At the age of 88

Donald Sutherland deceased at the age of 88

(Bild: AFP)

Mourning for a Hollywood legend: As son Kiefer Sutherland announced, "Hunger Games" and "MASH" star Donald Sutherland passed away at the age of 88. 

"It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally consider him one of the most important actors in film history," wrote Kiefer Sutherland on X (Twitter).

Breakthrough with war films
Born in Canada in 1935, Sutherland had been in front of the camera since the late 1960s, his final breakthrough came with the war films "The Dirty Dozen" and "MASH", on which the TV series with Alan Alda was later based. 

Donald Sutherland and his wife Francine Racette in 1975

(Bild: AFP)

But Sutherland also later appeared in numerous cult films such as "JFK - Tatort Dallas" (1991), "The Jury" (1995) and later "Space Cowboys" (2000) and the parts of the "Hunger Games" series. In the "Hunger Games" films, he played Jennifer Lawrence's evil adversary, the dictatorial ruler President Snow, who rules the fictional country of Panem with an iron fist. 

In general, his father did not shy away from playing villains, wrote Kiefer Sutherland: "He never doubted any of his roles, whether they were good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and lived a full life."

Donald Sutherland with son Kiefer Sutherland

(Bild: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Donald Sutherland was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2018, and had already won two Golden Globes before that. His name has adorned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since 2011. 

Sutherland Senior was married to Lois Hardwick in his first marriage. He had two children with his second wife Shirley Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland and his twin sister Rachel. Since the 1970s, Donald Sutherland was in his third marriage to the actress Francine Racette. This marriage produced three children, including the actors Rossif Sutherland and Angus Redford Sutherland.