Actor Donald Sutherland dead

Published 20 June 2024 at 21.16

Culture. The actor Donald Sutherland is dead at the age of 88, writes Deadline. Sutherland was active for more than six decades and in 2003 he played, among other things, a role in Sweden's most censored film of all time.

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Born on July 17, 1935 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, Sutherland began his acting career in the 1960s. His breakthrough came with the role of “Hawkeye” Pierce in the iconic anti-war film MASH* (1970).

With his distinctive voice and intense presence, he continued to enchant audiences in films such as Klute (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978).

In later years, Sutherland reached a new generation of fans through his role as President Snow in The Hunger Games franchise. His ability to portray both heroes and villains with great empathy made him one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors.

In addition to his successful career, Sutherland was also a committed citizen, something that was evident when he appeared in the role of American supervillain in the low-budget­film Baltic Storm (2003), a disaster film about the sinking of Estonia with a script by, among others, Jutta Rabe and Henning Witte.

The film, which was strongly critical of the Swedish government, eventually became Sweden's most heavily censored film of all time and was never shown in Swedish cinemas. Among other things, the film promoted a conspiracy theory that the Swedish military had smuggled military equipment on the M/S Estonia, which was condemned as a cynical attempt to make money from pure misinformation.

Later, however, the conspiracy theory turned out to be true .

Sutherland was the father of five children, including actor Kiefer Sutherland. He received numerous awards for his work, including an honorary Oscar in 2017 for his lifetime contribution to the art of cinema.