Donald McNicol Sutherland, OC (born July 17, 1935) is a Canadian actor.
Sutherland was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of Dorothy Isobel and Frederick McLea Sutherland, who worked in sales and ran the local gas, electricity, and bus company. He got his first part time job at age 14 as a news correspondent for local radio station CKBW in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. He then studied at Victoria College, University of Toronto, and graduated with a double major in engineering and drama. He had at one point been a member of the "UC Follies" comedy troupe in Toronto. He changed his mind about becoming an engineer, and subsequently left Canada for England to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
In the early to mid-1960s, Sutherland began to get small parts in British films and TV, landing notable roles in horror films with Christopher Lee, such as Castle of the Living Dead (1964) and Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) and twice appearing in the The Saint, firstly in the 1965 episode The Happy Suicide and then, more auspiciously, in a story called Escape Route at the end of 1966.
Sutherland and Fonda went on to coproduce and star together in the anti-Vietnam war film F.T.A. (1972), consisting of a series of sketches performed outside army bases in the Pacific Rim and interviews with American troops who were then on active service. Sutherland found himself in demand as a leading man throughout the 1970s in films such as the Venice-based psychological horror Don't Look Now (1973), the war film The Eagle Has Landed (1976), and as the ever-optimistic health inspector in the sci-fi/horror Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) alongside Brooke Adams and Jeff Goldblum. Sutherland also had a small role as pot-smoking Professor Dave Jennings in National Lampoon's Animal House in 1978, making himself known to younger fans as a result of the movie's enormous popularity. When cast, he was offered either US$40,000 up front or a percentage of the movie. Thinking the movie would certainly not be a big success, he chose the 40K upfront payment. The movie, however, became a huge hit, and if he had taken a percentage instead, he would have netted US$30- to $40-million. In more recent years, Sutherland has been noted for his role as Reverend Monroe in the civil war drama Cold Mountain (2003); in the remake of The Italian Job (2003); in the TV series Commander in Chief (2005–2006); and in Pride and Prejudice (2005), starring alongside Keira Knightley. He earned an Emmy nomination in 2006 for his performance in the miniseries Human Trafficking.
Sutherland currently stars as Tripp Darling in the prime time serial Dirty Sexy Money for ABC.Sutherland's distinctive voice has also been used in many radio and television commercials, including those for Volvo automobiles. He is also the spokesperson for Simply Orange orange juice. Most recently he played multi-millionaire Nigel Honeycut in the Warner Bros. film Fools Gold.
Sutherland was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on 18 December 1978 and was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000. He maintains a home in Georgeville, in Quebec's Eastern Townships.
Sutherland met his current wife, French-Canadian actress Francine Racette, on the set of the Canadian pioneer drama Alien Thunder. They have three sons, including actor Rossif Sutherland, Angus Sutherland, and Roeg Sutherland. Kiefer Sutherland and his twin sister, Rachel, were born to Sutherland and his first wife, Shirley Douglas, daughter of Tommy Douglas. Kiefer is also a successful actor.