Fearless Facts About Donald Sutherland, The Unsung Actor
Donald Sutherland spent decades wowing audiences with his skill and bravery, but there may be a startling reason why the academy snubbed him.
1. He Was An Icon
Donald Sutherland has been in some of America’s most iconic movies. There was the supercharged drama of JFK, the thought provoking M*A*S*H, and even the knee slapping hilarity of National Lampoon’s Animal House. With these films he may seem about as American as apple pie, but Donald Sutherland was a proud Canadian.
So how does a country boy from rural Canada become an international icon? For Donald Sutherland, it was a long road.
2. He Was From The Sticks
Donald Sutherland was born on July 17, 1935, in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, but the family soon moved out of the city and into the countryside. The family ended up so far from civilization that Sutherland attended a one room schoolhouse. But life in the country was hard.
3. He Was A Sickly Child
While living in the sticks, a young Donald Sutherland suffered from rheumatic fever, hepatitis, and polio. Eventually, though, the family decided to move back to the city—where Sutherland could start his career.
But he didn't want to be an actor at first.
4. He Came To His Senses
Sutherland’s career had a false start with an interest in puppetry, joining the Puppet Club in high school. He then got serious and decided on engineering. But while at university in Toronto, he got the acting bug and added a second major in drama.
Eventually, he was going to need to choose between the two disciplines. In 1957, he made his choice—and it prompted a big move.
