Donald Sutherland In MASH Character Explored ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia )
Advertisement
Donald Sutherland, the Canadian actor who starred in high-grossing films like MASH and Hunger Games, died on Thursday, June 20, following a long illness at 88.
Multiple reports indicate that Donald Sutherland, whose movie career spanned nearly seven decades, died in Miami. In a post on X, his son and fellow actor Keifer Sutherland described him as “one of the most important actors in the history of film.”
The statement rings true, considering the Canadian actor has been part of multiple highest-grossing films, including starring in one of his most memorable movies, MASH, the 1970 comedy about medics in the Korean War.
Donald Sutherland played Cpt. Benjamin Franklin Pierce, aka Hawkeye, in the 1970 Robert Altman-directed film, which earned a whopping $81.6 million against a budget of $3 million. The film was loosely based on a 1968 novel, “M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors.
The film’s box office success spawned a TV series loosely based on the 1970 film of the same name, in the television show where actor Alan Alda played Sutheerlnad’s role.
Donald Sutherland’s career explored
Donald Sutherland landed his first job at 14, working as a DJ for Canadian radio station CKBW (per Esquire), and then moved to England to continue his acting studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Sutherland, who started his career in the theater and had a handful of minor roles on British television, landed his first film role in the 1964 Italian horror The Castle of the Living Dead.
Sutherland’s breakout role came in 1967 in Robert Aldrich’s war film, The Dirty Dozen, which was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1967. The film’s success helped the Canadian actor and his most memorable roles in MASH.
Throughout the 1970s, Sutherland starred in a string of films, including Klute opposite Jane Fonda and garnered widespread acclaim for portraying in Robert Redford’s Oscar-winning Ordinary People in 1980. Sutherland’s pivotal supporting role in Oliver Stone’s JFK, released in 1991, is one of his memorable films, which grossed over $200 million.
In 1995, he won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the TV movie Citizen X and starred as Mr Bennet in the Academy Award-nominated film Pride & Prejudice, based on Jane Austen’s novel in 2005.
Donald Sutherland’s Net Worth
Sutherland became known as President Snow from Hunger Games with a new generation of fans. He appeared in four films in the franchise, which cost more than $1.9bn worldwide.
Despite starting in some of the highest-grossing films, Sutherland’s net worth was considerably low. Sutherland’s net worth was around $60m, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Sutherland’s last role was in last year’s western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
Donald Sutherland is survived by his son, Kiefer Sutherland, and daughter, Rachel Sutherland, from his second marriage. He is also survived by his wife, Francine Racett, three sons, Racette—Roeg, Rossif, and Angus Redford, and four grandchildren.
