Legendary Canadian actor Donald Sutherland, the Canadian-born actor who went on to become a major Hollywood star over his more than six-decade career, died on Thursday at the age of 88.
Here's a look at some highlights of his life and career:
Birthday: July 17, 1935
Hometown: Born in Saint John, N.B., and grew up in Bridgewater, N.S.,
Film family: Show business runs in the Sutherland family. Sutherland has five children who are all involved in the film industry in some capacity. Most famous is "24" star Kiefer, while his younger brother Rossif has been in more than three dozen films and was nominated for Genie, ACTRA and Canadian Screen Awards. Sutherland is married to French-Canadian actress Francine Racette and was previously married to actresses Shirley Douglas and Lois Hardwick.
Notable works and awards: Sutherland has appeared in more than 140 films, including "The Dirty Dozen," "MASH," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "Cold Mountain" and "The Hunger Games" series. He also has extensive TV credits and awards for his work, including best supporting actor Golden Globes for "Citizen X" in 1996 and "Path to War" in 2003 and a best actor in a miniseries or movie Emmy for "Human Trafficking" in 2005. He received an honorary Academy Award in 2017.
Quote: While he's been based in the U.S. for most of his career, Sutherland said he hated to leave Canada and missed his East Coast roots. In 2015, he produced, co-wrote and voiced the lead character for the Nova Scotia-set animated film "Pirate's Passage," based on William Gilkerson's book of the same name. He hoped families would watch it together and reflect on Canada's history.
"People in Canada, we've lost something, we've lost something, and I hate that we've lost it," said Sutherland. "This maybe will remind people of why our country is so important and that we cannot try to become a clone of some other country.
"We have to be who we are, and who we are is who we were, not who we are now."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2024.
The Canadian Press
