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Canadian actorDonald Sutherlandis no stranger to any film lover. Although most famous among young viewers for his role as the ruthless President Snow inThe Hunger Gamesfilms, Sutherland has many classics under his belt and remains a favorite of audiences spanning generations. A powerful presence and veteran in the industry, the actor had an illustrious career spanning six decades at thetime of his passingat 88 years of age. The actor has won numerous accolades for his work, including two Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Having begun his career by taking on simple bit parts in films such asDr. Terror’s House of Horrors(1965) and series includingThe SaintandCourt Martial, Sutherland hada staggering nearly 200 appearancesin various TV shows and films by the time his acting days drew to a close. The actor’s breakthrough role is considered to be Vernon Pinkley inThe Dirty Dozen(1967). A war film starring those including Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin, Sutherland was a last-minute replacement for an actor that had dropped out. Shooting to success, Sutherland’s career skyrocketed, and he went on to take a role in yet another war film,MAS*Hin 1970. The actor took on the starring role of Hawkeye Pierce, and Sutherland’s performance is regarded as the best portrayal of the character to-date.
What Is MAS*H About?
MASH(1970) is an adaptation of Richard Hooker’s 1968 novelMASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The film is directed by Robert Altman with Ring Lardner Jr. in the writer’s seat. Primarily a war film,MASHhas elements of comedy woven into it, although it is admittedly dark humor. The film was a massive success, going on to win several awards, including the Palme d’Or, a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.MAS*Hwas regarded as one of the biggest films for 20th Century Fox in the early 1970s.
The film centers on the lives ofa team of medical professionals, belonging to the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, or MASH. Captains Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce and “Trapper” John McIntyre take the spotlight, butting heads with their superiors and clashing with firmly established military protocol. The duo are playful and rebellious, despite the grim nature of their job, which requires them to deal with a continuous stream of wounded soldiers. The film sets off Hawkeye and Trapper’s unconventional methods and mischievous nature against the horrors of war, positing the duo’s antics as a way of coping with the dread and bleakness brought on by the fighting.
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Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye Pierce
Donald Sutherland portrays the dynamic character of Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce. The character has a plethora of qualities, often contrasting, rolled into one, and Sutherland does an excellent job ofbringing Hawkeye to life. Starring alongside fellow actors Tom Skerritt, who plays Captain Augustus Bedford “Duke” Forrest and Elliot Gold, who portrays Captain “Trapper” John McIntyre, Sutherland rounds out the leading talent in the film.
Sutherland’s Hawkeye is an exceptionally skilled surgeon, dedicated to his work and going to commendable lengths to care for the injured. The bureaucracy of the military does not sit right with him, and Hawkeye constantly rebels against the rules and regulations imposed on him, challenging those who seek to exert authority over him. However, for all his serious qualities, Hawkeye is simultaneously witty and humorous, exhibiting an almost carefree nature in an otherwise grim and hopeless setting of war. He never says no to a prank, and paired with Trapper, engages in numerous pranks, including playing a fake announcement regarding relaxation of certain rules and installing a hidden camera in the shower to embarrass Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan (Sally Kellerman).
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What Makes Sutherland’s Hawkeye Performance the Best?
Given Hawkeye’s wildly contrasting characteristics, from being a dedicated surgeon to a mischievous prankster, Sutherland is called to exhibit his range as an actor in the portrayal of the character. Playing the part requires Sutherland to walk a fine line, balancing both the carefree and committed nature of his character and also balancing the comedic element in the film against the grim realities of war. If the praise Sutherland received for his performance is any indication, the actor succeeded in doing so perfectly.
Although Sutherland was not the only actor to play the character of Hawkeye, with Alan Alda taking on the role a couple of years laterin a TV series of the same name, Sutherland’s original performance as Hawkeye Pierce is regarded as having a certain quality to it that sets it apart from Alda’s portrayal of the character. While Alda’s depiction of Hawkeye is noteworthy and memorable in its own right, Sutherland’s performance set high standards for the character.
In a style that is purely unique to Sutherland himself, the actor brought his own distinctive interpretation to the role of Hawkeye. He was able to seamlessly blend humor and gravity, adding depth to the character. The charismatic, nuanced manner in which Sutherland depicted Hawkeye set the tone ofMAS*H,and led to, not only Sutherland’s performance, but also the character of Hawkeye Pierce being regarded as iconic.
Additionally, Sutherland’s chemistry with his costars also lent to the success of the film. The actor was able to inject a sense of familiarity, and a natural, almost unrehearsed quality, especially into the relationship between Hawkeye and Trapper, that had viewers easily hooked, eager to see what the duo would get up to next. This dynamic performance by Sutherland in his role as Hawkeye Pierce has cemented the actor’s depiction of the character as the finest, despite the many years that have passed since the release of the 1970 film.
Since his days as Hawkeye, Sutherland has gone on to hold many other memorable roles. In addition to his role inMAS*H, some of the actor’s most noteworthy performances are perhaps as Matthew Bennell inInvasion of the Body Snatchers(1978), John Baxter inDon’t Look Now(1973), John Klute inKlute(1971), Mr. X inJFK(1991), Calvin inOrdinary People(1980) and, of course,President Snow inThe Hunger Gamesfilms. Donald Sutherland was undoubtedly an exceptional actor, effortlessly bringing charisma, charm and appeal to whatever role he played. The loss of the actor will certainly leave its mark on the movie world.
