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1-13 of 13
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
The towering presence of Canadian actor Donald Sutherland was often noticed, as were his legendary contributions to cinema. He appeared in almost 200 different shows and films. He was also the father of renowned actor Kiefer Sutherland, among others.
Donald McNichol Sutherland was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, to Dorothy Isobel (McNichol) and Frederick McLea Sutherland, who worked in sales and electricity. He had Scottish, as well as German and English, ancestry. Sutherland worked in several different jobs - he was a radio DJ in his youth - and was almost set on becoming an engineer after graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in engineering. However, he also graduated with a degree in drama, and he chose to abandon becoming an engineer in favour of an actor.
Sutherland's first roles were bit parts and consisted of such films as the horror film Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) which starred Christopher Lee. He was also appearing in episodes of TV shows such as "The Saint" and "Court Martial". Sutherland's break would come soon, though, and it would come in the form of a war film in which he was barely cast.
The reason he was barely cast was because he had been a last-minute replacement for an actor that had dropped out of the film. The role he played was that of the dopey but loyal Vernon Pinkley in the war film The Dirty Dozen (1967). The film also starred Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, and Telly Savalas. The picture was an instant success as an action/war film, and Sutherland played upon this success by taking another role in a war film: this was, however, a comedy called M*A*S*H (1970) which landed Sutherland the starring role alongside Elliott Gould and Tom Skerritt. This is now considered a classic among film goers, and the 35-year old actor was only getting warmed up.
Sutherland took a number of other roles in between these two films, such as the theatrical adaptation Oedipus the King (1968), the musical Joanna (1968) and the Clint Eastwood-helmed war comedy Kelly's Heroes (1970). It was Kelly's Heroes (1970) that became more well-known, and it reunited Sutherland with Telly Savalas. 1970 and 1971 offered Sutherland a number of other films, the best of them would have to be Klute (1971). The film, which made Jane Fonda a star, is about a prostitute whose friend is mysteriously murdered. Sutherland received no critical acclaim like his co-star Fonda (she won an Oscar) but his career did not fade.
Moving on from Klute (1971), Sutherland landed roles such as the lead in the thriller Lady Ice (1973), and another lead in the western Alien Thunder (1974). These films did not match up to "Klute"'s success, though Sutherland took a supporting role that would become one of his most infamous and most critically acclaimed. He played the role of the murderous fascist leader in the Bernardo Bertolucci Italian epic 1900 (1976). Sutherland also gained another memorable role as a marijuana-smoking university professor in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) among other work that he did in this time.
Another classic role came in the form of the Robert Redford film, Ordinary People (1980). Sutherland portrayed an older father figure who must deal with his children in an emotional drama of a film. It won Best Picture, and while both the supporting stars were nominated for Oscars, Sutherland once again did not receive any Academy Award nomination. He moved on to play a Nazi spy in a film based on Ken Follett's book "Eye of the Needle" and he would star alongside Al Pacino in the commercial and critical disaster that was Revolution (1985). While it drove Al Pacino out of films for four years, Sutherland continued to find work. This work led to the dramatic, well-told story of apartheid A Dry White Season (1989) alongside the legendary actor Marlon Brando.
Sutherland's next big success came in the Oliver Stone film JFK (1991) where Sutherland plays the chilling role of Mister X, an anonymous source who gives crucial information about the politics surrounding President Kennedy. Once again, he was passed over at the Oscars, though Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for his performance as Clay Shaw. Sutherland went on to appear in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Shadow of the Wolf (1992), and Disclosure (1994).
The new millennium provided an interesting turn in Sutherland's career: reuniting with such former collaborators as Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones, Sutherland starred in Space Cowboys (2000). He also appeared as the father figure to Nicole Kidman's character in Cold Mountain (2003) and Charlize Theron's character in The Italian Job (2003). He also made a fascinating, Oscar-worthy performance as the revolutionist Mr. Thorne in Land of the Blind (2006) and also as a judge in Reign Over Me (2007). He also joined forces with his son Rossif Sutherland and Canadian comic Russell Peters with the new comedy The Con Artist (2010), as well as acting alongside Jamie Bell and Channing Tatum in the sword-and-sandal film The Eagle (2011). Sutherland also taken a role in the remake of Charles Bronson's film The Mechanic (1972).
Donald Sutherland made a lasting legacy on Hollywood, whether portraying a chilling and horrifying villain, or playing the older respectable character in his films. A true character actor, Sutherland was one of Canada's most well-known names and will hopefully continue to be remembered long after his time.- Taylor Wily (Teila Tuli) has the distinction of competing in the first bout held in Ultimate Fighting Championship (2000) or UFC. Wily was a sumo wrestler when UFC was created to determine the best style of fighting. Wily fought Gerard Gordeau at UFC 1: The Beginning (1993) where he quickly lost. Wily never again competed in the sport now known as Mixed Martial Arts, and later became an actor.
- Jonathan Morano is a Peabody Award-winning TV writer. As Head Writer of "The Late Late Show" on CBS for eight years, he went on to serve a decade for host Craig Ferguson and subsequent guest hosts until James Corden took over. He has written comedy for The White House Correspondents Association, the Independent Spirits, and numerous stand-up specials. Jonathan's writing career began with a grant and a fellowship from Robert De Niro's Tribeca Films for his dramatic screenplay "Benjamin Garrett" at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. Jonathan and his wife Aimee Blisten live in Los Angeles.
- Violetta Gevorkyan was born on 5 August 1944. She was an actress, known for Apretseq yerkar (1979), Six Feet Under (2001) and Los (2010). She died on 20 June 2024.
- Writer
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Alessandra Valeri Manera was born on 21 November 1956 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Alessandra was a writer and producer, known for Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990), Game Boat (1996) and Love Me Licia (1986). Alessandra died on 20 June 2024 in Rapallo, Liguria, Italy.- Greg Larson was born on 15 November 1939 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He died on 20 June 2024 in Plymouth, Minnesota, USA.
- Casting Director
- Casting Department
- Additional Crew
Mia Levinson was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. She was a casting director, known for Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), Firewall (2006) and George of the Jungle (1997). She was married to Todd Wheeler. She died on 20 June 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.- Ryan Hadley died on 20 June 2024 in the USA.
- Eberhard Hertel was born on 29 November 1938 in Oelsnitz, Vogtland, Saxony, Germany. He was married to Elisabeth. He died on 20 June 2024 in Oelsnitz, Vogtland, Saxony, Germany.
- Peter Gillis was born on 19 December 1952 in White Plains, New York, USA. Peter was a writer, known for Strikeforce: Morituri. Peter died on 20 June 2024 in Albany, New York, USA.
- Producer
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Leonid Bits was born on 13 April 1954 in Moscow, USSR [now Russia]. He was a producer and director, known for And I Was There (2016), Udar Lotosa (2001) and Tikhie omuty (2000). He died on 20 June 2024.- Margarita Voites was born on 30 October 1936 in Moscow, USSR. She was married to Juhan Voites. She died on 20 June 2024 in Estonia.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Jean Morisset was born on 20 February 1940 in Saint-Michel de Bellechasse, Québec, Canada. Jean was a producer, known for Kiyoukta (2008) and How the Fiddle Flows (2002). Jean died on 20 June 2024 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.