Prolific television and film actor Donald Sutherland died Thursday at age 88, confirmed his son, Kiefer Sutherland. The Canadian actor had a long career that ranged from the film “M.A.S.H.” to “The Hunger Games,” along with “Kelly’s Heroes” and “Animal House.”
“I personally think [he was] one of the most important actors in the history of film,” Kiefer Sutherland posted on social meida. “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 than that.”
Sutherland was born in New Brunswick and raised in Nova Scotia, then studied English at the University of Toronto. He married aspiring actress Lois Hardwick in 1959, though the couple divorced seven years later.
Sutherland’s first role in the U.S. was Vernon Pinkley, an officer-impersonating psychopath in 1967’s “The Dirty Dozen.” But it was World War II comedy “Kelly’s Heroes” and “M.A.S.H.” that brought him fame.
“There is more challenge in character roles,” Sutherland told The Washington Post in 1970. “There’s longevity. A good character actor can show a different face in every film and not bore the public.”
