Actor Donald Sutherland, known for 'Klute,' 'Hunger Games,' and many more, dies at 88
Actor Donald Sutherland, known for his roles in films such as "The Dirty Dozen," "Klute," the "Hunger Games" franchise, and many more, has died. His son, Kiefer Sutherland, shared the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.
"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. 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," the tweet read.
No further details on his death were immediately shared. Sutherland was 88 years old when he passed.
Actor Donald Sutherland arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere of 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 18, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Born in Saint John, Canada, Sutherland barely survived a series of childhood diseases, including infantile paralysis, rheumatoid fever and spinal meningitis.
He chronicles those struggles in his memoir, "Made Up, But Still True," which is set to be released in November of this year. Sutherland also shared details about his burgeoning teenage sexuality and his love for acting. He began acting on screen in the early 1960s.
Sutherland broke through in Hollywood with a small role in the 1967 World War II classic "The Dirty Dozen," and broke big with a starring role as Hawkeye Pierce in Robert Altman’s "M.A.S.H."
Canadian actor Donald Sutherland arrives for the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4, 2018, in Hollywood, California. (Credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
He worked with auteurs including Nicolas Roeg in "Don’t Look Now" and Federico Fellini in "Fellini’s Casanova." And he appeared just as often in more popular fare, playing a spacey tank commander in "Kelly’s Heroes," a demented arsonist in "Backdraft" and an authoritarian president in the "Hunger Games" films.
More recently, Sutherland worked on the HBO limited series "The Undoing." He never retired and worked regularly up until his death.
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"I love to work. I passionately love to work," Sutherland told Charlie Rose in 1998. "I love to feel my hand fit into the glove of some other character. I feel a huge freedom — time stops for me. I’m not as crazy as I used to be, but I’m still a little crazy."
He received an honorary Oscar in 2017.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.