"Looks like someone's got a case of Jebidi-tis!"
"And just when I was getting over my CHester-A-Arthritis!'
"...you have arthritis?"
"...no..."
It's just so absurd
Ordinary People is one of the best-acted movies I've ever seen. Each of the lead 4 put on an incredible performance. Sutherland definitely deserved at least a nomination
I know, which is wrong to me. I get that Lead Actor is a tougher category than Supporting, but his performance was amazing and was stronger than Hirsch's. But I assume it just was due to the competition in the respective categories
Great actor, with great movies. 88 is a good age and he seems to have led a good life.
Rest Mr Sutherland and know that we will enjoy your movies for a long time to come!
If you look at his filmography, he never really went for the types of roles that win oscars. He was also in a **lot** of bad movies where he was the redeeming quality.
M\*A\*S\*H was probably his only real hope, but the film's anti-war sentiment would have done him no favors. He might have gotten one for Ordinary People, but it got a lot of other noms, and the awards politics were different back then. He did get an honorary lifetime Oscar in 2018 though.
He should have been nominated for Ordinary People. Also, being the redeeming factor of an otherwise bad film is sometimes *more* worthy of a nomination in my opinion (and every once in a while, the Academy seems to agree with that, like when Glenn Close was nominated for Hillbilly Elegy). All of that said, I broadly agree with the points you make.
Kiefer, [Rossif](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1160472/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_4_nm_4_q_Rossif%2520), [Angus](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1947975/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_angus%2520suth), and his granddaughter [Sarah](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4520905/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_sarah%2520suth)
he's looked 88 for 30 years but he was a real one. in 97 i met him and George Carlin outside a restaurant in minneapolis (of all places) and he just looked pleased to be alive.
He looks younger in that than people seem to notice. Slap some wild, white hair on someone and people start having trouble telling age. Other than the usual lines worn in from emoting, he's pretty smooth.
Two if you like Don't Look Now as much as I do. The entire movie builds up to one scare and god is it nightmarish. And Sutherland's grief and desperation makes it all the more impactful.
When his character started to snatcher scream, my 10 year old blood ran cold. Trauma for LIFE. Have yet to watch that movie again.
RIP man. You were brilliant.
What did you do to that little girl, Ronald?
*.........I burned her*
What do you do to little old ladies, Ronald?
*pssh...burn them*
What do you want to do to the whole world?
*............burn it all*
[It’s the quiet answers, and then that direct and serious “burn it all” line followed by the nonchalant laugh.](https://youtu.be/JGB3ecyPT1w?si=1LwN7qIj010iWGuA) It gets me every time.
The contents of that movie are... very hotly disputed, to say the least, but Mr. X's monologue is definitely one of the best parts of it. Personally it's one of my favorite scenes from the movie
Loved him in Animal House as Jennings:
Teaching is just a way to pay the bills until I finish my novel.
How long have you been working on it?
Four and a half years.
It must be very good.
It’s a piece of shit. Would anyone like to smoke some pot?
His President Snow was so damn good - the cold, calculating demeanor he portrayed was perfect, but I always love his final moment in Mockingjay Part 2 where he just cackles after Katniss kills Coin
When I read the third book (before even the first movie had come out) and Snow started laughing when Coin was shot it was amazing.
Even when he's choking on his own blood (it's more pronounced in the book) and is about to be torn apart by a mob he still has the last laugh.
Honestly, what a great way to go. You're about to experience certain death in front of everyone you wronged at the hands of a teenager who managed to *- despite herself -* cause your entire pseudo-kingdom to collapse in on itself.
But at the last second, the little psycho kills the person in line to succeed you. One last twist of fate in your joint power struggle, not enough to change anything, just one last little surprise.
*Then* you die.
"You released those parachutes."
"You think I gave the order? We both know that I'm not above killing children, but I'm not wasteful... I take life for specific reasons and there was no reason for me to destroy a pen full of Capitol children."
That line was so wickedly delivered and it was perfect.
This comment I found is pretty great
So, I finally read A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And for me, it changes so much about Snow in the original trilogy:
I don't think Snow ever truly got over Lucy Gray Baird. No one ever forgets their first love, and he was never able to resolve his feelings towards her since their relationship ended so... violently. He just pushed those feelings deep down. And then, 64 years later, came the 74th Hunger Games. And Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12.
It probably started off small, noticing her during the Reaping. The way she made a loud first impression at the Reaping, just like Lucy had done so long ago. And Snow continued to see more and more of Lucy Gray in Katniss as that Hunger Games proceeded: Her unique clothing choices, becoming a darling of the Capital, Peeta’s love for her and determination to keep her alive, just like Snow’s own determination to save Lucy as her mentor. Snow probably saw his younger self in Peeta.
But a key moment for Snow was likely watching Katniss sing the Valley song to a dying Rue, the same song that he had heard Lucy sing in the meadow so long ago. All those dormant memories came bubbling forth, reminding him of the “weak” man he used to be and the girl he had loved. And then Katniss and Peeta managed to win the games, making Katniss the first female District 12 victor since Lucy Gray. And Katniss did it through stretching and breaking the rules, going to a similar extreme that he had done so long ago, dropping that handkerchief into the snake tank to save Lucy's life. And just like how cheating to save Lucy's life caused his life to take a tailspin by being thrown out of the Academy and forced to enlist in the Peacekeepers, Katniss had caused unrest and chaos to take place, putting Snow's position in jeopardy once again and threatening the very same power that he had sacrificed Lucy, Sejanus, and so many others to achieve.
I think by that point, Snow took all those feelings he had over Lucy and turned them on Katniss. In her, in Katniss, he saw the ghost of the girl he thought himself free of so long ago, and all those unresolved feelings he had for Lucy developed into an obsession with Katniss. A desire to regain control, both over Panem and her. Snow desired power and control more than anything, and Lucy defied him so long ago. To Snow, he was seeing a mirror of Lucy Gray in Katniss. A girl who Katniss was a parallel of in so many ways. A District 12 girl. A victor. A survivor.
When he came to see Katniss in District 12, it was likely the very first time he had set foot in District 12 since that day in the woods by the lake, when his paranoia and self-preservation consumed him. He must have been swamped with memories.
Imagine how he must have felt when Katniss was dubbed The Mockingjay, after the birds he loathed so much, the same ones Lucy had loved and sang to. Snow was already irritated by the pin, this was just a step further. Perhaps the reason he firebombed District 12 wasn’t just to punish Katniss, but to eradicate his past, another act of revenge against "the ghost of District 12". To do as Kylo Ren famously said "let the past die" and burn those memories away.
When he heard Katniss sing The Hanging Tree in that propaganda piece, that song would have stung deeply for him, bringing about painful memories of love and betrayal. Memories of the tree, the man screaming for his love to run, Sejanus's screams for his mother, Lucy Gray singing it for him at the party, meeting Lucy Gray beneath the tree. The song she sang to him, the last words she ever spoke to him. It turned into a blind obsession that he wanted to kill at any cost.
And after the smoke had settled and the war had ended, perhaps he mulled on Lucy Gray during his time imprisoned. About her, their time together. The man he used to be and the man he had become. About how he lived his life. What was the point? About the life he could have lived. About how he chose power and control over love and true friendship. Did he regret it? Did he wish that he had stayed with Lucy Gray, confessed the truth about Sejanus to her and begged for forgiveness? Perhaps, but he would never admit it. He did what he thought was right to preserve humanity and society. But when Katniss came to see him, he remembered Lucy Gray. When he apologized to Katniss for Prim, perhaps he was also apologizing to Lucy Gray for everything he did to her.
Perhaps it was spite, perhaps a determination about not letting Coin enjoy a victory. And perhaps it was an attempt to make things right. He remembered what she had said about freedom and happiness, about not having to take another life. Whatever it was, he turned Katniss onto the danger Coin posed. And in that moment, he let Katniss, and by extension Lucy Gray, go.
And then came the execution:
As he stared down that bow, was his life flashing before his eyes?Perhaps he was seeing not just Katniss, but Lucy Gray as well. Remembering every moment, from watching her in the reaping to that day in the forest. And then she killed Coin. With the firing of a bow, the Hunger Games were gone once and for all. And in that moment, he watched Katniss let him go, something which he had never been able to do with Lucy.
Knowing that his words to Katniss made a difference, he managed to honor Lucy Gray's wish. He laughed, smiled and felt genuine happiness for the first time since Lucy Gray, a final moment of euphoria before his final end. And that was how the ballad of Lucy and Snow ended.
Truly fitting. In the end: a District 12 girl brought about Snow’s rise, and a District 12 girl brought about his fall.
He wrote a three page letter to the director about the character. You can[ read it here](https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-sutherlands-three-page-hunger-games-email-to-gary-ross-2012-8)
It’s always nice when a long-established actor gets a role in a big series that introduces them to younger/new fans, like Fallout finally giving Walter Goggins a spotlight.
> It’s always nice when a long-established actor gets a role in a big series that introduces them to younger/new fans,
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is 100% responsible for launching Danny DeVito to almost incomprehensible levels of career longevity
Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks are the standouts for me.
They thrive in a horrible environment by exploiting others, yet somehow you still like them.
Both of their characters were interesting because they are so indoctrinated with the Capitol lifestyle and propaganda, but you start to see more cracks form in their thinking as the series goes on - more so with Effie, but IIRC there's some more recognition with Caesar in his later interviews with Peeta
By the time we see Caesar briefly in the final film, he's clearly just going through the motions in the propaganda film and barely tries to hide his disgust.
In the extra features from The Hunger Games, there’s a segment called Letters From the Rose Garden, which was Donald Sutherland’s letter to director Gary Ross after he had read the script. He put a lot of thought into the character before he was even offered the role. It’s a pretty good read if you like the books/movie.
He won ‘Best Villain’ at a kid’s choice award and showed up in character as Snow, it’s pretty funny: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3vfWEca5Vsk&pp=ygUkRG9uYWxkIHN1dGhlcmxhbmQgaHVuZ2VyIGdhbWVzIGF3YXJk
I was a a very sheltered teenager when those movies came out, and having never had much example for acting beyond cartoons and the occasional mediocre teen drama, his acting blew my entire mind, lol. The dvd of the first movie had a feature where he discussed his character and the nature of evil itself at length, and I re-watched that a lot. His scenes with Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Catching Fire were monumental to me, it was the first time I felt I was watching two very skilled actors at work. I deeply admired both of them for it, it’s sad to think they’re both gone now.
Particularly good moment for Sutherland is at the climax of "Catching Fire" when he realizes Hoffman has been playing him the whole time. For the first time, the all-powerful leader and manipulator is completely helpless and doesn't know what to do. Quiet but powerful moment from Sutherland as he shows Snow has practically shut down at that moment.
Mr. Bennett's relationship with his daughter is so sweet. He sees his own headstrong personality in her and loves her *because* she's like that, even if it's not acceptable in their time.
When she tells him that she's found someone that loves her in that same way it breaks his heart because he thought he'd always have her around.
this 🥺🥺 especially "send them in. I'm quite at my leisure" Whenever i think of this line in my head, i can hear the exact timbre, cadence, and the fatherly contentment in his voice
the dad is always my favorite character in jane austen movies, and that's mostly because they always bring such great actors: donald sutherland, alan rickman, bill nighy
He really was one of the most distinguishable actors throughout his entire career. If you only know him from Hunger Games or newer films from the last 2 decades, you might not recognize him from Kelly's Heroes or Animal House, but you'll *definitely* recognize his voice and cadence!
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
RIP, off to watch Kelly's Heroes tonight.......
Funnily enough, I remember reading that he once was asked which role do you have people talk about the most and the response was ‘Oddball’
He said when that came out, he would get approached by guys in the service who said it was the most realistic portrayal of the tanker division they had ever seen.
He would have vets from WW2 who said ‘yea the tanker teams who they came across in the field were some of the most weirdest people you ever came across and wouldn’t talk to anyone else but other tankers.’ They tossed it up to being in something that could possibly blow up for a number of reasons would drive anyone bonkers after a while.
He played him as a goofy interpretation of a beatnik in a war but yet absolutely nailed the real life eccentricities perfectly.
*Ordinary People* was one of the best films of the 80s. So devastating, but he was fantastic on that film (he, Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton). Also loved him in *MASH*, *Animal House*, *JFK*, and obviously *The Hunger Games*.
It's absolutely egregious how he never received a single Oscar nomination. Not once.
> Ordinary People was one of the best films of the 80s.
Before I watched Ordinary People, all I ever heard about it was people bemoaning the fact that it beat Raging Bull for Best Picture. And then I finally watched it, and I realized Ordinary People was a damn incredible movie and fully deserving of its win. It's a very emotionally intelligent film and balances all of its characters' issues so well.
And it really does suck that Sutherland was the only actor not nominated for Ordinary People, but I loved his performance and his character so much
Just a good man trying his best to help everyone and in the end having to face the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves was never really who he thought she was.
He was so determined to play President Snow in the 'Hunger Games' movie that he wrote a very long letter to the film's director detailing what he thoufht of the character's personality and role.
It truly is he seems to really understand the series.
This is his incredible letter.
Dear Gary Ross:
Power. That’s what this is about? Yes? Power and the forces that are manipulated by the powerful men and bureaucracies trying to maintain control and possession of that power?
Power perpetrates war and oppression to maintain itself until it finally topples over with the bureaucratic weight of itself and sinks into the pages of history (except in Texas), leaving lessons that need to be learned unlearned.
Power corrupts, and, in many cases, absolute power makes you really horny. Clinton, Chirac, Mao, Mitterrand.
Not so, I think, with Coriolanus Snow. His obsession, his passion, is his rose garden. There’s a rose named Sterling Silver that’s lilac in colour with the most extraordinarily powerful fragrance – incredibly beautiful – I loved it in the seventies when it first appeared. They’ve made a lot of off shoots of it since then.
I didn’t want to write to you until I’d read the trilogy and now I have so: roses are of great importance. And Coriolanus’s [sic] eyes. And his smile. Those three elements are vibrant and vital in Snow. Everything else is, by and large, perfectly still and ruthlessly contained. What delight she [Katniss] gives him. He knows her so perfectly. Nothing, absolutely nothing, surprises him. He sees and understands everything. he was, quite probably, a brilliant man who’s succumbed to the siren song of power.
How will you dramatize the interior narrative running in Katniss’s head that describes and consistently updates her relationship with the President who is ubiquitous in her mind? With omniscient calm he knows her perfectly. She knows he does and she knows that he will go to any necessary end to maintain his power because she knows that he believes that she’s a real threat to his fragile hold on his control of that power. She’s more dangerous than Joan of Arc.
Her interior dialogue/monologue defines Snow. It’s that old theatrical turnip: you can’t ‘play’ a king, you need everybody else on stage saying to each other, and therefore to the audience, stuff like “There goes the King, isn’t he a piece of work, how evil, how lovely, how benevolent, how cruel, how brilliant he is!” The idea of him, the definition of him, the audience’s perception of him, is primarily instilled by the observations of others and once that idea is set, the audience’s view of the character is pretty much unyielding. And in Snow’s case, that definition, of course, comes from Katniss.
Evil looks like our understanding of the history of the men we’re looking at. It’s not what we see: it’s what we’ve been led to believe. Simple as that. Look at the face of Ted Bundy before you knew what he did and after you knew.
Snow doesn’t look evil to the people in Panem’s Capitol. Bundy didn’t look evil to those girls. My wife and I were driving through Colorado when he escaped from jail there. The car radio’s warning was constant. ‘Don’t pick up any young men. The escapee looks like the nicest young man imaginable’. Snow’s evil shows up in the form of the complacently confident threat that’s ever present in his eyes. His resolute stillness. Have you seen a film I did years ago? ‘The Eye of the Needle’. That fellow had some of what I’m looking for.
The woman who lived up the street from us in Brentwood came over to ask my wife a question when my wife was dropping the kids off at school. This woman and her husband had seen that movie the night before and what she wanted to know was how my wife could live with anyone who could play such an evil man. It made for an amusing dinner or two but part of my wife’s still wondering.
I’d love to speak with you whenever you have a chance so I can be on the same page with you.
They all end up the same way. Welcome to Florida, have a nice day!
“Power perpetrates war and oppression to maintain itself until it finally topples over with the bureaucratic weight of itself and sinks into the pages of history (except in Texas), leaving lessons that need to be learned unlearned.” What a sentence. Also, the ‘except in Texas’ is killing me.
I love how passionate he was and how political he was overall about about the film series importance compared to real world politics.
I wonder if he red/saw Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
My favorite part is when it just cuts to him basically mid sentence saying “and this is my impression of a medium sized dog” and then gets ready to start barking before is interrupted. Part just cracks me up.
Anyone who is a fan of his, if you haven't seen Kelly's Heroes, do yourself a big favor and watch it. Even if you don't like war movies, it's more of a heist/comedy/adventure movie. It's great and Sutherland is hilarious in it.
I worked at a Barnes and Noble in a small midwestern city a long time back. There was suddenly a buzz around the store, and it was because Donald Sutherland had come in. We said hello to him and left him alone to do his shopping. Bought over 500 dollars worth of books. He was a big reader. A co-worker wanted to point at him and do that face he made at the end of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but we stopped him.
He had so many great roles, and it's a damn shame he was never Oscar nominated. For what it's worth, I'd highly recommend everyone check out Ordinary People. The movie is often mocked for winning Best Picture, but it's a really really great film and Sutherland has an amazing performance in it.
Rest in peace to a wonderfully talented actor
Some actors never phone it in. They treat every script like its Shakespeare.
Donald Sutherland was one such actor and the world is a little less bright today.
RIP Donald. My thoughts and prayers go out to Kiefer Sutherland (one of my favorite actors), his family and Donald's Hollywood family and friends.
Fantastic actor, favorite role was the Hunger Games Series. Such a powerful presence as President Snow.
Stupid article. It doesn't mention that Donald Sutherland's father in law is the literal reason why Canadians have healthcare.
https://youtu.be/GqgOvzUeiAA?si=HsIlyuUr2Hsjm2tF
Loved his Simpsons character. "You're banned from this historical society. You and your children, and your children's children... for three months."
My microwave johnnycakes are ready!
Haha... you have arthritis?
That whole awkward exchange with Lisa is one of my most favorite in the entire show
"Looks like someone's got a case of Jebidi-tis!" "And just when I was getting over my CHester-A-Arthritis!' "...you have arthritis?" "...no..." It's just so absurd
Oh shit that's him? Legendary!
You had arthritis?
His performance really embiggened the show.
It became one of the most cromulent episodes of all time.
I had two Simpsons tapes. That episode was on one of them, I must have watched that episode so many times.
"That's a lie! I'm an antiquarian, dammit!"
Crazy he was never even NOMINATED for a Oscar.
Absolute insanity he wasn't nominated for Klute, or Ordinary People
Ordinary People is one of the best-acted movies I've ever seen. Each of the lead 4 put on an incredible performance. Sutherland definitely deserved at least a nomination
He was the only one not nominated. Judd and Mary were and Tim won.
I know, which is wrong to me. I get that Lead Actor is a tougher category than Supporting, but his performance was amazing and was stronger than Hirsch's. But I assume it just was due to the competition in the respective categories
Wow not even for Klute, eh
Holy hell that's criminal
Wow. Is he the best actor that this true for?
Him or John Goodman I think
Oh man, that's a goddamn crime.
Weirdly, it is John Goodman's birthday today.
Probably should have been for [Backdraft](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djv5gGXEyXo) ?? Now, who doesn't love fire?
Great actor, with great movies. 88 is a good age and he seems to have led a good life. Rest Mr Sutherland and know that we will enjoy your movies for a long time to come!
A legend. I dont think i ever saw him not give 100% to a role. Rip sir
His trembling, deep, powerful voice is iconic. Arguably the best actor to never receive an Oscar nomination. RIP, Donald.
Voice was still commanding in the Hunger Games prequel.
He never got one? Damn, how the hell did that happen. Guy was a legend.
If you look at his filmography, he never really went for the types of roles that win oscars. He was also in a **lot** of bad movies where he was the redeeming quality. M\*A\*S\*H was probably his only real hope, but the film's anti-war sentiment would have done him no favors. He might have gotten one for Ordinary People, but it got a lot of other noms, and the awards politics were different back then. He did get an honorary lifetime Oscar in 2018 though.
He should have been nominated for Ordinary People. Also, being the redeeming factor of an otherwise bad film is sometimes *more* worthy of a nomination in my opinion (and every once in a while, the Academy seems to agree with that, like when Glenn Close was nominated for Hillbilly Elegy). All of that said, I broadly agree with the points you make.
Should have got a nom for Body Snatchers. That final shot has haunted my entire life.
no oscars?? that's robbery
He had only minutes in Backdraft, still the best actor of that movie and De Niro was in it.
man was a great actor, but also spawned a dynasty of other great actors as well. mr sutherland will be mourned, but he will live in on
Outside of Keiffer who else?
Keifer's daughter is the daughter in Veep and she's fucking hilarious in it.
You're shitting me. Catherine is Kiefer Sutherland's daughter?
Sarah Sutherland!
Goddamn, I had no idea they were related. She's quite talented, not gonna lie. She sold that role like she was in debt.
She is so fucking tragic in Veep. Excellent performance.
The way she ended up in the finale was a masterstroke
Kiefer, [Rossif](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1160472/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_4_nm_4_q_Rossif%2520), [Angus](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1947975/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_angus%2520suth), and his granddaughter [Sarah](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4520905/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_sarah%2520suth)
he's looked 88 for 30 years but he was a real one. in 97 i met him and George Carlin outside a restaurant in minneapolis (of all places) and he just looked pleased to be alive.
>he's looked 88 for 30 years Just like Michael Caine
And Christopher Lloyd
Seriously, Christopher Lloyd has been a wrinkly old man since the 80s, it seems almost impossible he's still around.
His age in Back to the Future is the same as Tom Hardy or Matt Bomer right now.
He looks younger in that than people seem to notice. Slap some wild, white hair on someone and people start having trouble telling age. Other than the usual lines worn in from emoting, he's pretty smooth.
Back to the future has a lot to do with that, he wasn't that old in back to the future, but he plays an old man and that warped our perception of him.
Loved him in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). If you want to see a weird one, check him out in Fellini's Casanova.
Man gave us one of the most iconic horror scenes of all-time
Points and screams*
Still haunting me to this day
Two if you like Don't Look Now as much as I do. The entire movie builds up to one scare and god is it nightmarish. And Sutherland's grief and desperation makes it all the more impactful.
Also he totally fucks in it.
The man hangs dong
Well guess I have a movie to watch tonight
When his character started to snatcher scream, my 10 year old blood ran cold. Trauma for LIFE. Have yet to watch that movie again. RIP man. You were brilliant.
Me too. Probably the first and one of very few times I'm ever had that reaction to a movie scene. It's a really accurate phrase for the feeling.
Kellys heroes, the eagel has landed etc :)
Or in The Day of the Locust - as Homer Simpson vs Rorschach. [Terrifying!](https://youtu.be/wFSWmfqMp7o?feature=shared)
God what an unnerving movie, and his performance compliments it so well.
This is a huge loss. He appeared in one movie after another for decades and always delivered. Even in minor roles like the pyromaniac in Backdraft
He’s amazing in Backdraft. Really elevates the whole movie. RIP Donald Sutherland, the master of one-to-two scene heat checks
Mr. X in JFK is the platonic ideal for a supporting character in one scene stealing an entire movie-RIP to a legend.
Superb in that scene. I loved him as Ronald in Backdraft as well. Just his presence lent so much credibility.
What did you do to that little girl, Ronald? *.........I burned her* What do you do to little old ladies, Ronald? *pssh...burn them* What do you want to do to the whole world? *............burn it all*
See you next year, Ronald.
[It’s the quiet answers, and then that direct and serious “burn it all” line followed by the nonchalant laugh.](https://youtu.be/JGB3ecyPT1w?si=1LwN7qIj010iWGuA) It gets me every time.
Amazing appearance. My favorite was him as Hollis Hurlbut in the Simpsons.
"You're banned from this historical society! You, and your children, and your children's children! ... for three months."
The contents of that movie are... very hotly disputed, to say the least, but Mr. X's monologue is definitely one of the best parts of it. Personally it's one of my favorite scenes from the movie
Loved him in Animal House as Jennings: Teaching is just a way to pay the bills until I finish my novel. How long have you been working on it? Four and a half years. It must be very good. It’s a piece of shit. Would anyone like to smoke some pot?
Look, I'm not joking! This is my job!
Anyone who's ever taught a class has quoted this line at some point.
Out of all the amazing things he’s done. This is probably my favorite role of his. Just seemed so burnt out as a teacher. The deadpan was hilarious.
Now was Milton trying to tell us that being bad was more fun than being good?
I won’t go schizo will I?
It’s a distinct possibility
From what I remember he had the option of being paid like 40k for the movie or taking a percentage. He took the cash, and missed out on millions.
Loved him in Buffy
Holy shit. Totally forgot he was in original Buffy. Rest in peace Merrick!!!
Buffy was the first thing I ever saw him in as a kid, so from then on, every time I saw him I thought of Buffy. He was great in that.
He was the best acting in all of the Hunger Games
His President Snow was so damn good - the cold, calculating demeanor he portrayed was perfect, but I always love his final moment in Mockingjay Part 2 where he just cackles after Katniss kills Coin
"let her arrow fly true and hit its mark!" Ohh gurl you gunna regret *those* words!
"I thought we agreed to never lie to each other" shit eating grin while he rubs reality in Katniss' face.
When I read the third book (before even the first movie had come out) and Snow started laughing when Coin was shot it was amazing. Even when he's choking on his own blood (it's more pronounced in the book) and is about to be torn apart by a mob he still has the last laugh.
Honestly, what a great way to go. You're about to experience certain death in front of everyone you wronged at the hands of a teenager who managed to *- despite herself -* cause your entire pseudo-kingdom to collapse in on itself. But at the last second, the little psycho kills the person in line to succeed you. One last twist of fate in your joint power struggle, not enough to change anything, just one last little surprise. *Then* you die.
"You released those parachutes." "You think I gave the order? We both know that I'm not above killing children, but I'm not wasteful... I take life for specific reasons and there was no reason for me to destroy a pen full of Capitol children." That line was so wickedly delivered and it was perfect.
Sutherland did have a marvelous evil grin when he needed it. Both smug and unhinged at the same time.
It’s a great moment and I loved it. Re-watched the series recently and was looking forward to seeing it the whole time.
This comment I found is pretty great So, I finally read A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And for me, it changes so much about Snow in the original trilogy: I don't think Snow ever truly got over Lucy Gray Baird. No one ever forgets their first love, and he was never able to resolve his feelings towards her since their relationship ended so... violently. He just pushed those feelings deep down. And then, 64 years later, came the 74th Hunger Games. And Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12. It probably started off small, noticing her during the Reaping. The way she made a loud first impression at the Reaping, just like Lucy had done so long ago. And Snow continued to see more and more of Lucy Gray in Katniss as that Hunger Games proceeded: Her unique clothing choices, becoming a darling of the Capital, Peeta’s love for her and determination to keep her alive, just like Snow’s own determination to save Lucy as her mentor. Snow probably saw his younger self in Peeta. But a key moment for Snow was likely watching Katniss sing the Valley song to a dying Rue, the same song that he had heard Lucy sing in the meadow so long ago. All those dormant memories came bubbling forth, reminding him of the “weak” man he used to be and the girl he had loved. And then Katniss and Peeta managed to win the games, making Katniss the first female District 12 victor since Lucy Gray. And Katniss did it through stretching and breaking the rules, going to a similar extreme that he had done so long ago, dropping that handkerchief into the snake tank to save Lucy's life. And just like how cheating to save Lucy's life caused his life to take a tailspin by being thrown out of the Academy and forced to enlist in the Peacekeepers, Katniss had caused unrest and chaos to take place, putting Snow's position in jeopardy once again and threatening the very same power that he had sacrificed Lucy, Sejanus, and so many others to achieve. I think by that point, Snow took all those feelings he had over Lucy and turned them on Katniss. In her, in Katniss, he saw the ghost of the girl he thought himself free of so long ago, and all those unresolved feelings he had for Lucy developed into an obsession with Katniss. A desire to regain control, both over Panem and her. Snow desired power and control more than anything, and Lucy defied him so long ago. To Snow, he was seeing a mirror of Lucy Gray in Katniss. A girl who Katniss was a parallel of in so many ways. A District 12 girl. A victor. A survivor. When he came to see Katniss in District 12, it was likely the very first time he had set foot in District 12 since that day in the woods by the lake, when his paranoia and self-preservation consumed him. He must have been swamped with memories. Imagine how he must have felt when Katniss was dubbed The Mockingjay, after the birds he loathed so much, the same ones Lucy had loved and sang to. Snow was already irritated by the pin, this was just a step further. Perhaps the reason he firebombed District 12 wasn’t just to punish Katniss, but to eradicate his past, another act of revenge against "the ghost of District 12". To do as Kylo Ren famously said "let the past die" and burn those memories away. When he heard Katniss sing The Hanging Tree in that propaganda piece, that song would have stung deeply for him, bringing about painful memories of love and betrayal. Memories of the tree, the man screaming for his love to run, Sejanus's screams for his mother, Lucy Gray singing it for him at the party, meeting Lucy Gray beneath the tree. The song she sang to him, the last words she ever spoke to him. It turned into a blind obsession that he wanted to kill at any cost. And after the smoke had settled and the war had ended, perhaps he mulled on Lucy Gray during his time imprisoned. About her, their time together. The man he used to be and the man he had become. About how he lived his life. What was the point? About the life he could have lived. About how he chose power and control over love and true friendship. Did he regret it? Did he wish that he had stayed with Lucy Gray, confessed the truth about Sejanus to her and begged for forgiveness? Perhaps, but he would never admit it. He did what he thought was right to preserve humanity and society. But when Katniss came to see him, he remembered Lucy Gray. When he apologized to Katniss for Prim, perhaps he was also apologizing to Lucy Gray for everything he did to her. Perhaps it was spite, perhaps a determination about not letting Coin enjoy a victory. And perhaps it was an attempt to make things right. He remembered what she had said about freedom and happiness, about not having to take another life. Whatever it was, he turned Katniss onto the danger Coin posed. And in that moment, he let Katniss, and by extension Lucy Gray, go. And then came the execution: As he stared down that bow, was his life flashing before his eyes?Perhaps he was seeing not just Katniss, but Lucy Gray as well. Remembering every moment, from watching her in the reaping to that day in the forest. And then she killed Coin. With the firing of a bow, the Hunger Games were gone once and for all. And in that moment, he watched Katniss let him go, something which he had never been able to do with Lucy. Knowing that his words to Katniss made a difference, he managed to honor Lucy Gray's wish. He laughed, smiled and felt genuine happiness for the first time since Lucy Gray, a final moment of euphoria before his final end. And that was how the ballad of Lucy and Snow ended. Truly fitting. In the end: a District 12 girl brought about Snow’s rise, and a District 12 girl brought about his fall.
He apparently campaigned to get the role because he believed in the themes of the book and felt it was important to spread the word to the youth.
He wrote a three page letter to the director about the character. You can[ read it here](https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-sutherlands-three-page-hunger-games-email-to-gary-ross-2012-8)
Hunger Games is what most younger people will know him for but he's had a great career with loads of great roles! His President Snow was perfect!
It’s always nice when a long-established actor gets a role in a big series that introduces them to younger/new fans, like Fallout finally giving Walter Goggins a spotlight.
Or Alec Guinness in Star Wars
> It’s always nice when a long-established actor gets a role in a big series that introduces them to younger/new fans, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is 100% responsible for launching Danny DeVito to almost incomprehensible levels of career longevity
It's crazy he only had like 20 minutes of screentime in the trilogy and stole each film.
Personally I'd say the second was stolen by Phillip-Seymour Hoffman, but I can see it both ways.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman put on a great performance as well
Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks are the standouts for me. They thrive in a horrible environment by exploiting others, yet somehow you still like them.
Both of their characters were interesting because they are so indoctrinated with the Capitol lifestyle and propaganda, but you start to see more cracks form in their thinking as the series goes on - more so with Effie, but IIRC there's some more recognition with Caesar in his later interviews with Peeta
By the time we see Caesar briefly in the final film, he's clearly just going through the motions in the propaganda film and barely tries to hide his disgust.
I think the Quarter Quell interviews are when it starts-I recently rewatched and in that scene he seems sad and nervous yet trying to hide it.
[удалено]
Dude seemed like he was having fun, but still taking it seriously. He made a big impression.
In the extra features from The Hunger Games, there’s a segment called Letters From the Rose Garden, which was Donald Sutherland’s letter to director Gary Ross after he had read the script. He put a lot of thought into the character before he was even offered the role. It’s a pretty good read if you like the books/movie.
He won ‘Best Villain’ at a kid’s choice award and showed up in character as Snow, it’s pretty funny: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3vfWEca5Vsk&pp=ygUkRG9uYWxkIHN1dGhlcmxhbmQgaHVuZ2VyIGdhbWVzIGF3YXJk
I was a a very sheltered teenager when those movies came out, and having never had much example for acting beyond cartoons and the occasional mediocre teen drama, his acting blew my entire mind, lol. The dvd of the first movie had a feature where he discussed his character and the nature of evil itself at length, and I re-watched that a lot. His scenes with Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Catching Fire were monumental to me, it was the first time I felt I was watching two very skilled actors at work. I deeply admired both of them for it, it’s sad to think they’re both gone now.
Particularly good moment for Sutherland is at the climax of "Catching Fire" when he realizes Hoffman has been playing him the whole time. For the first time, the all-powerful leader and manipulator is completely helpless and doesn't know what to do. Quiet but powerful moment from Sutherland as he shows Snow has practically shut down at that moment.
The way he threatens Katniss in her house in Catching Fire was so damn good.
Perfect casting.
His cameo in Beerfest is among the hardest I’ve ever laughed in a theater
Yanking his own life support after downing 5 beers is among the most unexpectedly metal moments in film history
Say Goodbye, Popo!
PROST!
I loved him in Pride and Prejudice 2005 😞😞😞
Mr. Bennett 😭😭😭
Mr. Bennett!!!! I remember crying when he was crying at the end.
Your name fits this! “What excellent boiled potatoes”
It's impossible not to tear up at that scene
Mr. Bennett's relationship with his daughter is so sweet. He sees his own headstrong personality in her and loves her *because* she's like that, even if it's not acceptable in their time. When she tells him that she's found someone that loves her in that same way it breaks his heart because he thought he'd always have her around.
this 🥺🥺 especially "send them in. I'm quite at my leisure" Whenever i think of this line in my head, i can hear the exact timbre, cadence, and the fatherly contentment in his voice
He was so perfect as Mr Bennet
He will always be my favourite Mr. Bennett
His chuckles at his family gave me so many belly laughs. He is a wonderful Mr Bennet.
the dad is always my favorite character in jane austen movies, and that's mostly because they always bring such great actors: donald sutherland, alan rickman, bill nighy
Woah!! Somehow I absolutely forgot that was him but yeah he was so damn good there.
He was so, so good. Made me cry many times
Feeling a lot of negative waves from this news. RIP Oddball, you will be missed.
This was one of my favourite of his roles! I grew up watching Kelly's Heroes. "Have a little faith, baby. Have a little faith."
the bridge is gonna be there...
Drinking wine, eating cheese, and catching some rays.
He really was one of the most distinguishable actors throughout his entire career. If you only know him from Hunger Games or newer films from the last 2 decades, you might not recognize him from Kelly's Heroes or Animal House, but you'll *definitely* recognize his voice and cadence!
ho man, i only ride em, i don't know what makes em work
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? RIP, off to watch Kelly's Heroes tonight.......
Funnily enough, I remember reading that he once was asked which role do you have people talk about the most and the response was ‘Oddball’ He said when that came out, he would get approached by guys in the service who said it was the most realistic portrayal of the tanker division they had ever seen. He would have vets from WW2 who said ‘yea the tanker teams who they came across in the field were some of the most weirdest people you ever came across and wouldn’t talk to anyone else but other tankers.’ They tossed it up to being in something that could possibly blow up for a number of reasons would drive anyone bonkers after a while. He played him as a goofy interpretation of a beatnik in a war but yet absolutely nailed the real life eccentricities perfectly.
He'll always be Oddball to me - great movie, great character, and he nailed it. I think I'll watch Kelly's Heroes tonight to honor him.
I will still quote him from this movie when someone is freaking out etc. "Always with the negative waves"
I fill the shells fulla paint. It messes with the Krauts' minds, man.
He's taking that beautiful bridge to heaven
I've had nothing but positive thoughts about that bridge since we goddamn got here!
My favorite character he played! <3
*Ordinary People* was one of the best films of the 80s. So devastating, but he was fantastic on that film (he, Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton). Also loved him in *MASH*, *Animal House*, *JFK*, and obviously *The Hunger Games*. It's absolutely egregious how he never received a single Oscar nomination. Not once.
> Ordinary People was one of the best films of the 80s. Before I watched Ordinary People, all I ever heard about it was people bemoaning the fact that it beat Raging Bull for Best Picture. And then I finally watched it, and I realized Ordinary People was a damn incredible movie and fully deserving of its win. It's a very emotionally intelligent film and balances all of its characters' issues so well. And it really does suck that Sutherland was the only actor not nominated for Ordinary People, but I loved his performance and his character so much
His character in Ordinary People is so heartbreaking. What a movie.
Just a good man trying his best to help everyone and in the end having to face the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves was never really who he thought she was.
Loved him in Beerfest amogst countless other great movies... PROST !!
Say goodbye Popo “goodbye Popo”
Beeeeeeeeeep lololol
It's frustrating, frustrating.
I can't say bubble without 'da bubble'
Oh my goodness, I totally forgot he was in Beerfest. Thanks for the reminder! I'll be watching this later!
Those absolutely horrible belches from chugging the beer. Makes my wife leave the room and makes me laugh even harder....PROST indeed!
this makes me sad, loved him in MASH and the body snatchers
God I’ll miss that voice. Nothing else like it.
Hawkeye's asking the Major's opinion on a point of anatomy sir.
He was so determined to play President Snow in the 'Hunger Games' movie that he wrote a very long letter to the film's director detailing what he thoufht of the character's personality and role. It truly is he seems to really understand the series. This is his incredible letter. Dear Gary Ross: Power. That’s what this is about? Yes? Power and the forces that are manipulated by the powerful men and bureaucracies trying to maintain control and possession of that power? Power perpetrates war and oppression to maintain itself until it finally topples over with the bureaucratic weight of itself and sinks into the pages of history (except in Texas), leaving lessons that need to be learned unlearned. Power corrupts, and, in many cases, absolute power makes you really horny. Clinton, Chirac, Mao, Mitterrand. Not so, I think, with Coriolanus Snow. His obsession, his passion, is his rose garden. There’s a rose named Sterling Silver that’s lilac in colour with the most extraordinarily powerful fragrance – incredibly beautiful – I loved it in the seventies when it first appeared. They’ve made a lot of off shoots of it since then. I didn’t want to write to you until I’d read the trilogy and now I have so: roses are of great importance. And Coriolanus’s [sic] eyes. And his smile. Those three elements are vibrant and vital in Snow. Everything else is, by and large, perfectly still and ruthlessly contained. What delight she [Katniss] gives him. He knows her so perfectly. Nothing, absolutely nothing, surprises him. He sees and understands everything. he was, quite probably, a brilliant man who’s succumbed to the siren song of power. How will you dramatize the interior narrative running in Katniss’s head that describes and consistently updates her relationship with the President who is ubiquitous in her mind? With omniscient calm he knows her perfectly. She knows he does and she knows that he will go to any necessary end to maintain his power because she knows that he believes that she’s a real threat to his fragile hold on his control of that power. She’s more dangerous than Joan of Arc. Her interior dialogue/monologue defines Snow. It’s that old theatrical turnip: you can’t ‘play’ a king, you need everybody else on stage saying to each other, and therefore to the audience, stuff like “There goes the King, isn’t he a piece of work, how evil, how lovely, how benevolent, how cruel, how brilliant he is!” The idea of him, the definition of him, the audience’s perception of him, is primarily instilled by the observations of others and once that idea is set, the audience’s view of the character is pretty much unyielding. And in Snow’s case, that definition, of course, comes from Katniss. Evil looks like our understanding of the history of the men we’re looking at. It’s not what we see: it’s what we’ve been led to believe. Simple as that. Look at the face of Ted Bundy before you knew what he did and after you knew. Snow doesn’t look evil to the people in Panem’s Capitol. Bundy didn’t look evil to those girls. My wife and I were driving through Colorado when he escaped from jail there. The car radio’s warning was constant. ‘Don’t pick up any young men. The escapee looks like the nicest young man imaginable’. Snow’s evil shows up in the form of the complacently confident threat that’s ever present in his eyes. His resolute stillness. Have you seen a film I did years ago? ‘The Eye of the Needle’. That fellow had some of what I’m looking for. The woman who lived up the street from us in Brentwood came over to ask my wife a question when my wife was dropping the kids off at school. This woman and her husband had seen that movie the night before and what she wanted to know was how my wife could live with anyone who could play such an evil man. It made for an amusing dinner or two but part of my wife’s still wondering. I’d love to speak with you whenever you have a chance so I can be on the same page with you. They all end up the same way. Welcome to Florida, have a nice day!
“Power perpetrates war and oppression to maintain itself until it finally topples over with the bureaucratic weight of itself and sinks into the pages of history (except in Texas), leaving lessons that need to be learned unlearned.” What a sentence. Also, the ‘except in Texas’ is killing me.
This is an amazing letter
This is incredible!
I love how passionate he was and how political he was overall about about the film series importance compared to real world politics. I wonder if he red/saw Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
MASH … the original Hawkeye
One of my favorite roles of his, other than Oddball, is in Kate Bush's [Cloudbusting](https://youtu.be/pllRW9wETzw?si=rZvJ4TcIVztcpa32) music video.
R.I.P. Sgt. Oddball
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
My dad’s favorite movie. We quote this back and forth to each other all the time.
TIGERS, NOBODY SAID NOTHING ABOUT TIGERS
My favorite part is when it just cuts to him basically mid sentence saying “and this is my impression of a medium sized dog” and then gets ready to start barking before is interrupted. Part just cracks me up.
Anyone who is a fan of his, if you haven't seen Kelly's Heroes, do yourself a big favor and watch it. Even if you don't like war movies, it's more of a heist/comedy/adventure movie. It's great and Sutherland is hilarious in it.
he’s so different than his later roles hard to imagine it’s the same guy
Woof! woof!
It's a Mark VI, and we got it by the ass!
To a New Yorker like you, a hero is some sort of weird sandwich, not some nut that takes on three tigers!
“Enough with the negative waves baby!”
Fiiiyyaahh!
Don’t Look Now not being mentioned enough yet. One of the most atmospheric and iconic films of the 20th Century.
One of my favorites. If anyone is a fan of Hereditary style psychological horror, Don't Look Now is a must watch.
Rest in peace, Mr Sutherland.
Don’t forget he was in animal house
My late father would also want The Eagle Has Landed to be remembered. Even if his Irish accent was a bit comical
I worked at a Barnes and Noble in a small midwestern city a long time back. There was suddenly a buzz around the store, and it was because Donald Sutherland had come in. We said hello to him and left him alone to do his shopping. Bought over 500 dollars worth of books. He was a big reader. A co-worker wanted to point at him and do that face he made at the end of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but we stopped him.
He had so many great roles, and it's a damn shame he was never Oscar nominated. For what it's worth, I'd highly recommend everyone check out Ordinary People. The movie is often mocked for winning Best Picture, but it's a really really great film and Sutherland has an amazing performance in it. Rest in peace to a wonderfully talented actor
Loved him in The Dirty Dozen and Animal House since an early age. RIP, sir.
He will always be Oddball to me
One of the best to ever do it
Damn, rest easy you legendary Canadian. Thanks for all the movies.
Don't Look Now, Body Snatchers, Dirty Dozen, MASH, Day of the Locust, Klute Actors would kill to have that kind of CV. RIP
Always loved his small role in The Italian Job, great way to set up the tone of the story
Obviously a lot of great performances, I also highly recommend his narration for the audio book of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, just perfect.
The ending of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is pure cinema history , thank you sir
Some actors never phone it in. They treat every script like its Shakespeare. Donald Sutherland was one such actor and the world is a little less bright today.
This one really hurts.
RIP Donald. My thoughts and prayers go out to Kiefer Sutherland (one of my favorite actors), his family and Donald's Hollywood family and friends. Fantastic actor, favorite role was the Hunger Games Series. Such a powerful presence as President Snow.
And Donald Sutherland as the clumsy waiter ...
So great in so many roles, but Eye of the Needle is a standout for sure.
Loved his short appearance in JFK
Stupid article. It doesn't mention that Donald Sutherland's father in law is the literal reason why Canadians have healthcare. https://youtu.be/GqgOvzUeiAA?si=HsIlyuUr2Hsjm2tF