Sutherland to get honorary Oscar

L OS A NGELES • After a sixdecade career in which he’s won two Golden Globes but no Oscar, Canadian actor Donald Sutherland is finally getting the golden statuette.

On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 82-year-old Saint John, N.B., native will be among four recipients of an honorary Oscar on Nov. 11.

Writer- director Charles Burnett, cinematographer Owen Roizman and director Agnes Varda will also get the honour at the Governors Awards.

The a ward honours “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the academy.”

“This year’s Governors Awards reflect the breadth of international, independent and mainstream filmmaking, and are tributes to four great artists whose work embodies the diversity of our shared humanity,” academy president John Bailey said in a statement.

Sutherland has brought a towering presence and distinctive baritone voice to more than 140 films, including The Dirty Dozen, M*A* S* H, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Cold Mountain and The Hunger Games series. He also has extensive TV credits and awards for his work, including best supporting actor Golden Globes for Citizen X in 1996 and Path to War in 2003 and a best actor in a miniseries or movie Emmy for Human Trafficking in 2005.

His other honours include a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and an Officer of the Order of Canada distinction.