Donald McNicol Sutherland, OC (born 17 July, 1935) is a Canadian character actor with a film career spanning over 50 years.1 He is currently working in the American television series, Dirty Sexy Money. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, in 1967, and M*A*S*H and Kelly's Heroes in 1970, and an overly optimistic health inspector in Invasion of the Body Snatchers in 1978.
Early life
Sutherland was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of Dorothy Isobel (née McNichol) and Frederick McLea Sutherland, who worked in sales and ran the local gas, electricity, and bus company.21 He got his first part time job at age 14 as a news correspondent for local radio station CKBW in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. He then studied at Victoria College, University of Toronto, where he met his first wife Lois Hardwick (not the child star of the same name), and graduated with a double major in engineering and drama. He had at one point been a member of the "UC Follies" comedy troupe in Toronto. He changed his mind about becoming an engineer, and subsequently left Canada for England to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Career beginnings
In the early to mid-1960s, Sutherland began to get small parts in British films and TV, landing notable roles in horror films with Christopher Lee, such as Castle of the Living Dead (1964) and Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) and twice appearing in the The Saint, firstly in the 1965 episode "The Happy Suicide"3 and then, more auspiciously, in a story called "Escape Route" at the end of 1966.4 The episode was directed by the show's star, Roger Moore, who later recalled that Sutherland "asked me if he could show it to some producers as he was up for an important part... they came to view a rough cut at the studio and he got The Dirty Dozen.5 Thus, Sutherland was on course for the first of the three war films which would be his initial great successes: The Dirty Dozen in 1967, with Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson; in 1970, as the lead "Hawkeye" Pierce in Robert Altman's M*A*S*H; and, again in 1970, as tank commander Sgt. Oddball in Kelly's Heroes, with Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas.
Mid-career
Sutherland had an intimate relationship (on and off screen) with actress Jane Fonda during the filming of the Academy award-winning detective thriller Klute.6 Sutherland and Fonda went on to coproduce and star together in the anti-Vietnam war film F.T.A. (1972), consisting of a series of sketches performed outside army bases in the Pacific Rim and interviews with American troops who were then on active service. Sutherland found himself in demand as a leading man throughout the 1970s in films such as the Venice-based psychological horror Don't Look Now (1973), the war film The Eagle Has Landed (1976), and as the ever-optimistic health inspector in the sci-fi/horror Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) alongside Brook Adams and Jeff Goldblum. Sutherland also had a small role as pot-smoking Professor Dave Jennings in National Lampoon's Animal House in 1978, making himself known to younger fans as a result of the movie's popularity. When cast, he was offered either US$40,000 up front or a percentage of the movie. Thinking the movie would certainly not be a big success, he chose the 40K upfront payment.
He received acclaim for his performance in the 1976 Bernardo Bertolucci Italian Fascism epic 1900 and for his role as the torn father in the Academy award-winning family drama Ordinary People (1980) alongside Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton. In 1981 he narrated A War Story a Anne Wheeler film. He played the part of fellow Canadian Norman Bethune—a physician, humanitarian, and hero in China—in two separate biographical films in 1977 and 1990. A prolific actor, some of Sutherland's better-known roles in the 1980s and 1990s were the South African apartheid drama A Dry White Season (1989), alongside Marlon Brando and Susan Sarandon; the firefighter thriller Backdraft (1991), alongside Kurt Russell and Robert De Niro; and as the snobbish NYC art dealer in Six Degrees of Separation (1993), with Stockard Channing and Will Smith. In the 1991 Oliver Stone film JFK, Sutherland played a mysterious Washington intelligence officer, reputed to have been L. Fletcher Prouty in real life, who spoke of links to the military-industrial complex in relation to Kennedy's assassination.7
He starred as Wilhelm Reich in the video to Kate Bush's 1985 single, "Cloudbusting". In 1992 played the part of Merik in the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Kristy Swanson. In 1995, Sutherland was cast as the antagonistic Maj. Gen. Donald McClintock in Wolfgang Petersen's thriller movie Outbreak, also starring Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman, and Rene Russo. Sutherland was later cast in 1997 (for only the second time in his career) with his son Kiefer in Joel Schumacher's award-winning crime thriller A Time to Kill, based on the bestselling book of the same name, written by John Grisham.
Recent career
In more recent years, Sutherland was noted for his role as Reverend Monroe in the Civil War drama Cold Mountain (2003), in the remake of The Italian Job (2003), in the TV series Commander in Chief (2005–2006); and in Pride and Prejudice (2005), starring alongside Keira Knightley. He earned an Emmy nomination in 2006 for his performance in the miniseries Human Trafficking.
Sutherland currently stars as Tripp Darling in the prime time serial Dirty Sexy Money for ABC. Sutherland's distinctive voice has also been used in many radio and television commercials, including those for Volvo automobiles. He is the spokesman for Simply Orange orange juice. Most recently he played multi-millionaire Nigel Honeycut in the Warner Bros. film Fool's Gold.
Personal life
Sutherland was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on 18 December 19788 and was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000.9 He maintains a home in Georgeville, in Quebec's Eastern Townships.
Son Kiefer Sutherland, a successful actor best-known for his role as Jack Bauer on the TV action/thriller series 24, and his twin sister, Rachel, were born to Sutherland and his second wife, Shirley Douglas, daughter of Tommy Douglas. Sutherland met his current wife, French-Canadian actress Francine Racette, on the set of the Canadian pioneer drama Alien Thunder. They have three sons, including actor Rossif Sutherland, Angus Sutherland, and Roeg Sutherland. Sutherland has become a blogger for the Huffington Post during the 2008 Elections. The first article is dated May 29th, 2008, the last July 10th 2008when?. Sutherland was honoured in a September 2004 Time Magazine special feature as 'one of the world's Great Sexies'.10
Filmography
References
External links
![video The process of](../viewVideo.html?title=Bodysnacters doing their thing.YouTube=YouTube&summary=The process of "Body Snatching" in Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1978). Directed by Phillip Kaufman. A classic.&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/30M3_hOORDo&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://2.gvt0.com/vi/30M3_hOORDo/default.jpg&celebrity=Donald Sutherland&videoType=YouTube)
![video Donald Sutherland performs a wedding ceremony in Alan Arkins and Jules Feiffers](../viewVideo.html?title=Little Murders: Wedding CeremonyYouTube=YouTube&summary=Donald Sutherland performs a wedding ceremony in Alan Arkins and Jules Feiffers "Little Murders" (1971).&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/TgwjHBUW9MY&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://2.gvt0.com/vi/TgwjHBUW9MY/default.jpg&celebrity=Donald Sutherland&videoType=YouTube)
