Your Favorite 3 Donald Sutherland Roles (1 Viewer)

[TripItUp]

He has been in so many films it's tough to narrow it down.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Not saying these are the best. Just the ones that spring to mind for me:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers. One of the greatest single horror shots of all time.
Animal House. Small role, but highly memorable.
The Simpsons. Lisa the Iconoclast -- great one-off character in a very strong episode.

 

[Willie Neslon]

JFK. I can't find it but he had a great quote about the work he put in for that role. Talking about how he put in 3 months of work for a few minutes of screen time.

 

[zamboni]

Agree on Body Snatchers and Animal House, and I’ll add the father in Ordinary People. He was outstanding in OP, as was Timothy Hutton and Mary Tyler Moore.

 

[zamboni]

JFK. I can't find it but he had a great quote about the work he put in for that role. Talking about how he put in 3 months of work for a few minutes of screen time.

We often used the line “just try not to drool so much on the end of it” when smoking joints in college.

 

[B Maverick]

Animal House
Italian Job
Hunger Games

May not be his best roles, but those are the first three that came to mind. Never really saw the movie MASH, was more into the show.

And a shoutout to Space Cowboys. He was fun in that.

 

[oddball]

I acquired this name from one of my favorite movies: Kelly's Heroes

So many great films...hard to pick only 3.

Kelly's Heroes
M*A*S*H
Animal House
Honorable Mention: the criminally underrated The Great Train Robbery

 

[Gally]

A Time to Kill and Backdraft spring to mind for me.

 

[Doug B]

Sutherland (and several other A-listers) had a funny cameo in The Kentucky Fried Movie.

He also played the original Giles -- named Merrick -- in the original film version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

The Hunger Games.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Dirty Dozen
Kelly's Heroes
Hunger Games

 

[Drunken knight]

MASH
JFK
Italian Job

 

[TripItUp]

I loved his role in Ad Astra

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

M*A*S*H
Kelly's Heroes
Ordinary People

 

[WVU Alum]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Klute
Beer Fest

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Dirty Dozen
Kelly's Heroes
Hunger Games

I completely forgot about him being in The Dirty Dozen. He's not one of the guys who springs to mind for me when I think of that movie, but what an absolute top-shelf ensemble cast.

 

[Mjolnirs]

First movie I think of is Kelly's Heroes.
M*A*S*H and Hunger Games to round it out.

 

[foxco]

Small but memorable role in Backdraft always creeped me out in the best way.

 

[belljr]

I forgot he was in Outbreak

 

[Eephus]

Don't Look Now
1900
Eye of the Needle

 

[fruity pebbles]

I liked him in Forsaken. It’s a formulaic role for him but I’m a sucker for a decent western and as far as new productions this one’s pretty good. Nothing groundbreaking as it borrows from so many before it but I liked the interaction between him and Kiefer.

 

[identikit]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Klute

Fallen

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

and I’ll add the father in Ordinary People. He was outstanding in OP, as was Timothy Hutton and Mary Tyler Moore.

It was an instance where a performance elevated the character from the novel. In the book, the center of the story is the relationship between the son and the mother. The Dad is benign (the deceased older brother gets more attention), speaking mostly in platitudes and trying not to make the Mom angry.

Sutherland made that role all his own, indelible and deep. He was great.

 

[TennesseeJed]

Dirty Dozen
Kelly's Heroes
Hunger Games

This, but I would probably substitute in M*A*S*H for Hunger Games but it’s close.

Loved him in Dirty Dozen and Kelly’s Heroes though

 

[landrys hat]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
A Time To Kill
Fool's Gold

 

[KarmaPolice]

Jfk and Body Snatchers came to mind first.

 

[Courtjester]

Body Snatchers, Kelly's Heroes, Animal House

 

[TripItUp]

Jfk and Body Snatchers came to mind first.

Great call on JFK, loved him in that role...perfectly casted.

 

[The Gator]

Beer Fest

Forgot this one.. I hope to chug like that at the end.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Ordinary People
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
Pride and Prejudice

 

[brun]

Pretending to be a general in The Dirty Dozen. Role within a role!

 

[shuke]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Don't Look Now
Johnny Got His Gun

 

[Ilov80s]

Body Snatchers
Don’t Look Now
Ordinary People

Legendary in all three roles.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

He was hysterical in Space Cowboys.

 

[Sand]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers. One of the greatest single horror shots of all time.

This one stands out for me above the rest. Great flick.

 

[urbanhack]

JFK
Backdraft
Body Snatchers

Honorable Mentions: Animal House, Disclosure

 

[General Malaise]

Agree on Body Snatchers and Animal House, and I’ll add the father in Ordinary People. He was outstanding in OP, as was Timothy Hutton and Mary Tyler Moore.

I watched OP last night for the first time. I was getting tired, so had to shut it off, but this was really good. It's a movie I always knew existed because I'd hear folks talk about it, but I had NO clue what it was about. And man, Mary Tyler Moore is SUPPOSED to be NICE! Gawd....she was a monster.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Read an article that says he choose his union wage for Animal House instead of a percentage. In his own words he said it cost him about $14m.

 

[zamboni]

Agree on Body Snatchers and Animal House, and I’ll add the father in Ordinary People. He was outstanding in OP, as was Timothy Hutton and Mary Tyler Moore.

I watched OP last night for the first time. I was getting tired, so had to shut it off, but this was really good. It's a movie I always knew existed because I'd hear folks talk about it, but I had NO clue what it was about. And man, Mary Tyler Moore is SUPPOSED to be NICE! Gawd....she was a monster.

I’d definitely finish it. Such a powerful albeit depressing film.

 

[General Malaise]

Agree on Body Snatchers and Animal House, and I’ll add the father in Ordinary People. He was outstanding in OP, as was Timothy Hutton and Mary Tyler Moore.

I watched OP last night for the first time. I was getting tired, so had to shut it off, but this was really good. It's a movie I always knew existed because I'd hear folks talk about it, but I had NO clue what it was about. And man, Mary Tyler Moore is SUPPOSED to be NICE! Gawd....she was a monster.

I’d definitely finish it. Such a powerful albeit depressing film.

Oh, I will. Might even go back 20ish minutes to restart. This is precisely my preferred genre of film.

 

[Eephus]

I just watched Sutherland in the 1976 WWII thriller The Eagle Has Landed. His performance is one of the best things in a mediocre movie but sure and begorrah, his Irish accent is really something. That's saying a lot for a film where Michael Caine plays a German.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Agree on Body Snatchers and Animal House, and I’ll add the father in Ordinary People. He was outstanding in OP, as was Timothy Hutton and Mary Tyler Moore.

I watched OP last night for the first time. I was getting tired, so had to shut it off, but this was really good. It's a movie I always knew existed because I'd hear folks talk about it, but I had NO clue what it was about. And man, Mary Tyler Moore is SUPPOSED to be NICE! Gawd....she was a monster.

I’d definitely finish it. Such a powerful albeit depressing film.

Oh, I will. Might even go back 20ish minutes to restart. This is precisely my preferred genre of film.

They did this on the rewatchables a year or two ago during the theme month of “****ed up family February”, which included Rachel getting married, Kramer vs Kramer, the ice storm and parenthood, if that’s what you mean by your kind of movie.

They also mentioned in the podcast hiw powerful the casting of Mary Tyler Moore in that role was at that time since it was such a turn for her, which most now probably wouldn’t really understand

 

[Frostillicus]

Lost Boys
24
Flatliners

 

[Todem]

Thought about this:

JFK
M.A.S.H
Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Those are my personal favorites

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Agree on Body Snatchers and Animal House, and I’ll add the father in Ordinary People. He was outstanding in OP, as was Timothy Hutton and Mary Tyler Moore.

I watched OP last night for the first time. I was getting tired, so had to shut it off, but this was really good. It's a movie I always knew existed because I'd hear folks talk about it, but I had NO clue what it was about. And man, Mary Tyler Moore is SUPPOSED to be NICE! Gawd....she was a monster.

I’d definitely finish it. Such a powerful albeit depressing film.

Oh, I will. Might even go back 20ish minutes to restart. This is precisely my preferred genre of film.

They did this on the rewatchables a year or two ago during the theme month of “****ed up family February”, which included Rachel getting married, Kramer vs Kramer, the ice storm and parenthood, if that’s what you mean by your kind of movie.

They also mentioned in the podcast hiw powerful the casting of Mary Tyler Moore in that role was at that time since it was such a turn for her, which most now probably wouldn’t really understand

The funny thing is - according to some who worked with her - is that her role in OP was much closer to who she was than her other roles.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

The funny thing is - according to some who worked with her - is that her role in OP was much closer to who she was than her other roles

I heard a story that she and Robert Redford both lived in Malibu but because they were both private individuals they barely knew each other.

Whenever they crossed paths--at the beach, at a restaurant--Redford was always struck by how sad and lonely she seemed, even when she was with a group of people. So, when they were casting for "Ordinary People", he thought of her and pushed to get her in the movie.

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

I just went through his list of films—-wow, he was in a lot. Many films I’ve never seen, even a few of the more famous ones (Bodysnatchers, MASH).

My favorite three that I’ve seen are:

Ordinary People
Without Limits
Six Degrees of Separation

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

The funny thing is - according to some who worked with her - is that her role in OP was much closer to who she was than her other roles

I heard a story that she and Robert Redford both lived in Malibu but because they were both private individuals they barely knew each other.

Whenever they crossed paths--at the beach, at a restaurant--Redford was always struck by how sad and lonely she seemed, even when she was with a group of people. So, when they were casting for "Ordinary People", he thought of her and pushed to get her in the movie.

On October 14, 1980, Moore's son Richard died of an accidental gunshot to the head while handling a small .410 shotgun. He was 24 years old. The same model was later taken off the market because of its "hair trigger". Three-and-a-half weeks earlier, Ordinary People had been released where she played a mother who was grieving over the accidental death of her son.

 

[Eephus]

Last night I watched Sutherland as legendary track & field coach Bill Bowerman in the 1998 Steve Prefontaine biopic Without Limits.

The movie was written and directed by the great screenwriter Robert Towne (RIP). The movie was a commercial flop because it was released right after another one about the runner. Sutherland is terrific as the moral center of the film. He makes Towne's words come to life, especially in this eulogy for Pre. (spoiler I guess but it happened nearly 50 years ago)

Without Limits

All of my life, man and boy, I have operated under the assumption that the main idea in running was to win the damn race. Actually when I became a coach I, I...

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