Kiefer Sutherland is thanking the public for sending his family condolences after his father, Donald Sutherland, died June 20 at age 88.
"My family and I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of condolences and support over the last 24 hours. Thank you very much," Kiefer Sutherland captioned a picture of his father posted to Instagram June 21.
The younger Sutherland shared an emotional message announcing his father's death June 20 on social media alongside a photo of the pair taken when Kiefer Sutherland was a kid.
"With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away," he wrote. "I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly.
"He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived," added the former "24" star.
Donald Sutherland died in Miami after a long illness, NBC News confirmed.
The Canadian-born actor shot to stardom in the late 1960s and early 1970s by starring in the hit movies "The Dirty Dozen" and "M*A*S*H."
Over the decades, Sutherland delivered critically acclaimed performances in Hollywood blockbusters, including “Klute,” “1900," "Animal House, "Ordinary People,” “JFK,” "Pride & Prejudice" and “The Hunger Games” franchise.
He was also an award-winning television actor, winning a Golden Globe for the TV movie “Path to War,” as well as an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe award for his performance in the miniseries “Citizen X.”
He won an honorary Oscar for his body of work in 2017.
In 2016, Donald Sutherland and Kiefer Sutherland co-starred in director Jon Cassar's Western film “Forsaken,” marking the first time the father and son appeared on screen together.
The two actors previously appeared in several of the same movies but had never shared a scene until "Forsaken."
“He's someone I wanted to work with for my whole career,” Kiefer Sutherland said when he and his father visited TODAY in February 2016 together to promote the movie.
"I’m going to embarrass him right now but I have always felt that not only is my father one of the most prolific actors in the English language but he’s also one of the most important," the younger Sutherland added.
Donald Sutherland shared Kiefer Sutherland and a daughter, Rachel Sutherland, with his ex-wife Shirley Douglas. He was also dad to sons Roeg Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland and Angus Sutherland, whom he shared with his wife, Francine Racette.
Read on to learn more about Donald Sutherland's five kids.
Kiefer Sutherland
Donald Sutherland welcomed his first two children, twins Kiefer Sutherland and Rachel Sutherland, with his second wife, Shirley Douglas, in December 1966.
Kiefer Sutherland followed in his dad's acting footsteps to star in several hit movies in the 1980s and 1990s, including "Stand By Me," "The Lost Boys," the "Young Guns" franchise and "A Few Good Men."
The younger Sutherland later took his talents to television, winning an Emmy for his role as Jack Bauer in "24."
He co-starred with Donald Sutherland in the 2016 Western “Forsaken," marking the first time the father and son appeared in the same scene on screen together.
Rachel Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland's twin sister, Rachel Sutherland, is the only daughter of Donald Sutherland.
Rachel Sutherland has worked in television as a production manager and a producer, according to IMDb.
Kiefer Sutherland told The Guardian in 2018 that he and his twin sister had been very close since they were children.
“Being a twin taught me the value of having a companion,” said the actor. “Every time I experienced something I could turn to my left and share it. When I was having my first child I said to my mother, ‘My gosh you had two at the same time.’ She said, ‘Oh, sweetheart, it was fine. By the time you were 2 you were looking after each other.’ She made it sound like she’d got a deal, which always made me laugh.”
Roeg Sutherland
Donald Sutherland and his third wife, Francine Racette, welcomed their son Roeg Sutherland in February 1974, according to IMDb.
Roeg Sutherland works in the Media Finance division of the Creative Artists Agency, a well-known talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, according to a June 2020 story in The Hollywood Reporter.
Rossif Sutherland
Donald Sutherland and Racette later welcomed another son, Rossif Sutherland.
Rossif Sutherland would join his famous father and older half-brother to become an actor, appearing in the TV series "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Three Pines," and the movies "Possessor" and "River."
In 2013, Rossif Sutherland told The New York Post that he admired his father's talent.
“I never really had an interest in being an actor, but I was always in awe of what my father did,” the actor said. “I knew how talented he was; it was just never something that I thought I could do or wanted to do. I didn’t want to be other people — that’s the extent of what I thought acting was.”
Angus Sutherland
Donald Sutherland and Racette welcomed their youngest child, son Angus Sutherland, in September 1982, according to IMDb.
Angus Sutherland has worked as a producer on the movies "1917" and "November Criminals," and appeared on screen as an actor in "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," among other credits.
