William Baldwin Says Donald Sutherland Was a ‘True Authentic’ (Unique)

When William Baldwin displays on his time working with Donald Sutherland, it’s with awe and reverence.

Sutherland — who died on June 20 at age 88 in Miami after a protracted sickness — appeared in virtually 200 TV and movie initiatives throughout his illustrious profession. Baldwin labored alongside the late actor in three of these initiatives, together with the 1991 motion drama Backdraft, 1999’s sci-fi thriller Virus and Soiled Horny Cash, which ran for 2 seasons from 2007 to 2009.

Starring on the short-lived ABC drama with Sutherland as his onscreen son Patrick Darling IV was “by far my favourite,” Baldwin, 61, instructed PEOPLE in an announcement.

“Donald was a fancy, sophisticated and quirky man in probably the most scrumptious method,” he mentioned within the assertion. “He had a delicate, childlike boyish streak in him that I completely adored. His persona onscreen and his character in life have been as attention-grabbing and unique because the options on his face.”

“He was a real unique. A considered one of a form,” Baldwin continued. “I’ve by no means identified anybody remotely like him. His many unbelievable qualities and someway even his flaws made him extra distinctive, extra charming… extra lovable.”

Baldwin recalled at some point after a desk studying for Soiled Horny Cash when Sutherland emerged with a “massive smile on his face” and a “bounce in his step.”

“[He] mentioned to me… ‘Take a look at this… learn this.’ He proceeded at hand me his script and I learn a scene that had a number of snappy, sensible … dialogue in it,” Baldwin defined. “He mentioned to me… ‘Are you able to consider that? Are you able to consider I get to say that… how fantastic. It was so candy and so exhilarating for me to see how excited he nonetheless was concerning the work [then] at 73 years previous.”

The actor additionally recalled one other second throughout manufacturing of the present when Sutherland expressed his fondness for Baldwin.

“We had gotten so shut in the course of the two seasons we labored collectively that he as soon as mentioned to me… ‘I’ve affection for you as if you happen to have been considered one of my sons.’ That meant to the world to me and I’ll always remember that,” he added.

One other of Sutherland’s Soiled Horny Cash costars, Natalie Zea — who performed his onscreen daughter Karen Darling — instructed PEOPLE in an announcement that Donald was a “mentor, a father determine and a legend who, regardless of all that, was someway all the time in a position to make me really feel like I used to be his equal.”

“His depraved humorousness and deeply beneficiant spirit is unmatched and treasured to those that liked him,” Zea added.

Sutherland is survived by 5 youngsters, together with his 24 actor son Kiefer, whom he shared with ex-wife actress Shirley Douglas, and 5 grandchildren. Sutherland, who was additionally beforehand married to Lois Hardwick, wed actress Francine Racette in 1972, and shared youngsters Roeg, Rossif and Angus together with her. He’s additionally dad to daughter Rachel with Douglas, who died in 2020 at 86.

The actor, whose profession took off after 1967’s The Soiled Dozen, performed Mr. Bennet in 2005’s Satisfaction and Prejudice with Keira Knightley and Hawkeye Pierce in 1970’s M*A*S*H, and he had numerous notable movie roles in films like Bizarre Individuals (1980), Invasion of the Physique Snatchers (1978) and because the villainous President Snow in all 4 Starvation Video games films with Jennifer Lawrence. His more moderen initiatives included exhibits like The Undoing, Belief and Swimming with Sharks.

Whereas Sutherland gained an Emmy for excellent supporting actor in a miniseries in 1995 for the TV film Citizen X and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2017 “for a lifetime of indelible characters, rendered with unwavering truthfulness,” he was by no means nominated for a aggressive Oscar throughout his decades-long profession.  

However for a lot of of his costars, together with Baldwin, that’s of little significance. Sutherland was an immensely gifted actor that may lengthy be remembered for his singular expertise.

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“There’ll by no means be one other Donald Sutherland… ever,” Baldwin shared. “We’ve got misplaced a real appearing grasp and a unusual, considered one of a form, by no means met anybody like him earlier than unique. … He will probably be dearly missed.”