‘Sexy’ Sutherland heats up ABC airwaves
Stop if you’ve heard this one: An engineer, a comedian and an actor walk into a bar.The bartender says“Hello Mr. Sutherland.”
Donald Sutherland, father of actor Kiefer Sutherland and a celebrated actor in his own right, has been all three of these in the course of his lifetime.
TV viewers will know the prolific actor for his current role as the paterfamilias in ABC’s “Dirty Sexy Money,” which has been renewed for the 2008-09 season. He also recently appeared in the comedy “Fool’s Gold” (2008).
Sutherland has held roles in a myriad of films and television roles -- playing almost 150 characters in his career. The Canadianborn star, however, almost didn’t go into acting at all.
Engineering was his original occupation of choice, and he graduated from the University of Toronto with degrees in both drama and engineering. Luckily for his fans, he chose to abandon the former in favour of studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in England.
Throughout most of the ‘60s, Sutherland moved through a series of bit parts in productions such as “Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors”( 1965).
Two years later, he starred in his breakout role -- one in which he was only cast as a replacement.
The role was that of the loyal, endearingly dopey Vernon Pinkley in the classic film “The Dirty Dozen”(1967).
Sutherland capitalized on this success with subsequent roles in two other war films. He played Benjamin Franklin (Hawkeye) Pierce in Robert Altman’s unforgettable film“M*A*S*H”(1970) and as the tank commander Sgt. Oddball in the war comedy“ Kelly’s Heroes”(1970) -- the latter film, it should be mentioned, put Sutherland star alongside Clint Eastwood and former“Dirty Dozen”co-star Telly Savalas.
At that time, the New Brunswick-born actor was 35 years old, and he was just getting warmed up.
Sutherland also starred in “Klute,” the 1971 film that made Jane Fonda a star. Fonda won an Oscar for her role in the show about a prostitute whose friend is murdered, and while Sutherland didn’t win any acclaim for his role, his career certainly didn’t fade.
It was after this that he landed one of his most acclaimed roles: that of a murderous fascist leader in the Italian epic “1900” (1976).
In 1978, Sutherland took a role that gave him a name among younger, rowdier viewers.
He took a small role as the pot-smoking Professor Dave Jennings in “National Lampoon’s Animal House.”
Interestingly enough, that was the same year Sutherland was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour achievable within the Canadian system of honours. It recognizes Canadians who have made outstanding lifetime contributions to Canada, and non-Canadians who have, by their actions, made the world a better place. The rank of Officer is the second of three ranks receivable.
Another honour, his induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame, came in 2000.
Following “Animal House,” Sutherland moved on to more older-gentleman roles.
In Robert Redford’s film “Ordinary People” (1980), the then-45-year-old actor played a father trying to deal with his family’s grief after the death of a child.The film won Best Picture and both supporting actors were nominated for Oscars, though Sutherland was again passed over.
Later into the ‘80s, the actor took on further serious roles, including a part in the South African apartheid-focused drama “A Dry White Season”(1989).
Sutherland starred as fellow Canadian Norman Bethune, a humanitarian physician and hero in China, in two separate biographical films produced in 1977 and in 1990.
Sutherland enjoyed continued success throughout the ‘90s, as he starred alongside ‘Sexy’ Sutherland heats up ABC airwaves Kurt Russell and Robert De Niro in the firefighter action hit“Backdraft”(1991) and with Will Smith and Stockard Channing as a snobby art dealer in “Six Degrees of Separation”(1993).
In 1992, he again connected with younger viewers when he portrayed the grim, wise and immortal watcher Merrick in the cult hit “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
It wasn’t until 1996, however, that Sutherland was fully recognized for his work. That year, he won a Golden Globe for his work in“Citizen X.”
The new millenium saw Sutherland reunite with Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones in the sci-fi comedy“Space Cowboys”(2000).
The Sutherland talent doesn’t stop with the family elder, however. Sutherland’s son, Keifer Sutherland, is also a well-recognized actor.
The younger Sutherland is best known for his role as Jack Bauer in the TV series “24.” He’s also known for his relatively recent film role in “Phone Booth” (2002).
In 1997, both father and son were cast together in “A Time to Kill,” a crime thriller based on the bestselling book by John Grisham.
Keifer’s role won
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