Acting legend Donald Sutherland dies at 88

Donald Sutherland, one of Canada’s most versatile and gifted actors, has died at the age of 88.

The actor, whose lengthy career spanned from the 1960s into the 2020s, died on Thursday, his son, actor Kiefer Sutherland, said on social media.

The tall actor with a deep voice, piercing blue eyes and mischievous smile managed to switch effortlessly from character roles to romantic leads, opposite the likes of Jane Fonda and Julie Christie.

He also played his share of oddballs and villains during a career that began in the 1960s.

One of the biggest stars in Hollywood in the 1970s, he remained in demand for film and TV projects into his 80s.

Known for his unconventional looks and his versatility as an actor, Sutherland played a wide range of memorable characters.

These included a rascally army surgeon in M*A*S*H (1970), a quirky tank commander in Kelly’s Heroes (1970), and  a local official facing an alien presence in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978).

He won a new generation of fans with his glorious portrayal of a despotic president in The Hunger Games (2012) and its sequels.

“I wish I could say thank you to all of the characters that I’ve played, thank them for using their lives to inform my life,” Sutherland said in his speech accepting an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 2017.

Sutherland was born on July 17 1935 in Canada’s New Brunswick province and was raised in Nova Scotia.

He was married three times and had five children, including Kiefer. — Reuters