Donald Sutherland, the acting legend born in New Brunswick with a distinctive voice and a prolific career in theater and cinema that inspired his sons Kiefer and Rossif to pursue the craft, has passed away.

Kiefer Sutherland said in a social media post on Thursday that he died at the age of 88.

The younger Sutherland wrote on X, "I personally believe he is one of the most important actors in the history of cinema. No role scared him, whether it was good, bad, or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and no one could ask for more than that," adding, "He lived a good life."

Standing six feet four inches tall, with big blue eyes and deep, gentle features, the elder Sutherland had an unmistakable presence in film, television, and radio for over 50 years.

His diverse film roles included the scheming surgeon Hawkeye Pierce in MASH, Julie Christie's troubled husband in the thriller Don't Look Now, and a Washington intelligence officer in JFK directed by Oliver Stone.

On television, he played the Speaker of the House in "Commander in Chief" and the wealthy patriarch in "Dirty, Sexy, Money."

Although he appeared in more than 100 films, Sutherland was never nominated for an Oscar. However, he received an honorary Oscar in 2017, alongside two BAFTA nominations, an Emmy nomination, and two Golden Globe awards.

He also received the Order of Canada and won a Genie Award and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award.

While Sutherland worked around the world, he kept a home in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, where he hosted dinner parties for his famous family and celebrity friends.

Sutherland said upon receiving the Governor General's Award in 2000, "I love this country."

"As you know, the English poet W.H. Auden said that a poet's hope is to be like some valley cheese: local, but precious elsewhere, I feel that somewhat."

Sutherland was born in Saint John and raised in Bridgewater, NS. His father, Frederick Sutherland, was a salesman, and his mother, Dorothy Isabel, was a math teacher. Various reports state that Sutherland suffered from polio, rheumatic fever, and hepatitis as a child.

At the age of fourteen, Sutherland landed a part-time job as a music coordinator and news broadcaster for the local radio station CKBW. It was the beginning of a successful career in voiceover for multimedia, a pursuit his son Kiefer also followed.

Sutherland studied drama, engineering, and English at the University of Toronto, where he performed in front of audiences at Hart House Theatre and met his first wife of seven years, Lois Hardwick. It was said that his memories of toga parties at the University of Toronto’s Gate House inspired the 1978 film "Animal House," in which he starred.

After graduating in 1958, Sutherland attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in England and continued acting with the Perth Repertory Theatre in Scotland and in the West End in London.

In the early 1960s, he transitioned to films, including thrillers like "Castle of the Living Dead," "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors," and "Die! Die! My Darling!" He also had small roles in television series including "Court Martial," "The Saint," and "The Avengers."

In 1966, Sutherland married his second wife, Canadian actress and activist Shirley Douglas, daughter of medical care founder Tommy Douglas. That same year they welcomed twins Rachel and Kiefer, who became a star in his own right in films including "The Lost Boys" and the television series "24."

When Sutherland saw that his son wanted to follow in his footsteps, he gave him important advice:

Kiefer Sutherland, quoting his father in a 1998 interview with the Canadian press, said, "I don’t care what you do with your life."

"Just don’t lie in your work, because they’ll catch you."

Donald Sutherland’s breakthrough in the United States came in 1967 with the film "The Dirty Dozen," in which he played a soldier imprisoned during World War II. Co-stars included Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson.

Three years later, he solidified his status as a star in Hollywood with two more war films: the Oscar-winning satire of the Korean War "MASH," directed by Robert Altman, and "Kelly's Heroes," alongside Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas.

The 1970s were particularly active for Sutherland with varied roles in over twenty other projects, including "Klute," "Fellini's Casanova," "Animal House," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "Don't Look Now," and "Steelyard Blues." The last two films earned him BAFTA nominations for Best Actor.

Sutherland’s private life also made headlines during that decade.

Initially, there was his highly publicized relationship with his "Klute" co-star Jane Fonda, with whom he also helped form an anti-war roadshow called the FTA (Free the Army) Tour. Later, Sutherland married French-Canadian actress Francine Racette, with whom he had three children: Roeg, Angus, and Rossif, who starred in "Poor Boy's Game" and "High Life."

In the 1980s, Sutherland continued to build his résumé at a frantic pace, participating in nearly 20 films including Robert Redford's "Ordinary People," which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and "Threshold," which won him a Genie Award.

Sutherland ultimately won two Golden Globe Awards: in 1996 for his supporting role in "Citizen X," for which he also earned an Emmy Award, and then in 2003 for "Path to War," a film produced by HBO. That same year, he played a minister in "Cold Mountain."

He also worked with his actor sons, sharing the screen with Kiefer in "Max Dugan Returns" and "A Time to Kill," and with Rossif in "The Steal Artist."

Rossif Sutherland said that working with his father was a "dream."

He told the Canadian press in January 2010, "He was the reason I started my way in this profession and he likes to call himself my number one fan."

"He’s the only person I’ve worked with who gives the impression that I can’t do anything wrong."

For actor Peter Krause, working with Sutherland in "Dirty, Sexy, Money" was a "real trip."

Krause said in a May 2007 interview with the Canadian press, "He’s a complete character. A really interesting man."