On June 20, 2024, actor Kiefer Sutherland took to social media to share words on the ing of his father, Donald: “With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has ed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. 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.”

A titan of the film industry for the last 60 years, Donald Sutherland has run the gamut across major franchises, Oscar-winning dramas, debaucherous comedies, low-budget horror and more. He’s been a cherished face in every film-loving household, and in the week since his ing folks have flooded the airwaves with moments highlighting his deep sensitivity and wry sense of humor, personality traits the actor knew how to utilize brilliantly in his work on screen. He was also an outspoken activist, touring the country with Jane Fonda as the heads of a road show protesting the Vietnam War, captured in the 1972 film FTA. 

Fonda won her first Oscar around that same time for her performance as an endangered sex worker in Alan J. Pakula’s Klute, co-starring Sutherland as a private detective aiming to protect her. The conspiracy thriller is one of many Sutherland pictures that have seen a massive uptick in diary logs on Letterboxd in the past week. Philip Kaufman’s 1978 horror remake Invasion of the Body Snatchers was logged over 500 times on the day of Sutherland’s ing alone, while others including Don’t Look Now and Ordinary People have seen over 2,000 logs since June 20.

Beloved by movie lovers of all ages and tastes, Sutherland struck a chord with so many, which is reflected in the touching tributes shared in recent Letterboxd reviews celebrating the icon. Here are just a handful of them.

Klute (1971)

DIrected by Alan J. Pakula
Written by Andy Lewis and David E. Lewis

“It was the way he looked at women that I found so endearing. For many of Donald Sutherland’s romantic characters, when he observed women, he would bring out their innermost private self. He had a way of excavating the real you—the woman you kept to yourself. It was mesmerizing, intoxicating, dreamy, natural, vulnerable, terrifying, erotic. There’s a scene near the end in Klute, which takes place at a fruit-market, where this element of Sutherland’s is on display, and I have rewatched it many times since I heard he ed away yesterday at the age of 88. It is where Sutherland is encased in amber in the temple of my own cinephilia, and it’s how I want to him.” —Willow Maclay

Don’t Look Now (1973)

Directed by Nicolas Roeg
Written by Allan Scott, Chris Bryant and Daphne Du Maurier

“Sutherland’s performance in Don’t Look Now is one of the all-time greats. It’s multi-layered, sensitive, and masterfully understated; pulling the emotion out of himself and not grasping for it. It’s also an incredibly brave performance; the sheer vulnerable nakedness, both physical and emotional, is daunting. How could you get to the place where the ugly moans come out of you that Sutherland makes when he’s cradling Christine’s dead body?” —Megan

The Hunger Games franchise (2012–2023)

Directed by Gary Ross and Francis Lawrence
Written by Gary Ross, Billy Ray, Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt, Danny Strong, Peter Collins and Michael Lesslie, from the series of novels by Suzanne Collins

“‘Never let them see you bleed.”
“They’re holding hands. I want them dead.”
“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.”
“Such bravery. Such spirit. Such contempt.”
“We both know I’m not above killing children, but I’m not wasteful.”

I dare you not to automatically read these in Donald Sutherland’s voice. At the risk of reducing an incredible half-century-plus career to just one of many superlative performances, in the books, President Snow was a very engaging antagonist when he appeared but was largely hidden in shadow; Sutherland turned him into one of the greatest, most compelling villains of my lifetime. Bravo, and thank you for your extraordinary work.

RIP to Donald Sutherland. What an absolute legend.” —Elias M. Breindel

JFK (1991)

Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Oliver Stone and Zackary Sklar, based on novels by Jim Garrison and Jim Marrs

“With the ing of Donald Sutherland I wanna give a shout out to his unbelievable performance. His scene is the most iconic for a reason. To be able to spew that much dialogue alone is impressive, but to do it and make it feel like he’s saying it for the first time is another. He’s so alive. There’s a moment where he stops and corrects himself that I feel had to be improvised. I was SHOCKED to see he never was nominated for an Oscar. A true icon and brilliant actor.” —Stanley Swerdlow

Ordinary People (1980)

Directed by Robert Redford
Written by Alvin Sargent, based on a novel by Judith Guest

“The surreal performances and nuanced dynamic between the three protagonists is what makes this film. It’s so tough to watch Donald Sutherland so soon after his ing give what is arguably the best performance of the film among some of my favorite performances ever. He was such a quietly commanding and effortless actor.” —Kevinsnyder

M*A*S*H (1970)

Directed by Robert Altman
Written by Ring Lardner Jr., based on a novel by Richard Hooker

“Donald Sutherland’s portrayal of Hawkeye Pierce is a masterclass in understated rebellion. Hawkeye is a brilliant surgeon, but his irreverence and disdain for military formalities make him a thorn in the side of his superiors. Sutherland imbues the character with a blend of sardonic wit and moral conviction, making Hawkeye both a source of comic relief and a voice of reason. His performance captures the paradox of a man who uses humour to maintain his sanity in an insane environment.” —Paul Jeremiah Hayes

Little Murders (1971)

Directed by Alan Arkin
Written by Jules Feiffer

“A wholly bonkers, increasingly surreal portrait of the social fabric in a state of collapse – closest thing I’ve seen to an American version of a 1970s Buñuel film. Donald Sutherland (RIP) steals the entire film as a flaky priest performing the funniest wedding ceremony of all time.” —Dan Hassler-Forest

Eye of the Needle (1981)

Directed by Richard Marquand
Written by Stanley Mann, based on a novel by Ken Follett

“After the sad ing of Donald Sutherland (an actor who I loved dearly) I had to go back and watch some of his old films and this is one I loving the first time I saw it and it was the same with this rewatch. There’s an understated approach in Sutherland’s work that I’ve always enjoyed and this film is a perfect example of this. He of course could go loud, eccentric and wonderfully unavoidable on screen. But he also knew when to hold back. When to play it cool, calm and collected and in The Eye of the Needle, he does that brilliantly.” —MeanderingPod

Backdraft (1991)

Directed by Ron Howard
Written by Gregory Widen

“Honestly, having not watched the film since I was ten or so years old, I popped it on for a long-overdue rewatch because I wanted to pay tribute in some small way to the recently dearly departed Donald Sutherland — one of the finest actors we’ve ever had — and I recall always having enjoyed his expertly creepy performance in Backdraft as the psychopathic Ronald Bartel, who in the Backdraft universe is basically an arsonist Hannibal Lecter. (This movie is very silly, and I love it for that.)” —Jack Anderson Keane

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Directed by Joe Wright
Written by Deborah Moggach, based on a novel by Jane Austen

“RIP Donald Sutherland, your ability to bring to life such a tender and beloved character will forever be appreciated by me every time I watch this.” —Elisa