Good, bad or ugly, he played them all

Canadian legend spent seven decades on-screen, from ‘M*A*S*H’ to ‘Hunger Games’

- PETER HOWELL

Although Donald Sutherland (in 2018 above and 1975 left) was never nominated for an Academy Award, he did receive a career achievement Oscar in 2017. The prolific actor died Friday at age 88.

Legendary Canadian actor Donald Sutherland was a towering figure in Canadian and international cinema, both for his height — six-footfour — and his commanding performances playing both heroes and villains.

Sutherland, 88, died Thursday following a long undisclosed illness. His death was announced by his son, actor Kiefer Sutherland.

“With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived,” Kiefer tweeted on X.

Although he was never nominated for a competitive Oscar — one of the Academy’s more egregious oversights — Sutherland did receive an honorary career achievement Oscar in 2017. Among his many other accolades, he won Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for his work in the 1995 TV crime thriller “Citizen X,” a Golden Globe for the TV political drama “Path to War” in 2002 and a Genie (now called Canadian Screen Award) for the 1981 sci-fi drama “Threshold.”

He had a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Canadian Walk of Fame and his face on a Canada Post stamp. He was an Officer of the Order of Canada (later promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada) and a recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.