Remembering The Great Donald Sutherland via 10 Favourite Film Performances

Monday is about movies, sometimes TV. Today, a tribute to the late great Donald Sutherland

Sad to hear of the passing of Donald Sutherland at the start of last weekend. What an actor. What range. Over sixty years in the game, on screens — and he wasn’t getting any less sharp as a performer. I very much loved a handful of his most recent roles. It’s impossible to remember everything he was in — but here’s a chunk of his filmography if you’d like a reminder. I’m going to mention ten of the films — and his roles within them — that made me think of him as one of the greats, one of the most distinctive and important actors of the last 50 years certainly. His face. That voice. So capable of playing men of power, and men hiding weakness (if they weren’t one and the same). So good at being bad — a creep, a villain, a star of many horror films, and often a ‘bad’ boss in action movies, thrillers, or dramas. But capable too of kindness, of pathos, and humour. So many electrifying performances.

Here in order of when they were released, are the films I most think about when I think of Donald Sutherland.

M*A*S*H (1970)

I guess I grew up with the TV show, so the first time I saw the source material’s first screen adaptation (both coming from the 1968 novel, M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors) I struggled to fully follow and appreciate the tone. A satire, yes. But that split between comedy and deep drama was not super clear to me. One thing that was obvious though was Donald Sutherland’s great performance. At this stage I knew the work of his son, Kiefer. So it was amazing seeing Sutherland Snr doing the work first — but getting to it second. If that makes sense. Anyway, a subsequent viewing of M*A*S*H set me straight, and made me appreciate it as a masterpiece, and as a crucial entry point into the work of both Donald Sutherland, and its director, Robert Altman.

Klute (1971)

I only caught up with Klute recently — but it’s a film I’d wanted to see for a long, long time. I loved it so much, and bought its score on CD, and returned to rewatch the movie almost immediately. Much has been made of Jane Fonda’s performance — and rightly. But in such films they require a ‘dance partner’. And Sutherland is amazing in the title role. One of the best, and one of his best.

Don’t Look Now (1973)

I love Don’t Look Now. It’s one of my favourite horror films — and its tone, existential horror, folk horror, trauma film — is exquisite. There’s such deep paranoia at the heart of it. And Sutherland’s performance is perfect. A very rewatch-able horror too, and the kind you can introduce your “non-horror fan” friends to. And they’ll take it. I reckon.

Animal House (1978)

Just last week, I added this to my list of faves from ‘78. And though my focus with the film is very much Belushi — it’s a funny Donald Sutherland performance, crucial not so much in his filmography, sure. But a favourite of mine. And proof he could do more than dark and brooding. He could do the comedies too.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

With Halloween, Omen II, and Dawn of the Dead on my 1978 list of faves, there was no room for Body Snatchers too, but I alluded to it being a great year. And Body Snatchers was next on the list if I was going to include even more horror — and yes, Donald Sutherland! I love how a name actor like him (and Michael Caine) would appear in the 70s horrors that weren’t exactly high budget or critically acclaimed.

Ordinary People (1980)

As with Klute, I arrived at this rather late and with really high expectations. They were met. Robert Redford’s directorial debut, is in a way, the straight drama version of Nicholas Roeg’s heightened horror scenario that informs Don’t Look Back. The pathos that Sutherland operates in here is extraordinary.

Cloudbusting (1985)

Not exactly a film — but a music video. However Kate Bush conceived it as a short film and chose Sutherland specifically. He wasn’t particularly interested until Bush courted him directly for the role. And then he could not say no. An intriguing little entry to his wider filmography. And again, I would love it when you could spot actors of this calibre in music videos — I think of Ian McKellen in the black cap in a Pet Shop Boys video, for instance.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)

I have, to this day, never seen a single episode of the TV show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. A friend tells me I should change that. And maybe I will. Maybe that’ll be one winter’s big deep dive — as with The Golden Girls last year, and Devious Maids a few years ago. But, anyway, I did love the film, though my lack of seeing the series is not out of loyalty to the film. I imagine the movie isn’t much these days, but it was a big deal at the time. And Donald Sutherland as Merrick, well, that was easily as cool as George Carlin playing Rufus in the Bill & Ted franchise. Maybe I’ll pour one out to Donald over a 30-year late rewatch of Buffy…

Six Degrees of Separation (1993)

This one got me at the right time. A teenager when this was released, I found its plot clever and intriguing, and it was the proof that Will Smith was more than a clown. (He’s arguably de-proofed that situation recently). But it was a full cast slam dunk for me, as both Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland were magnetic. And there were other great players in various roles too (McKellen, Mary Beth Hurt). It’s another film I feel I’d like to rewatch. I’m guessing it would seem flimsy-as, but the Sutherland performance alone would make it worthwhile still.

Mr Harrigan’s Phone (2022)

Based on a Stephen King short (novella), Mr. Harrigan’s Phone succeeds almost entirely due to the casting (and performance) from Donald Sutherland. The perfect person for that role. It’s a good film rather than a great film — but in the King universe that’ll totally do, as there’s been plenty of stinkers that still get our momentary attention.

There were many other movies I could have chosen, and you’ll have your favourites. So please add them down below. This is not a ranked list, just chronological. And also, worth adding, I’m aware of his role in The Hunger Games — and how that was a big ‘rediscovery’ or repositioning of him. I’ve not seen any of those films, and won’t likely rush in their direction. So I’m sure he’s good, even if they aren’t. But yeah, I couldn’t list them because I’ve not seen them.

I might have also wanted to mention The Burnt Orange Heresy, The Mechanic, Reign Over Me, Ask The Dust, Instinct, The Assignment, A Time To Kill, Outbreak, and The Dirty Dozen.

But how about you? How will you remember Donald Sutherland? And what did he mean to you?

R.I.P. One of Canada’s finest.