Donald Sutherland is 85 years of age and has starred in over 150 films over his career. All his family members seem to be doing so well in the show business, as his son is a certified Hollywood star.
His son, Kiefer Sutherland, and granddaughter, Sarah Jude Sutherland – among other family members – have shown themselves to be top-class actors.
Donald had a tough childhood and had to spend fourth grade at home because of rheumatic fever. “I was somewhere between 6 and 10. I was obsessed with not knowing what happened after you were dead,” Sutherland told GQ. “
“And I sat or kneeled for a whole day with my head against the wall, trying to figure it out. But I couldn’t, and I just said, ‘Okay.’ And then it was nothingness. Like Woody Allen says, ‘I’m taking a change of underwear just in case.’ So, you know, I have no God.”
Upon turning 16, Donald Sutherland had a heartbreaking question to ask his mom. “And I went to her and I said, ‘Mother, am I good looking?’”, he told 60 Minutes. “And my mother looked at me and went, ‘Your face has character, Donald.’ And I went and hid in my room for at least a day.”
Donald at the University of Toronto knew what he wanted to do and got gigs while still in college. It seemed like he had a fantastic ability to act from the start, right from his first audition. “The writer said, ‘You did such a terrific job’. And the producer said, ‘We thought you were really wonderful.
We all wanted to call you together to explain to you why we weren’t casting you,’” Sutherland recalled. “And he said, ‘No. No. No. I mean, we have to– the reason why we’re not casting you is because we’ve always thought of this fellow as a kind of — a guy next door sort of guy.
And to be absolutely truthful, we don’t think you look like you ever lived next door to anybody.’ No. But it’s the story of my life, you know”. Speaking to Rolling Stone Magazine, Kiefer, son of Donald Sutherland recalled his father’s affair with Jane Fonda.
He confirms that he didn’t know anything. “No, but he’d probably say, ‘I fell in love,’” Kiefer Sutherland said. “I understand that.
People do. And when they’re falling in love, they believe in everything so strongly and passionately, this kind of heightened experience, that it’s very hard to judge somebody for it.”
Notwithstanding his deeds, Donald has been so great in the industry and his iconic roles won’t be forgotten so easily, he always had his way of stealing the show.