJB03KKT
— Kiefer Sutherland (@RealKiefer) June 20, 2024
According to Deadline, Donald Sutherland died in Miami on Thursday following a long illness.
Sutherland was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, and largely grew up there and in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, before moving to Britain to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. There, he picked up a number of small British film and TV roles before truly getting his big breakthrough in Robert Aldrich’s 1967 war film The Dirty Dozen.
Some of his biggest roles would come in quick succession after that, starring in the 1970 M*A*S*H film as Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce Jr. His other big roles in that prolific early ’70s period include Kelly’s Heroes (1970), Klute (1971), Don’t Look Now (1973), and The Day of the Locust (1975). He also had a memorable part in John Landis’ 1978 comedy classic Animal House.
He would continue to get steady work in the ensuing decades, starting the ’80s with Robert Redford’s directorial debut, the beloved 1980 drama Ordinary People, which would go onto score a Best Picture Oscar nomination. His other major film credits in the ’80s and ’90s include Eye of the Needle, A Dry White Season, Backdraft, JFK, Six Degrees of Separation, and Without Limits. In 2005, he starred alongside Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in Pride and Prejudice.
Younger generations, though, might know Sutherland best for his crucial role in The Hunger Games films, where he played the villainous President Snow. A younger version of the character was portrayed by Tom Blyth in last year’s prequel film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Over the course of his career, Sutherland won a number of awards, including a Primetime Emmy, two Golden Globes, and a Critics Choice Award. In addition to Kiefer, Donald Sutherland is survived by three other sons, a daughter, his wife Francine Racette, and four grandchildren.
Image credit: Carlos R. Alvarez/WireImage
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
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