M*A*S*HED
Acting great Donald Sutherland has died aged 88. Our lanky Canuck was a regular in Hammer Horror films and British TV such as The Avengers and The Saint before a trinity of war films put him on the map – dopey felon Vernon Pinkley in The Dirty Dozen, the OG Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H, and hippie Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes. He co-starred with Jane Fonda in psychological thriller Klute; off the screen the pair had a brief fling and joined forces for anti-Vietnam War protests.
Further into the 70s, he had a saucy shag with Julie Christie in Don’t Look Now, was an IRA agent in The Eagle Has Landed, played Homer Simpson (not that one) in The Day of the Locust, was an iron-fisted fascist in 1900, and gained popularity with the youth as the pot-smoking professor in Animal House. He entered the 80s with one of his most acclaimed roles as the feeble patriarch to a troubled family in Ordinary People, and the 90s he was a mysterious conspiracy informant in JFK. His attempts at theatre largely flopped, but he found a steady stream in TV including LBJ’s defence secretary in Path to War and working with the Homer Simpson as the voice of Jebediah Springfield scholar Hollis Hurlbut.
Sutherland enjoyed a resurgence off the back of son Kiefer’s own stardom, and won a new generation of fans as tyrannical President Snow in the Hunger Games series. He was everywhere throughout a half-century career, and whether in classic or clunker he always gave it his all. Six teams picked him, including Who Turned out the lights? and Grim McGraw.
Donald Sutherland
17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024, aged 88
6 TEAMS (💀💀💀💀💀💀 6 POINTS)