Donald Sutherland Through the Years (2024)

Donald Sutherland’s acting career spanned over seven decades and earned him a series of accolades.Sutherland, who was born in New Brunswick, Canada on July 17, 1935, studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and began to snag little roles in several British TV shows and films. He got his breakout role in The Dirty Dozen in 1967 which inspired him to move to Hollywood.The actor quickly found success as he starred in countless films and TV roles throughout the 70s to the early 2000s, including M*A*S*H, Klute, Don't Look Now, Animal House, Citizen X, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Hunger Games and more. While Sutherland was never nominated for an Academy Award, he did earn an Emmy, three Golden Globes and a Critics Choice Award.In addition to his trophies, Sutherland earned stars on both the Canadian Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was also an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC), a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and received the highest honor of being a Companion of the Order of Canada (CC) in 2019.In his personal life, Sutherland was married three times. He was married to his first wife, Lois May Hardwick, from 1959 to 1966. Shortly after his split from Hardwick, Sutherland moved on with Shirley Douglas, whom he wed in 1966. The pair, who share son Kiefer and daughter Rachel, called it quits in 1970. In 1972, he tied the knot with his longtime love Francine Racette. The couple are the parents of sons Roeg, Rossif and Angus.In June 2024, Sutherland died at age 88 after a long illness, according to Deadline.Keep scrolling to take a look back at Sutherland’s career throughout the years.

The same year he called it quits with Hardwick, Sutherland married Douglas and welcomed twins Kiefer and Rachel. Kiefer would famously follow in his father's footsteps as a Hollywood actor.

Sutherland’s film career took off after he joined The Dirty Dozen as part of the supporting cast. The Lee Marvin-led film was a box office success and won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing at the 40th Academy Awards.

Sutherland scored his first leading film role in M*A*S*H as Hawkeye Pierce. The dark war comedy became one of the biggest films of the early ‘70s and is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. It won a series of accolades including a Palme d'Or and an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

After the success of M*A*S*H, Sutherland found another gem with Klute which he starred in alongside Jane Fonda. While working on the Academy Award-winning film, Sutherland and Fonda grew close and reportedly had a romance.

The pair bonded over their love of activism and went on to work together again in the anti–Vietnam War documentary F.T.A. It was later revealed in 2017 that Sutherland was placed on the National Security Agency’s watchlist from 1971 to 1973 due to his anti-war activities.

Two years after his split from Douglas, Sutherland married Racette. The couple went on to welcome three sons: Roeg, Rossif and Angus.

Sutherland initially denied the initial offer for National Lampoon’s Animal House, which included a $20,000 day rate plus 2% of the box office profits. He thought the raucous comedy would not be successful but he reconsidered the deal after Universal increased his rate to $25,000, which made him the highest-paid actor on set.

However, the film was a commercial success and earned over $120 million at the box office. Sutherland later confessed that the decision led him to miss out on nearly $14 million.

Sutherland starred in Ordinary People alongside Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Timothy Hutton. The intense family drama earned six Oscar nominations and took home awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay.

The actor got a taste of playing a villain for his role as Ronald Bartel in Backdraft which featured an A-List cast including Kurt Russell, William Baldwin and Robert De Niro. The action-thriller was a box office smash and earned three Academy Award nominations.

Sutherland starred in the TV movie, Citizen X, as Colonel Mikhail Fetisov. The role earned him his first Emmy and Golden Globe awards.

He earned another Golden Globe for his portrayal of Clark M. Clifford in the TV movie Path to War.

Sutherland joined the cast of Pride & Prejudice which starred Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone and Judi Dench.

After nearly four decades of success as an actor, Sutherland received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame two years after son Kiefer received his. The father-son duo’s stars are next to each other on Hollywood Boulevard.

Sutherland signed on to join The Hunger Games franchise as the notorious President Snow. He played the antagonist for all four films.

Following the success of the Hunger Games, Sutherland starred in the Western, Forsaken, alongside son Kiefer. The film was the father-son duo’s third project together as they also worked together in 1983’s Max Dugan Returns and 1996’s A Time to Kill, when Kiefer was getting his start in Hollywood.

Despite a lifetime of acclaimed performances in high-profile projects, Sutherland was never nominated for an Oscar. But the Academy made up for this oversight by bestowing Sutherland with an Honorary Award for his work in cinema.

Sutherland played oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in the historical drama series Trust.

The actor appeared in the Undoing alongside Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman. Sutherland earned a Critics Choice Award for his role in the HBO limited series.

Sutherland landed a recurring role on the Yellowstone spinoff, Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

Sutherland died in June 2024 at age 88. Kiefer shared a touching tribute in honor of his father.

“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,” Kiefer wrote via X alongside a throwback childhood photo. “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. A life well lived.”

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