The big shot is really gone.
Donald Sutherland, a famous Canadian actor, died at his home in Miami on June 20, local time, at the age of 88. He has been in the entertainment industry for 70 years, and has starred in many classic films such as "Military Hospital", "Doubtful Venice", "1900", "The Day of the Locust", etc. In his later years, he played the villain President Snow in the "Hunger Games" trilogy, successfully winning the recognition of the younger generation of audiences. Of course, the most familiar role to Chinese audiences is probably the Hollywood big-name director Taylor he played in Feng Xiaogang's New Year's film "Big Shot".
Screenshot of Big Shot
Although he has been working in Hollywood for almost his entire life, Donald Sutherland has never become a US citizen. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the film industry, the Canadian government awarded him the highest honor medal in 2019 and issued a commemorative stamp for Donald Sutherland in October 2023. In response to this, in his last media interview before his death, he emphasized that he was proud to be a Canadian all his life.
Donald Sutherland commemorative stamp
In recent years, Donald Sutherland has bid farewell to Hollywood and settled in Quebec, not far from the US-Canada border. Sometimes he is asked why he doesn't just apply for dual citizenship, which would make it much easier to travel between the two places. But he said that he is a thorough Canadian and does not want to be an American, because although the two countries are neighbors, even the most basic sense of humor is very different. In 2010, at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, he participated in the flag entry ceremony as an outstanding Canadian representative.
The news of Donald Sutherland's death was announced on social media by his son Kiefer Sutherland, who is known for starring in the American TV series "24": "It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that my father Donald Sutherland passed away today. In my heart, he is one of the most important actors in film history. No matter whether the role is good or bad, beautiful or ugly, he dares to face challenges and is never afraid. He loves what he does and does what he loves. This is his life. A wonderful life."
Donald Sutherland was born on July 15, 1935 in an ordinary family in St. John's, Canada. While studying at the University of Toronto, he studied for degrees in both engineering and drama, and eventually chose the latter career path. At the age of 22, he left his hometown to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and then stayed in the UK to develop his career, starting his screen career with a small supporting role in a horror film.
In fact, horror films account for a large proportion of Donald Sutherland's entire acting career. This is because Sutherland is 1.93 meters tall and thin. Due to polio when he was a child, there is a slight difference in the length of his two legs. In addition, his often haggard face and a pair of slightly swollen eyes made many horror film producers fall in love with him at first sight.
In 1966, MGM Studios started filming the action film "The Dirty Dozen" in the UK, which brought together many big-name actors such as Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, and John Cassavetes. Sutherland was also chosen by the producer to play one of the "King Kongs". The film was a box office hit after its release in 1967, ranking fifth in the annual box office in the United States, and also paved the way for Sutherland to enter Hollywood.
Stills from The Golden Dozen
Soon, he stood out in Robert Altman's classic anti-war film "Military Field Hospital", playing a military doctor nicknamed "Hawkeye", the soul of the entire field hospital. The film was very popular after its release in 1970 and received five Oscar nominations, but Sutherland was not among them.
Stills from Army Field Hospital
Throughout his life, he was never nominated for an Oscar, and it was not until 2017 that he finally received a belated Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, it is worth mentioning that Sutherland not only played an anti-war idol in the film, but also adhered to the left-leaning anti-war stance in life. Therefore, he was once regarded as a sensitive person by the CIA and was put on the watch list.
The 1970s was Donald Sutherland's most productive film career. In Alan J. Pakula's Klute (1971), he played a private detective who fell in love with a prostitute played by Jane Fonda while investigating a serial murder case in New York. In Nicolas Roeg's horror film Don't Die (1973), he and Julie Christie played a couple who lost their daughter unexpectedly. At the time, a 4-minute passionate scene in the film attracted great attention from the film censorship authorities in Britain and the United States, which also somewhat obscured the actual quality of Don't Die. To this day, the film has repeatedly been listed on various lists of the greatest horror films in history.
Stills from "Doubtless Venice"
Not only in Hollywood, Donald Sutherland's wonderful acting skills and fearlessness in the face of passionate scenes were also appreciated by the famous Italian director Fellini. In 1976, in his film "Casanova", Sutherland was invited to play the role of Casanova. Fellini originally wanted his old partner Mastroianni to play this role, but the latter could not get away due to schedule reasons. In desperation, Fellini could only look for other candidates. In the end, he overcame all objections and chose Sutherland from across the ocean. It is said that the reason was that this Canadian was like "a wax figure made purely of sperm, and was born with a pair of masturbator eyes."
Stills from Casanova
In the late 1970s, Sutherland starred in a number of hit films of different genres, including the horror film "Human Alien", the comedy "Animal House", the action film "The Great Train Robbery" and the epic film "1900" directed by Bertolucci. In 1980, he played a weak-willed father in the drama "Normal People" directed by Robert Redford. Although the film won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and many other awards, Sutherland still failed to get a nomination.
Stills from "Ordinary People"
In the following decades, Donald Sutherland remained productive, but due to his age, he gradually retreated from the leading actor to the supporting role, and starred in a large number of hit films such as "Backfire", "JFK", "Information", "Fear", "Induction", "Space Cowboys", "The Italian Job", "Pride and Prejudice", and "The Machinist". He also co-starred with his eldest son Kiefer Sutherland in three films: "The Guest", "A Time to Kill" and "Abandoned". In an interview, he once said that he was also a loyal fan of the popular series "24", and he must follow every episode, and he admired his son's role as agent "Bao Xiaoqiang".
Donald Sutherland and his son Kiefer Sutherland
In 2001, he played the role of Taylor, a famous Hollywood director, in "Big Shot" directed by Feng Xiaogang. Taylor was hired to come to Beijing to shoot a new film, but he suffered a heart attack. He hoped that You You, played by Ge You, would organize his funeral, which led to a lot of jokes, including "calcium supplementation".
Donald Sutherland's relationship with China goes far beyond "Big Shot". As early as 1990, he starred in the Canadian-Chinese co-production "Norman Bethune: The Growth of a Hero". Before that, he played this "old friend of the Chinese people" in the Canadian TV series "Witness to Yesterday" broadcast in 1975 and in the TV movie "Norman Bethune" completed in 1977.
Donald Sutherland in Bethune: The Making of a Hero
Just before his death, Donald Sutherland looked back on his life and said that the thing he was most proud of was the commemorative stamp issued by Canada Post for him. "This is my greatest achievement. This stamp is affixed to various letters and sent from Canada to all over the world. This makes me very proud and moved."
