Age, Biography, and Wiki
Name: Donald McNichol Sutherland
Birth Date: July 17, 1935
Death Date: June 2024
Age at Death: 88 years old
Place of Birth: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Donald Sutherland was one of Canada’s most celebrated actors, recognized for his distinctive voice, commanding screen presence, and versatility across genres. He started acting in the 1960s and became internationally renowned for his roles in both film and television. Sutherland was the father of five children, including actors Kiefer, Rossif, and Angus Sutherland.
| Occupation | Voice Actors |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 17 July 1935 |
| Age | 90 Years |
| Birth Place | Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
| Country | Canada |
| Date of death | 20 June, 2024 |
| Died Place | Miami, Florida, US |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
- Weight: Estimated 180 lbs (82 kg)
- Measurements: Information not publicly available
Donald Sutherland was known for his tall stature, which contributed to his memorable screen presence.
| Height | 193 cm |
| Weight | 180 lbs |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Throughout his life, Donald Sutherland was married three times:
- First wife: Lois Hardwick (married 1959, divorced 1966)
- Second wife: Shirley Douglas (married 1966, divorced 1970)
- Third wife: Francine Racette (married 1972 until his death in 2024)
Sutherland was made an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in 1978, raised to Companion (CC) in 2019, inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2000 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. He is the father of Kiefer, Rossif, and Angus Sutherland, all actors.
He was of Scottish, German, and English ancestry. His grandfather was a Scots church minister. As a child, he had rheumatic fever, hepatitis, and polio. During the first six years of his life, Sutherland and his family lived on present-day Kennebecasis River Road in Hampton, a town in Kings County, having moved there from Saint John while he was an infant. He first received education at a one-room schoolhouse in Hampton; Sutherland's family moved back to Saint John when he was six, his father having secured a position in the New Brunswick Power Company as its vice president and general manager. Sutherland attended the Victoria School in Saint John, and later played hockey for the school. During this time, Sutherland also practiced puppetry.
Sutherland graduated from Bridgewater High School. He then began studying at the University of Toronto before transferring to its affiliate college, Victoria University, where he met his first wife Lois May Hardwick. He graduated in 1958, with a dual degree in engineering and drama. He had at one point been a member of the "UC Follies" comedy troupe in Toronto. He changed his mind about becoming an engineer, and left Canada for Britain in 1957, studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).
Sutherland then appeared in two war films, playing the lead role as Hawkeye Pierce in the Robert Altman–directed comedy M*A*S*H in 1970; and, again in 1970, as hippie tank commander "Oddball" in Kelly's Heroes alongside Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas and Don Rickles. His health was threatened by spinal meningitis contracted during the filming of the latter film. Sutherland starred with Gene Wilder in the 1970 comedy Start the Revolution Without Me. During the filming of the Academy Award-winning detective thriller Klute (1971), Sutherland had an intimate relationship with co-star Jane Fonda. Sutherland and Fonda went on to co-produce and star together in the anti–Vietnam War documentary F.T.A. (1972), consisting of a series of sketches performed outside army bases in the Pacific Rim and interviews with U.S. troops who were then on active service. As a follow-up to their appearance in Klute, Sutherland and Fonda performed together in Steelyard Blues (1973), a "freewheeling, Age-of-Aquarius, romp-and-roll caper" from the writer David S. Ward.
Sutherland received praise for his role as the conflicted and grieving father in the Robert Redford-directed family drama Ordinary People (1980), alongside Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton. In September 1980, Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Sutherland realizes his best film role in years, playing a fellow who, filled with love for both his wife and his son, is angrily accused by each of fence-sitting, of being weak and indecisive when he's really the only one in the family with some idea of what is wrong." Sutherland was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. In 1981, he starred in the English spy thriller Eye of the Needle and narrated Anne Wheeler's Canadian docudrama A War Story. He played the role of physician-hero Norman Bethune in Bethune (1977) and Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990). In 1983, he co-starred with Teri Garr and Tuesday Weld in an adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Winter of Our Discontent. Some of Sutherland's better known roles in the 1980s and 1990s were in the apartheid drama A Dry White Season (1989), alongside Marlon Brando and Susan Sarandon; as a sadistic warden in Lock Up (1989) with Sylvester Stallone; as an incarcerated pyromaniac in the firefighter thriller Backdraft (1991) alongside Kurt Russell and Robert De Niro, as the humanitarian doctor-activist Norman Bethune in 1990's Bethune: The Making of a Hero, and as a snobbish New York City art dealer in Six Degrees of Separation (1993), with Stockard Channing and Will Smith.
Sutherland died under hospice care at the University of Miami hospital on 20 June 2024, aged 88, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Kiefer Sutherland announced his death on X/Twitter adding, "He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived". Upon hearing of his death, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote, "We've lost one of the greats. Donald Sutherland brought a level of brilliance to his craft few could match. A remarkable, legendary actor — and a great Canadian". U.S. President Joe Biden wrote, "Donald Sutherland was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and one-of-a-kind actor who inspired and entertained the world for decades". Numerous members of the film industry wrote condolences, including Jane Fonda, Alec Baldwin, William Baldwin, Tom Blyth, Josh Brolin, Kim Cattrall, John Cusack, Michael Douglas, Roland Emmerich, Elliott Gould, Ron Howard, John Leguizamo, Janet Maslin, Helen Mirren, David Oyelowo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Richard Roeper, Will Smith, Henry Winkler, Edgar Wright, Rachel Zegler and Jennifer Lawrence. Following his death, a funeral was held in Miami and his remains were cremated.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Lois May Hardwick (m. 1959-1966) Shirley Douglas (m. 1966-1970) Francine Racette (m. 1972) |
| Sibling | |
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Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth (2025): $60 million (calculated as of 2024, his net worth remained stable until his death)
- Source of Wealth: Primarily acting in film and television
- Notable Salary Details:
- Animal House (1978): Accepted an upfront payment of $35,000–$50,000 (sources vary) instead of a profit share, which would have earned him tens of millions had he taken a percentage of the gross.
- The Hunger Games: Estimated $1–2 million per film; likely higher for sequels.
- Other Notable Earnings: Residuals and royalties from a vast filmography, television appearances, and endorsements.
Sutherland took the role of a health inspector in the science fiction/horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) alongside Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, and Jeff Goldblum. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote of his performance, "Mr. Sutherland is by turns personable and opaque, affecting in a way that he hasn't been since Klute". He helped launch the internationally popular Canadian television series Witness to Yesterday, with a performance as the Montreal doctor Norman Bethune, a physician and humanitarian, largely talking of Bethune's experiences in revolutionary China. Sutherland also had a role as pot-smoking Professor Dave Jennings in National Lampoon's Animal House in 1978, making himself known to younger fans as a result of the film's popularity. When cast, he was offered either $40,000 upfront or two per cent of the film's gross earnings. Thinking the film would certainly not be a big success, he chose the upfront payment. The film eventually grossed $141.6 million. Also, in 1978 Sutherland starred in the heist comedy film The First Great Train Robbery, alongside Sean Connery. Sutherland's performance as Attila, an Italian fascist in Bernardo Bertolucci's 1976 epic film 1900, received praise from critics such as A. O. Scott of The New York Times for his portrayal of a sadistic, "over-the-top villainy" villain.
Career, Business, and Investments
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Career Highlights:
- Acting: Over 200 film and TV credits, including MASH*, The Dirty Dozen, Klute, Ordinary People, The Hunger Games franchise, Pride & Prejudice, and more.
- Awards: Numerous honors, including Emmy and Golden Globe awards, as well as the Order of Canada.
- Voice Work: Voiced characters in animated films and documentaries.
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Business and Investments:
- Real Estate: Owned an oceanfront townhome in Santa Monica, California, for over 30 years, which he sold for $2.5 million in 2014. Purchased a Beverly Hills home for $3.3 million in 2010.
- Endorsements: Minimal publicized endorsements; primary focus on acting.
Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards as well as a BAFTA Award nomination. Considered one of the best actors never nominated for an Academy Award, he was given an Academy Honorary Award in 2017. Sutherland was a prominent anti-war activist during the Vietnam War era.
Sutherland rose to fame after roles in the war films The Dirty Dozen (1967), M*A*S*H (1970), and Kelly's Heroes (1970). He subsequently appeared in many leading and supporting roles, including Klute (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), The Day of the Locust (1975), 1900 (1976), Fellini's Casanova (1976), Animal House (1978), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Ordinary People (1980), Max Dugan Returns (1983), A Dry White Season (1989), JFK (1991), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Disclosure (1994), Without Limits (1998), Space Cowboys (2000), The Italian Job (2003), and Pride & Prejudice (2005). He portrayed President Snow in The Hunger Games franchise (2012–2015).
In a letter Sutherland sent to a Saint John Free Public Library representative in 2017, he detailed how he and his family had lived in a farmhouse in Lakeside, located in present-day Hampton, before moving to Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, at the age of 12, where he spent his teenage years. He obtained his first part-time job, at the age of 14, as a news correspondent for local radio station CKBW. At the age of 19, Sutherland spent four months as an exchange student in Finland, where he lived near an iron mine located in Otanmäki, Kainuu.
In the 1991 Oliver Stone film JFK, he played a mysterious Washington intelligence officer, reputed to have been L. Fletcher Prouty, who spoke of links to the military–industrial complex in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He played psychiatrist and visionary Wilhelm Reich in the video for Kate Bush's 1985 single, "Cloudbusting". In 1992, he played the role of Merrick in the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with Kristy Swanson. In 1994, he played the head of a government agency hunting for aliens who take over people's bodies (a premise similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers) in the film of Robert A. Heinlein's 1951 book The Puppet Masters. In 1994, Sutherland played a software company's scheming CEO in Barry Levinson's drama Disclosure opposite Michael Douglas and Demi Moore, in 1994 he played a KGB officer in the video game Conspiracy, and in 1995 was cast as Maj. Gen. Donald McClintock in Wolfgang Petersen's Outbreak. In 1995, he was also in the HBO film Citizen X, which won him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. He was later cast in 1996 (for only the second time) with his son Kiefer in Joel Schumacher's A Time to Kill. In 1998 he took the role of Bill Bowerman in the sports drama Without Limits for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. Critic Roger Ebert wrote, "Sutherland's performance is the film's treasure... brings a deep patience to Bowerman, who understands that running is a matter of endurance and strategy, as well as heart". Sutherland played the famous American Civil War General P.G.T. Beauregard in the 1999 film The Hunley.
He played an astronaut in Space Cowboys (2000), with co-stars Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, and James Garner. Sutherland was a model for Chris Claremont and John Byrne to create Donald Pierce, the Marvel Comics character whose last name comes from Sutherland's character in the 1970 film M*A*S*H, Hawkeye Pierce. He starred as Adam Czerniaków in the NBC miniseries Uprising (2001). He starred as Clark Clifford in the HBO film Path to War (2002), which again earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. In more recent years, Sutherland was known for his role as Reverend Monroe in the Civil War drama Cold Mountain (2003), Lou Aldryn in the drama thriller Baltic Storm (2003), John Bridger in the remake of The Italian Job (2003), Nathan Templeton in the TV series Commander in Chief (2005–2006), Ogden C. Osbourne in the film Fierce People (2005) with Diane Lane and Anton Yelchin.
On 6 September 2017, it was announced that Sutherland, along with three other recipients, would receive an Honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences "for a lifetime of indelible characters, rendered with unwavering truthfulness". At the ceremony, he was honored by Jennifer Lawrence, Colin Farrell, and Whoopi Goldberg. This was Sutherland's only Academy Award in his then six decade long film career. Sutherland starred opposite Helen Mirren playing an elderly married couple in the comedy-drama The Leisure Seeker (2017) based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Michael Zadoorian. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Sutherland's dignified but memory-robbed English prof often rings true through a veil of gentle humor". That year he also took a supporting role in the romantic comedy Basmati Blues starring Brie Larson.
In 2018, Sutherland portrayed an oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in the FX a historical drama series Trust. Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Sutherland does a typically excellent job conveying J. Paul Getty's stern disappointment in his feckless progeny". The following year he acted in the James Gray directed science fiction drama Ad Astra and the crime thriller The Burnt Orange Heresy. In 2020, he appeared in the HBO limited series The Undoing (2020) alongside Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman. For his performance he received the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries. Sutherland took the role of Mr. Harrigan in the 2022 Netflix film Mr. Harrigan's Phone written and directed by John Lee Hancock, based on the novella of the same name from the book If It Bleeds by Stephen King. In 2023, he took the role of Isaac C. Parker in the series Lawmen: Bass Reeves on Paramount+.
In 2023, Sutherland told The Canadian Press that he had not spent much time reflecting on the legacy of his career, stating "You know, it's over or very nearly over, so I guess I got to get down to thinking about it." Viking Canada is set to publish his memoir, Made Up, But Still True, in November 2024. Following his death, the City of Saint John, his birthplace and childhood residence, opened a condolence book signing to the public.
Sutherland's BBC obituary says that the "late Donald Sutherland cast a literal and figurative shadow over his industry for almost 50 years". The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw wrote that "Sutherland was an utterly unique actor and irreplaceable star" and "was an aristocrat of screen actors". Variety's Owen Gleiberman wrote that "in 1970, Donald Sutherland ... was the coolest movie star on the planet. The moment I saw him in "MASH," I knew he was the person I wanted to be, the same way that I wanted to be Mick Jagger or Steve McQueen". Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, "He was a man with a strong presence, a brilliance in his craft, and truly a great Canadian artist and he will be deeply missed."
Social Network
Donald Sutherland was not notably active on mainstream social media platforms. His presence was primarily maintained through official film and television releases, public appearances, and interviews. His children, particularly Kiefer Sutherland, are more visible on social media.
Sutherland became a blogger for the American news website The Huffington Post during the 2008 United States presidential election campaign. In his blogs, he stated his support for Barack Obama.
Over his career he received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Honorary Award. He received the Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2012, and the Companion of the Order of Canada (CC) in 2019. In 2023, Canada Post issued a stamp in his honour, commemorating his career as one of Canada's most respected and versatile actors.
Education
- Secondary Education: Attended high school in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.
- University: Studied at Victoria College, University of Toronto, and graduated with a double major in Engineering and Drama.
- Further Study: Briefly enrolled at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) before beginning his professional acting career.
Sutherland married three times. His first marriage, to Lois May Hardwick, a head school teacher, lasted from 1959 to 1966. His second marriage, which lasted from 1966 to 1970, was to Shirley Douglas, daughter of Tommy Douglas, the social democratic former premier of Saskatchewan. Sutherland and Douglas had two children, twins Kiefer and Rachel. From 1970 to 1972, he had an affair with Klute co-star Jane Fonda, with whom he had participated in anti-Vietnam war activism.
Legacy and Summary
Donald Sutherland will be remembered as a towering figure in cinema, both literally and metaphorically. With a net worth of $60 million, he secured his place among Hollywood’s elite. His career was marked by critical acclaim, commercial success, and a legacy that continues through his family and the countless films he contributed to.
