Donald Sutherland’s M*A*S*H and Animal House costars pay tribute to Hollywood ‘giant’: ‘Was like my brother’

Tributes from Donald Sutherland’s former Hollywood co-stars are pouring in as they celebrate the prolific actor’s ‘gigantic’ presence on and off screen.

Elliott Gould, who co-starred with Sutherland in Robert Altman’s 1970 film M*A*S*H, in which they played battlefield surgeons, told DailyMail.com that the 6-foot-4 Sutherland towered over most, but not alone because of his stature.

“Donald was a giant, not just physically but as a talent,” Gould said. ‘He was extremely kind and generous.

“It’s never easy to lose the caliber of a person and actor like Donald Sutherland, but this really hurts because Donald was like my brother and was a huge part of my own career.”

Gould said that when they took on the roles of Hawkeye Pierce (Sutherland) and Trapper John McIntyre (Gould), they were both young fathers and quickly bonded in their new roles as actors and fathers.

Both were nominated for a Golden Globes for Best Actor in 1971.

Set in South Korea during the Korean War, the film M*A*S*H follows the lives of medical personnel who cared for the wounded at a mobile army surgical hospital. Sutherland, left, and Gould, right, played battlefield surgeons in the 1970 film

Gould, 85, added: “Rest in peace, dear, kind friend. I love you and I will never forget you.’

Kiefer Sutherland, the son of a veteran Canadian-born actor, announced the Hollywood icon’s death on Thursday.

“It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away,” Kiefer Sutherland wrote on X. “Personally, I consider one of the most important actors in film history. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly.

He added: “He loved what he did and did what he loved, and you can never ask for more than that. A life well lived.’

The veteran actor appeared in more than 200 TV and film roles during his career in Hollywood for over 60 years

Sutherland’s CAA representative Missy Davy confirmed to DailyMail.com that the veteran actor died in Miami.

His family will hold a private celebration of life, but no further details have been provided about his cause of death.

Tim Matheson, who co-starred with Sutherland in the 1978 comedy classic National Lampoon’s Animal House, said he admired his co-stars’ passion for his craft.

“One of the best and most passionate actors I have ever worked with,” Matheson told DailyMail.com.

‘He made me a better person, performer and director by working with him. And he always had a delightfully wonderful sense of humor and intelligence that could amuse you.”

He added: “I extend my deepest condolences to his family for their loss. And thank you Donald for leaving us such a tremendous legacy and body of work to celebrate you with. I will always adore you.”

Tim Matheson starred in National Lampoon’s Animal House with Sutherland, which was released in 1978

Matheson, left, said he admired Sutherland’s “passion” for acting

Sutherland appeared in approximately 200 television shows and films over six decades, including Six Degrees of Separation, Klute and the 1978 remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

In his more recent roles, he played the main antagonist, President Snow, in The Hunger Games franchise.

He received an honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2017.

Elliott Gould, right, said Donald Sutherland, left, “was a giant, not just physically but as a talent”

In 2022, he appeared in what would be his final projects, Lawmen: Bass Reeves and Swimming With Sharks.

Sutherland is set to star in the upcoming apocalyptic film Heart Land, which is in pre-production.