Donald Sutherland, inarguably Canada’s finest actor, turned 80 on Friday.
It’s cause for celebration.
Sutherland’s body of work is extraordinary, the man himself (full disclosure: he is a dear friend) is brilliant and compassionate with the ability to discuss any topic with intelligence, insight and–when required–passion or humour.
He has won numerous awards but never, not surprisingly, an Oscar, of course. (Hollywood is not big on subtlety.). But the French get it.
In 2012 he was awarded the French honour of Commander of the Arts for his contribution to cinema, receiving the award from former French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand at a ceremony in Paris.
And what has been that contribution to cinema?
Like one of his heroes, the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, Sutherland strips his characters bare–finding their very essence, exploring every aspect–good and bad–of that fictional human being. And it’s all done fearlessly.
For nearly 50 years, Sutherland has entertained and challenged us in a variety of roles. He can do comedy, drama, satire. Pick any of those genres and find anyone anywhere he can do it better. He is an actor equal to anyone.
Best known to a new generation for his work as President Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games films, he first attracted wide notice nearly 50 years in the 1967 film The Dirty Dozen.
It was the start of a incredible run of hit films that included M*A*S*H (1970), Kelly’s Heroes (1970), Klute (1971), Don’t Look Now (1973), Fellini’s Casanova (1976), 1900 (1976), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Ordinary People (1980), and JFK (1991) Cold Mountain (2003), and Pride & Prejudice (2005).
He is currently supplying the glue in Crossing Lines, the European-based television series that investigates a variety of crimes that cross international boundaries.
Through all his success, he has remained quintessentially Canadian, loathe to call attention to himself, bent only on delivering something he has discovered about life that is worth sharing. It’s called respecting your audience.
Do yourself a big favour. Go see a Sutherland film, any Sutherland film. You’ll come out way more alive.
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