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Who was Donald Sutherland? All about the MASH and Hunger Games actor who was Kiefer’s famous father

The actor passed away at 88 after a long illness

The late Donald Sutherland was considered a Hollywood veteran.

He passed away in Miami on June 20, 2024, ending a long and illustrious career in acting which spanned several decades.

Donald Sutherland, the prolific Canadian film and television actor, has died at age 88.
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Donald Sutherland, the prolific Canadian film and television actor, has died at age 88.Credit: Splash

Who was Donald Sutherland?

Donald Sutherland was best known for playing President Snow in the Hunger Games series and Hawkeye Pierce in MASH.

Born in 1935 in New Brunswick, Canada, his breakthrough role came in 1967 with "The Dirty Dozen," an American war film.

What was Donald Sutherland famous for?

He's most known for playing President Coriolanus Snow, the main antagonist of the Hunger Games film franchise.

Sutherland was a father of five, including Emmy Award-winning actor Kiefer, veteran CAA Media Finance executive Roeg, actors Angus and Rossif, and television producer Rachel.

His chameleon-like ability in front of the camera landed him in positions alongside the likes of Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Statham, Jennifer Lawrence, and Gene Wilder, among others.

Who is Kiefer Sutherland?

Sutherland was married three times during his life.

He married Lois Hardwick in 1959 before they eventually divorced in 1996.

That same year, he married fellow Canadian actress Shirley Douglas, with whom he had twins, Kiefer and Rachel.

The couple's marriage lasted only four years before divorcing in 1970.

By 1972, Sutherland remarried for a third time to actress Francine Racette.

Sutherland and Racette had three children together: Rossif, Angus, and Roeg.

What did Kiefer say about Donald Sutherland's death?

Kiefer, 57, mourned his father's death and remembered him as "one of the most important actors" of all time.

"With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away," Kiefer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"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."

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