# RIP Donald Sutherland **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [June 20, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127 "2024-06-20T17:48:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/21 "2024-06-20T19:53:10Z")
Something like 190 film and television credits. One of those actors who needed to wake up every day with a script in his hand, but never phoned it in, no matter the quality of the project. He could play a loving family man, or evil personified, equally skillfully. A classy, elegant thesp, and a Canadian icon. At 88 years old, I guess it’s not wholly unexpected, but it’s still terribly sad news. My fave performances of his…how to choose? _Six Degrees of Separation_, _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_, _JFK_, _Outbreak_ (what? it’s fun!), _Pride & Prejudice_. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/22 "2024-06-20T20:00:51Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > Invasion of the Body Snatchers I didn’t sleep well for a week after he pointed at me. What a magnificent career. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/23 "2024-06-20T20:32:52Z")
I just remembered how good he was in that HBO series _Citizen X_ about the serial killer Chikatilo. Very nuanced performance. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/24 "2024-06-20T20:33:27Z")
“If any other suitors turn up, pray send them in. I am quite at my ease.” (With a dry chuckle that he can’t quite believe his daughters’ good fortune.) ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/25 "2024-06-20T20:39:19Z")
Mr. Sutherland was great in _Kelly’s Heroes_ as Oddball, but the character was too much of an anachronism to be truly enjoyable. In his second feature film, _Castle of the Living Dead_ (1964), he played three roles - including an old woman - though I recall only spotting him twice. Perhaps it was because the movie was pretty bad? I do remember watching the dreadful _Joanna_ (1968) in which he plays a dying aristocrat, but the highlight of the flick for me was the Bizzarrini - [IMCDb.org: 1965 Iso Grifo A3 C Bizzarrini [B-0217] in "Joanna, 1968"](https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_1199146-Iso-Grifo-A3-C-B-0217-1965.html) - one of only 25 ever made. Mr. Sutherland was almost funny in _Start the Revolution Without Me_ (1970), but he always seemed too weird to be effective in comedies. I thought the aforementioned _Fellini’s Casanova_ was a much better fit for him. He was very effective in _End of the Game_ (1975) as a corpse. Sure, it was only a cameo, but he seemed to capture the character’s motivation extremely well in very little screen-time. I have never seen all of _1900_ (1976), but I have seen the scene where he kills a cat in a very disturbing way. It made not want to watch the whole movie even more. I always thought Mr. Sutherland would have made a very credible Hunter S. Thompson back in the day. Too bad he never got to play him. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/26 "2024-06-20T20:54:07Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I just remembered how good he was in that HBO series _Citizen X_ about the serial killer Chikatilo. > > Very nuanced performance. I was going to mention this one, so I’ll just nitpick that it wasn’t a series, it was an HBO feature. Terrific performances also by Stephen Rea, Max von Sydow, and Jeffrey DeMunn as the serial killer. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/27 "2024-06-20T21:02:09Z")
Gosh, how do I remember it as a series? Was it shown in two parts? Weird what memory does. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/28 "2024-06-20T21:05:50Z")
I was going to remark on his role as Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. I thought he was superb. Please forgive the slight nitpick, but the line is “If any young men come for Mary or Kitty, for heaven’s sake, send them in. I’m quite at my leisure.” My daughter fell in love with the movie when she was 13, so I’ve watched it 7 or 8 times. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/29 "2024-06-20T21:09:13Z")
I announced Donald Sutherland’s death to a co-worker, and got a blank stare. She did know who Kiefer Sutherland was though. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/30 "2024-06-20T21:13:54Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Please forgive the slight nitpick, but No probs. I’m having lunch in a pub and my memory is frail. Thanks for the accurate version. It’s the unbelieving chuckle that nails the line. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/31 "2024-06-20T21:18:09Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > I announced Donald Sutherland’s death to a co-worker, and got a blank stare. I wonder if _“President Snow”_ would’ve clicked. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/32 "2024-06-20T21:25:16Z")
Watch this moment with Anderson Cooper. ☹ > ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/33 "2024-06-20T23:22:46Z")
I just recently mentioned here my [favorite scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QchpH01zFbU) of his in the codebreaking movie _Sebastian_. Another obscure but fun scene is in _Johnny Get Your Gun_ where he plays Jesus. Typecasting? At one point he’s leaning out of a railroad locomotive going at full speed and howling. I think that’s referenced in Luke. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/34 "2024-06-21T00:33:24Z")
For those that can see it this is the Instagram post from Kiefer. [https://www.instagram.com/p/C8cgckJJ548/?igsh=eGxsNXNodGsweHp3](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8cgckJJ548/?igsh=eGxsNXNodGsweHp3) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/35 "2024-06-21T00:47:21Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > Mr. Sutherland was great in _Kelly’s Heroes_ as Oddball, but the character was too much of an anachronism to be truly enjoyable. I agree. Though as a child, I thought he was great. I quote him whenever anyone mentions something mechanical (my MGB, motorcycles, etc.): ['I only ride 'em. I don’t know what makes ‘em work.’](https://imgur.com/a/YxFYgxU) ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/36 "2024-06-21T01:08:58Z")
What a fine, versatile actor he was. Last Saturday night, for about the 15th time, we watched the 1978 version of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” in which he starred. (To this day, purists bust on that movie but we’ve always thought it was great and it still is.) While watching the movie, the thought crossed my mind that he was one of the only actors who began in the 1960s who was still active, even if only on occasion. “Eye of the Needle” is another favorite of ours. Sad to hear he’s gone. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/37 "2024-06-21T03:04:00Z")
Sad 😭 Up until last year, I had as my phone’s background pic the final shot of him in body snatchers, pointing his finger and mouth agape. (Now it’s Death pointing to the salmon mousse) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/38 "2024-06-21T03:32:03Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > (Now it’s Death pointing to the salmon mousse) Ha! [5 characters for the STOOPID Discourse.] ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/39 "2024-06-21T04:50:55Z")
He was a terrific actor and I enjoyed many of his roles. May he RIP. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127/40 "2024-06-21T05:10:58Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > He became notorious for taking just about any role – really awful films like Gas and SPYS and The Trouble with Spies I had to respect whatever negotiation he did for _Gas_ that led to his never being on screen with any other characters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-donald-sutherland/1003127.md?page=3)