Actor Donald Sutherland Dead at 88

ONE OF OUR FAVORITES –

June 20, 2024 – Donald Sutherland, a Canadian actor whose career spanned more than six decades, he starred in many acclaimed titles. A magnetic screen star whose chameleon-like penchant for unconventional characters would sustain him through a 200 films career, Sutherland starred in acclaimed titles of the 1970s and ’80s, including JFK, M*A*S*H, Klute, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Ordinary People. He was President Snow in The Hunger Games

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sutherland “will be deeply missed.”

“I had the opportunity when I was much younger to meet Donald Sutherland, and even as a young man who hadn’t had a full exposure to the depth of brilliance of Donald Sutherland, I was deeply, deeply starstruck. He was a man with a strong presence, a brilliance in his craft and truly, truly a great Canadian artist,” Trudeau said at a news conference in Westville, N.S.

“My thoughts go out to Kiefer and the entire Sutherland family, as well as all Canadians who are no doubt saddened to learn [of his death], as I am right now.”

Early beginnings: Born Donald McNichol Sutherland on July 17, 1935 in Saint John, N.B., he and his parents lived just outside of the city until he was six years old, then relocated to Bridgewater, a town on Nova Scotia’s south shore. He spent much of his childhood bedridden with various ailments, including polio and scarlet fever.

During a 1970 interview with CBC, the actor referred to himself as a “blue-noser” — an affectionate moniker for the people of Nova Scotia — noting his sense of humour was melded by his upbringing in the province. He maintained a strong Canadian identity throughout his life.

“I have a kind of umbilical tie to the country,” he said, likening his connection with Canada’s natural beauty to that of the Group of Seven, the country’s founding school of visual artists.