Donald Sutherland dies, aged 88 – son Kiefer Sutherland leads emotional tributes to Hollywood icon
Tributes have been flooding in for the late actor.
Kiefer Sutherland has led tributes to his father, acting legend Donald Sutherland, who has died at the age of 88.
The 24 actor shared a childhood photo of himself with his dad on Thursday evening (20th June), writing alongside: "With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away."
Sutherland went on to describe his dad as "one of the most important actors in the history of film", writing that he was "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," Kiefer added in the post on Twitter, which was recently rebranded as X. "A life well lived."
Director Billy Ray shared a tribute to Sutherland, writing: "A prince. A brilliant actor. Wildly underrated. I was beyond proud to be on the Academy Board of Governors when we voted him his much-deserved Governor's Award. NOT an Ordinary Person at all... May the odds be ever in his favour..."
Meanwhile, filmmaker Joe Russo wrote, "RIP to the GOAT," while actor Elijah Wood said: "Aww man. Farewell, Donald Sutherland."
"I never had the honour of knowing him personally, but it was the honour of a lifetime to follow in his footsteps," Tom Blyth, who played a younger version of Sutherland’s Hunger Games character in a prequel film, penned on Instagram.
"Thank you sir for birthing one of the great movie characters of all time," he continued.
US president Joe Biden also shared a tribute to Sutherland on X, writing: "Donald Sutherland was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and one-of-a-kind actor who inspired and entertained the world for decades.
"My thoughts are with his family and all those who loved him."
Sutherland made his big screen debut in 1963 with a small part in the British drama The World Ten Times Over, and went on to enjoy a career in film that spanned more than 60 years.
He starred in a number of films in the 1960s including The Dirty Dozen and Joanna, before bagging the lead role in the 1970 war movie M*A*S*H, which inspired the TV series of the same name.
Sutherland’s other film credits include comedy Kelly’s Heroes, thriller Don’t Look Now, Steelyard Blues and Animal House.
Later on in his career, Sutherland starred in The Italian Job, Cold Mountain, Ad Astra and the Hunger Games franchise, based on Suzanne Collins’s YA novels, in which he played the ominous villain President Coriolanus Snow.
Sutherland also appeared on the small screen over the course of his glittering career, with TV credits including Dirty Sexy Money, The Undoing and Path to War.
Most recently, he starred in the thriller Heart Land, which is now set for a posthumous release.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
