Donald Sutherland's Real Name: Donald McNichol Sutherland

Quick answer: Donald Sutherland was born Donald McNichol Sutherland on July 17, 1935, in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The actor's career ran from M*A*S*H (1970) to The Hunger Games films, in which he played President Snow. He died in Miami on June 20, 2024, at 88, after a long illness (AP; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Sutherland, Donald, 1935-2024" and keeps the cross-reference "Sutherland, Donald McNichol, 1935-2024." One LOC citation reads "born Donald McNichol Sutherland on July 17, 1935 in Saint John, New Brunswick." An older reference work cited by LOC gives 1934, but LOC's heading, Britannica, and AP all use 1935.

AP's obituary says he was the son of a salesman and a mathematics teacher and was raised in Nova Scotia, where at 14 he was a disc jockey with his own radio station. He began studying engineering at the University of Toronto but switched to English and started acting in school productions. Britannica says he graduated with degrees in engineering and drama. He then studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and appeared in West End plays and on British television, including The Saint and The Avengers.

Career highlights

His breakthrough was The Dirty Dozen (1967), in which he played Vernon Pinkley. In 1970 came Kelly's Heroes and Robert Altman's M*A*S*H, in which he played the wisecracking surgeon Hawkeye Pierce. AP notes he identified with the film's antiwar message. With Jane Fonda and others he founded the Free Theater Associates in 1971 and performed near military bases.

He starred in Klute (1971) and Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now (1973) and worked with Fellini and Bertolucci. He played the father in Robert Redford's Ordinary People (1980), which won best picture, and appeared in Animal House, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and Oliver Stone's JFK. Later roles included Mr. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2005), President Snow in the Hunger Games series (2012–15), J. Paul Getty in the series Trust (2018), and The Undoing (2020).

AP says he appeared in nearly 200 films and series. He was never nominated for a competitive Oscar but received an honorary Academy Award in 2017. He won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the TV film Citizen X (1995) and another Golden Globe for Path to War (2002).

He married actress Shirley Douglas, with whom he had twins Rachel and Kiefer, and in 1972 married actress Francine Racette, who survived him.

Name notes for searchers

McNichol is his middle name. He was credited as Donald Sutherland throughout his career. His son, actor Kiefer Sutherland, was named after writer Warren Kiefer, AP reports.