Donald Sutherland is one of the most famous Canadians in the USA. A Hollywood actor is revered in his homeland in Canada. The filmography of Sutherland for half a century of acting career has more than 80 films. He continues to act, delighting fans of his talent with active creative longevity. The legendary actor at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver was among 8 people who were entrusted with the honorary mission to make the Olympic flag of the host country of the Games.
The childhood of the future actor
In the Canadian city of St. John, New Brunswick, July 17, 1935, Donald McNichol Sutherland was born. His parents were Scots by birth with German and English genes in the pedigree. Father Frederick MacLia worked at a local energy company, and his mother, Dorothy Isabelle, was a housewife. At the age of 14, Donald joined the entertainment industry - he worked as a radio announcer, received $ 0.30 per hour. Already in his youth, the future Hollywood actor Donald Sutherland learned the basics of mastery. His biography includes a difficult choice that was to be made at the end of school. The young man could not decide what university to enter: theatrical or technical.
Mastering the basics of acting in student years
Donald entered the University of Toronto, where he took part in the performances of an amateur theater group and was preparing to do engineering after graduation. After reading rave reviews about his game in a city newspaper, Sutherland decided not to bury his talent in the ground. In 1956, Sutherland went to England, where he entered the London Academy of Performing Arts. Along with his studies, he played on the stages of provincial theaters and starred in television. After graduating from the theater academy, Donald Sutherland received invitations from directors only for episodic roles.
First roles
In the initial period of creativity, which lasted from 1964 to 1970, Sutherland had to play flawed and sinister characters in horror films. The directors did not pay attention to the dramatic talent of the actor, but to his unusual appearance and height (194 cm). The young man had an original face and a special timbre of voice. When Sutherland came to Hollywood in the mid-1960s, he tried to avoid a British accent. In the films “Castle of the Living Dead” and “House of Horrors of Doctor Terror” (1965), the actor performed his first notable movie roles. He worked with full dedication, investing talent and his inherent sense of humor. The son, who was born in 1966, Donald Sazarland named Kiefer in honor of the author of the script of the film "Castle of the Living Dead" Warren Kiefer. Soon, the actor began to star in the lead roles. “Oedipus the King”, “Joanna”, “Heroes of Kelly” and his other films were released.
Comedy "M.E.SH."
The real fame Sutherland brought the film "M.E.SH." ("Military Field Hospital", 1970). He played the role of Sergeant Hakka Pearce in this sensational "black" comedy Robert Altman, which debunked the ideal of the "brave soldier" in the public mind. The highlight of the tape were sketches and witty dialogues of three surgeon friends. The director's plan and its implementation on the screen allowed Sutherland to fully demonstrate his talent for improvisation. Critics and viewers noted the young actor’s remarkable ability to reveal several layers of the character’s character. In 1971, the actor was nominated for playing the best male role in a comedy for the Golden Globe Award.
Sutherland Acting
The artist appeared on the screens in the psychological thriller “Klyut” in 1971. The film by Alan Pacula is dedicated to the story of a detective who went to New York in search of a missing friend. Donald Sutherland starred.
The filmography of the 1970s is distinguished by a high workload of the actor in the filming. But he paid maximum attention to each of his roles. The detective performed by Sutherland aroused sympathy among the audience for his loneliness and disorder. Suddenly, a law enforcement officer fell in love with a “call girl”. In this role, the incomparable Jane Fonda starred . The talented duet of actors gave the film the features of a deep psychological drama.
Sutherland in the 1970s brought nominations for several prestigious film awards (the British Academy in 1974 and Saturn in 1979).
The diverse talent of the actor
The actor produced the anti-war film “FTA,” and was among the authors of the script for the film, released in 1972. The directors discerned Sutherland's dramatic talent, offered him roles that allow him to explore the inner world of man. He played a madman, suffering from a split personality, in the thriller Nicholas Roge “And now do not look” (1973). Together with Julie Christie, the actor starred in a frank love scene. Since that time, the Canadian actor has gained the glory of a sex symbol. The new status was consolidated thanks to the films of subsequent years in which Donald Sutherland appeared (photo). A year of work in Italy enriched the actor’s experience by shooting in 4 films and collaborating with outstanding directors Federico Fellini and Bernardo Bertolucci. The roles in Italian films were appreciated by film critics, noting the ease with which actor Donald Sutherland changes his role. In the Bertolucci film “The Twentieth Century,” Sutherland was offered the role of the fascist Attila, full of psychologism and philosophical meaning. Raising cruelty to the rank of theory, Sutherland's character becomes a symbol of the “brown plague” that flooded the world in the 20th century. In the film Casanova Fellini, the world-famous historical figure tries to cast off the mask of a tireless lover and appear in his true guise - a man who is passionate about science and art.
Donald Sutherland: filmography of the last decades of the 20th century
For 20 years until the end of the millennium, the actor equally selflessly showed his talent in diverse roles. In Robert Redford's drama Ordinary People, he created the image of Calvin Jarrett. The story of a father helping to cope with a heavy loss to his wife and son received the Academy Award in 1981.
In 1982, the actor received an honorary prize at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival for his work in the Canadian fantasy film Threshold. Sutherland worked with Al Pacino in the film Revolution, with Marlon Brando in the drama Dry White Season. In the movie John F. Kennedy: Shots in Dallas (1991), he appeared as Officer X, who provides information on politicians surrounded by President Kennedy. Other films with Donald Sutherland of this period:
- The Fiery Whirlwind (1991).
- The Shadow of the Wolf (1992).
- “Exposure” (1994).
- “Puppeteers” (1994).
- The Epidemic (1995).
- The Shadow Conspiracy (1996).
- The Virus (1999).
A new round in Sutherland's acting career
In the twenty-first millennium, a new round of popularity began in the career of an actor. He starred with other "aces" of Hollywood, Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones in the film "Space Cowboys" (2000). A notable event in Sutherland’s career was the second Golden Globe Award in 2002 (the first he received in 1995). He played the roles of fathers in the melodrama Cold Mountain with Nicole Kidman and Italian Robbery with Charlize Theron. Both tapes were released in 2003. The legendary actor created a vivid and memorable image in the 2006 film "Country of the Blind." Significant works of Donald Sutherland from the filmography of the 2000s include the film The Eagle of the Ninth Legion (2011), The Hunger Games (2012) and many other films. In the sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, director
Francis Lawrence Sutherland starred as President Coriolanus Snow. The film received the MTV Award in the nomination "Best Film" (2014). Donald Sutherland was nominated for a leading music channel award as "Best Villain." The actor intends to star in the sequel to The Hunger Games (2014, 2015).
Personal life
Sutherland is a very sought-after actor and plays a lot in high-budget films. Almost his whole life takes place on the set. Donald was still married to actress Lewis Hardwick, whom he met at the university. This marriage lasted 7 years. Then the actor met the daughter of a major Canadian politician Tommy Douglas - Shirley. She gave birth to Donald's twins, Rachel and Kiefer, who later became an actor. Donald Sutherland and Kiefer Sutherland - one of the most famous acting dynasties in Hollywood.
Donald Sutherland had an affair with Jane Fonda, which began on the set. Together they played in the film “Cleat”, participated in a world anti-war tour. Sutherland recalls that the relationship began shortly before filming, and a break with Jane broke his heart. In 1972, he met with French-Canadian actress Francis Rasett, whom he married. The legendary actor believes that he is incredibly lucky. “If there is real wealth in life, then these are my five children,” says Sutherland.