Donald Sutherland, Actor And Kiefer Sutherland's Father, Dead At 88

Donald Sutherland, longtime actor and father of fellow star Kiefer Sutherland, died at 88 years old on June 20, Deadline reports. Along with Kiefer, Donald leaves behind four other children, Rossif Sutherland, Rachel Sutherland, Angus Sutherland, and Roeg Sutherland, as well as multiple grandchildren, including "Veep" actor Sarah Sutherland. Donald shared two of his children (twins) with his second wife, the late Shirley Douglas, and three children with his third wife, Francine Racette, to whom he was still married at the time of his death. He was also married to Lois Hardwick from 1959 to 1966.

After the tragic news broke, Kiefer took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm his father's death. "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," the second-generation actor wrote. "He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived." Kiefer accompanied the statement with a black-and-white childhood photo of himself and Donald.

In light of Donald's death, his fans have been looking back at both his career onscreen as well as his life away from the spotlight.

Donald Sutherland was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, on July 17, 1935. With over 200 credits to his name, the star was famous for his roles in 1967's "The Dirty Dozen," 1970's "M*A*S*H," 1980's "Ordinary People," and 1992's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," as well as "The Hunger Games" franchise, just to name a few.

Sutherland's passion for his craft was certainly one of the reasons why he was so successful. Opening up to Anderson Cooper for CBS News in 2018, the actor explained what happened when he prepared for a role by connecting with something sympathetic about his characters, even if they were villains. "I don't find it. It finds me," he noted. "I mean, I will read it. And suddenly, it starts churning around inside me. And, then, it gets violent. And, then, it gets loving. And it's an extraordinary thing. It gets more and more and more exciting. It's delicious."

Donald was also willing to share some advice for those hoping to follow in his footsteps. He told Reuters in 2019, "Work as hard as you can, you know, get a job — work, work harder, try and be as truthful as you possibly can, read, read a lot, learn, memorize things, enjoy your artistry, study dancing, be a circus performer, learn how to juggle, so many things, but mostly you have to observe." 

Our condolences go out to Donald's family, friends, and fans.