Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Donald Sutherland graduated in 1958 with dual degrees in engineering and drama from the University of Toronto. He moved to Britain in 1957 to study at LAMDA and began appearing in West End productions, and although he had small appearances in British TV shows such as The Avengers, he struggled to find his footing in the industry. Returning to Hollywood in the early 1960s he debuted in uncredited roles in episodes of Studio 4 and Man of the World. His big break came in 1967 when he landed the role of Vernon Pinkley in the The Dirty Dozen, and was catapulted into stardom as Hawkeye Pierce in the 1970 film M*A*S*H.
Donald Sutherland died at the age of 88 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
