Donald Sutherland dies: Hunger Games icon was 88

Iconic Hunger Games star Donald Sutherland has died at 88.

It is being reported that Donald Sutherland died on Thursday, June 20. He passed away in Miami, Florida, after a long battle with an illness.

Kiefer Sutherland, son of Donald, announced the news on X.

“With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film,” the post began. “Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived.”

Who is Donald Sutherland?

Donald Sutherland is an award-winning actor whose career dates back to 1957. He first gained notoriety for starring in movies such as The Dirty Dozen, M*A*S*H, Don't Look Now, Animal House, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

In the nineties, Sutherland continued his career by starring in JFK, Six Degrees of Separation, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Without Limits. His early 2000s credits include The Italian Job and Pride & Prejudice.

More recently, Sutherland starred in the Hunger Games movie series. He appeared in all four installments of the series from 2012-15.

His other recent movies include Horrible Bosses, Basmati Blues, and Ad Astra. On the small screen, Sutherland recently starred in the Paramount+ series Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan executive produces the series.

He also has five children, most notably the aforementioned Kiefer Sutherland. Kiefer is known for playing Jack Bauer in the acclaimed TV series 24. Additionally, he has been in movies such as Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, and A Few Good Men. Coming up, he will star in Clint Eastwood's latest directorial feature, Juror No. 2 alongside Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Zoey Deutch.

Who did he play in The Hunger Games?

In the Hunger Games movies, Donald Sutherland played President Coriolanus Snow. The character is the fascist dictator who leads the counter-revolutionary movement in the books.

Suzanne Collins wrote a prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, in 2020. A movie adaptation came with Tom Blyth being cast in the role. In the prequel, a young Coriolanus Snow mentors a young singer, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler0, and forms a relationship with her.

The prequel fills in a lot of the blanks from pre-Hunger Games Snow. It helped fans see a different side to the grown-up version that Sutherland plays in the movies.

Recently, a new Hunger Games novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, was announced by Collins. It takes place between the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and The Hunger Games.

It is unclear if Snow will play a role in it. If he does, perhaps Blyth will once again play the role. Another option is that a third actor is chosen to play the part that is between the ages of Sutherland and Blyth.

Either way, Sutherland was integral to the Hunger Games series. His presence helped elevate the movies which also featured Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and more.