Whether we watched him on M*A*S*H, the brilliant ’70s thriller Don’t Look Now, the cheesy ’90s movie Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or any of his long list of amazing projects, we all love and appreciate Donald Sutherland‘s incredible talent. As we grieve the heartbreaking news that Donald Sutherland died on June 20th, 2024, we want to know more about his family life.
We were always happy to see Donald Sutherland in any movie, and we’re in awe of all the different roles he played over many decades. While we feel sad all over again at this awful news, let’s find out who is five kids are.
What are the names of Donald Sutherland’s five kids and what do they do?
Donald Sutherland has five kids: Angus Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland, Roeg Sutherland, Rachel Sutherland, and Kiefer Sutherland, according to The Sun. Donald’s children range in ages from 41 (Angus), 45 (Rossif) and 50 (Roeg) to 57 (Rachel and Kiefer).
Donald and his first wife, Lois Hardwick, were married from 1959 to 1966 but didn’t have any children together. Donald and his second wife, Shirley Douglas, were married from 1966 to 1970 and had twins Rachel and Kiefer Sutherland. Donald was still married to his third wife Francine Raclette at the time of his death, and they have three kids: Angus, Roeg, and Rossif Sutherland.
As we would expect, several of Donald’s children must have been inspired by their amazing dad to become actors, and they’re all in Hollywood in one way, shape, or form. But while we’d typically make yet another joke about Nepo Babies or wonder why so many stars’ kids seem to copy their parents, Donald’s children all sound like hard workers who are passionate about the career paths they’ve chosen.
According to The List, Angus began working in film production after acting a little bit, and he has produced movies such as 1917. Rossif studied philosophy briefly in college and then starred in several TV shows, including Reign (where he met his now-wife Celina Sinden). Most recently, Rossif played Allen Albright in the prequel Orphan: First Kill and is starring in the upcoming TV drama Murder in a Small Town.
Of course, we’re all most familiar with Kiefer Sutherland, since he’s the most famous. While his dad worked mostly in film, Kiefer is known for his TV roles like the super tough Jack Bauer on 24, a part he played from 2001 to 2010, and President Thomas Kirkman on Designated Survivor from 2016 to 2019. Kiefer’s had some amazing movie roles too, though, including John “Ace” Merrill in Stand By Me.
Roeg Sutherland may not be an actor, but he works at Creative Artists Agency as the Media Finance co-head, which is definitely impressive. Like Angus, Rachel Sutherland is in TV production and her resume includes being a post-production supervisor on Burden of Truth, Nurses, Pretty Hard Cases, and most recently, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (which is a nice nod to her father’s Canadian roots).
Rossif and Kiefer Sutherland are both parents themselves now. Rossif and Sinden have a son named Theodore who was born in 2016, and Kiefer and Camelia Kath have a daughter named Sarah Sutherland.
Donald Sutherland loved being a father to his five kids
Donald Sutherland has always said sweet things about being a dad, and we can’t even begin to imagine the grief they’re feeling. In 2011, Donald gave an interview to Esquire and said, “My children are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful people. They’ve taught me humility, pride, and fear.”
Whenever we read or heard interviews with Donald, he showed us his warm, friendly, and lovely personality, and he had a cheeky, quirky side to him too. It sounds like he gave his children a lot of middle names. In 2022, Kiefer Sutherland told The Guardian that he and his twin Rachel both have five middle names (which might actually be a good thing since many of us don’t exactly love our middle moniker).
While Kiefer Sutherland always spoke highly of his dad, it sounds like they had some road bumps in their relationship. Kiefer told Radio Times, “I think if there was a complaint from either one of us, it was that we didn’t get to spend enough time together.” It sounds like they connected when co-starring in the 2016 movie Forsaken, and it’s sweet to hear how much they enjoyed the experience. In an interview with People, Donald said his son is talented and called co-starring “terrific.” They might not have had the kind of connection they wanted to throughout Kiefer’s childhood but it sounds like things got much better when Kiefer was older.
Kiefer Sutherland’s post on X about his father’s death is also proof of how much he cares about his late parent. Kiefer said he has “a heavy heart” and called him “one of the most important actors in the history of film.” Kiefer added that when reflecting on his father’s life, he would call it “A life well lived.”