It would be a shame if audiences nowadays only knew Donald Sutherland as Kiefer's father. For in his heyday, Sutherland was at the top of his game. Born in Canada in 1934 and educated at the University of Toronto, the actor spent time studying in England at R.A.D.A.
There were small parts in genre films in the sixties, including Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, an anthology directed by Freddie Francis and released in 1964, and Die! Die! My Darling (1965) for Hammer Studios.
Then Altman's M*A*S*H made him a superstar. Somewhat underrated and taken for granted as an actor, Sutherland nevertheless put his stamp on a wide variety of excellent films.
Klute might be remembered for its Oscar-winning performance by Jane Fonda but Sutherland played the title role, balancing the actress's overt sexuality with a calmness that's a welcome sight in a film filled with a gritty New York sensibility.
As a private eye searching for a missing husband, Klute is drawn into a world of prostitution and murder - and the actor does a fine job.
Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now was released in 1973. A film that gets under your skin, Sutherland plays a father recovering from the drowning death of his daughter. With his wife (played by Julie Christie), the couple head to Venice where Sutherland is to help restore a church. A blind woman, ESP, and a chilling conclusion that'll knock your socks off...this one is a must-see.
By all accounts, 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers should have gone the way of most remakes and been forgotten. But to many, it's even better than the original.
It was a masterstroke to set the film in San Francisco during the "me" decade...where the idea that aliens have taken over bodies might not be noticed so easily in a place where everyone can seem like a stranger. Sutherland's Mathew Bennell is canny enough to almost survive what transpires. Almost...
Sutherland still works often and if he no longer commands leading roles, well...character parts suit him and he continues to make an impression. Anyone who doubts his talent would be well served to watch his stunning performance in 1980's Ordinary People. It's an exercise in subtlety that continues to astound.
| NOTABLE SUTHERLAND FILMS
|
YEAR |
| Blood Relatives |
1978 |
| Castle of the Living Dead |
1964 |
| Die! Die! My Darling! |
1965 |
| Don't Look Now |
1973 |
| Dr. Terror's House of Horrors |
1965 |
| Invasion of the Body Snatchers |
1978 |
| Klute |
1971 |
| Murder by Decree |
1979 |
