Eastwood Soundtrack selection #3

Eastwood Soundtrack selection #3

Jerry Fielding (born Joshua Itzhak Feldman; June 17, 1922 – February 17, 1980) was an American jazz musician, arranger, band leader, and film composer who emerged in the 1960s. Fielding created boldly diverse and evocative Oscar-nominated scores, primarily for gritty, often brutally savage films in the western and crime action genres, including the Sam Peckinpah movies The Wild Bunch (1969) and Straw Dogs (1971). 

It was his composing for a contemporary made-for-TV Western, Noon Wine, directed by then-unknown Sam Peckinpah, that led to Fielding's breakthrough score for Peckinpah's first critical and box-office hit, The Wild Bunch (1969) as well as a volatile but ultimately fruitful collaboration between the two men. A neo-noir Western with a wordless, staggeringly violent final shootout still imitated to this day, The Wild Bunch's quartet of taciturn, bitter gunmen, led by William Holden, are given power and voice largely through Fielding's brilliant score. The soundtrack brought his first nomination for an Oscar for Best Dramatic Score.

"The Wild Bunch gave me a chance to illustrate to the public, and the entertainment industry, that if a composer is given real freedom to create, he can produce a score that is unlike any other ever written", Fielding said later.

(Above: The promo CD, Screen Archives Entertainment JFC-1)

The following year, in Peckinpah's The Getaway (1972), a troubled production starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, Fielding's score was removed from the final picture. It was replaced by music of Quincy Jones, much to Fielding's shock and dismay, an ordeal documented in a short film by his wife, Camille and daughter Elizabeth Fielding in 2007.[citation needed] Peckinpah then asked Fielding to compose alongside songs by Bob Dylan, for Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973). In Peckinpah's surreal anti-Western, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) Fielding again expresses the despairing subtext and unspoken whimsy of his frequently inchoate collaborator, this time in a film whose exercise in futility seems a personal statement by Peckinpah indeed. "In many ways, Sam doesn't know what the hell he's talking about", Fielding said of the director, whom he considered a close friend. "In other ways, he's a fantastically gifted man." Fielding claimed the two used to sort out their differences in fist fights.

(Above: The original Soundtrack LP Warner Bros. BS 2956)

Fielding had fruitful and rather less stressful relationships with two other leading 1970s action directors, Michael Winner and Clint Eastwood. His collaboration with jazz-loving Clint Eastwood began when Eastwood chose Fielding to compose the score to The Outlaw Josey Wales. Fielding, assuming he was scoring a popular young people's Western novel, researched and included Irish folk tunes from the Civil War, creating another newly explored direction for period films and winning his third and final Oscar nomination. On that Oscar night, Fielding was up against Jerry Goldsmith's The Omen, Lalo Schifrin's Voyage of the Damned, and the two final scores by his former hero in 1930s radio, prolific Hitchcock favourite Bernard Herrmann, for Scorsese's Taxi Driver and de Palma's Obsession. Goldsmith would win on the night.

(Above: The Outlaw Josey Wales, Original Warner Bros white label test pressing LP)

In his next two films for Eastwood, Fielding employed urban scores featuring living jazz musicians for The Enforcer (1976) and The Gauntlet (1977). He rounded off his career with Clint on Escape from Alcatraz (1979). 

Fielding died far too early at the age of 57, from a heart attack followed by congestive heart failure. He was in Toronto where he was scoring the motion picture Funeral Home (also known as Cries In The Night). He is interred in Crypt 30 at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

I’ve selected a track here from The Outlaw Josey Wales - a firm favourite among Eastwood fans. The original soundtrack received an LP release on Warner Bros Records (Warner Bros. BS 2956) in 1976. Consisting of some 36 minutes, the album was painfully short. In 1994, a quite wonderful promo appeared on CD (Screen Archives Entertainment JFC-1) which ran for a much more satisfying 58 minutes and in pristine quality. Yet, still there has been no official / commercial release of this version - which is truly a travesty. The promo release (as a result) remains a very expensive collectors piece.

On the subject of collector’s pieces, some years ago I was very fortunate to acquire a very rare white label Warner Brothers test pressing on vinyl. Usually pressed in a very limited quantity for ‘in house’ quality check purposes, the album remains a treasured piece in the collection and sits very comfortably next to a Lalo Schifrin Kelly’s Heroes white Label test pressing LP. They don’t come along too often, but when they do surface - they are certainly worth fighting for. 

Jerry Fielding The Outlaw Josey Wales Main Title

               

Clint’s long time partner, Christina Sandera, dies at 61

Clint’s long time partner, Christina Sandera, dies at 61

I was so saddened and shocked to receive news this morning that Clint’s longtime partner, Christina Sandera had passed away at the age of 61.

“Christina was a lovely, caring woman, and I will miss her very much,” Clint said in a statement to the Carmel Pine Cone newspaper on Thursday. The cause of death has not been revealed.

The couple reportedly met in 2014 while Sandera worked as a hostess at the Oscar winner’s Mission Ranch Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California and started dating thereafter. 

While the actor and director kept his relationship with Sandera pretty quiet, they did appear on the red carpet and at several events together. Their first public appearance was at the 2015 Oscars when Clint’s movie “American Sniper” was up for several awards. 

Sandera gained a great deal of respect from the Eastwood followers – a naturally pretty woman, she came across as completely unassuming, a trait that certainly endeared her to the fans. 

An incredibly sad and unexpected piece of news that is painful to report.

Our love and sincere condolences go out to Clint, and the friends and family of Christina.

RIP

WIN Clint Eastwood: A Life on Both Sides of the Camera by Michał Talarek

 

WIN: Clint Eastwood: A Life on Both Sides of the Camera by Michał Talarek

Thanks to author Michał Talarek we have 3 copies of his latest book to giveaway as prizes.

To enter, please leave answer and contact details in the comments below, details will not be published, and 3 lucky winners will be randomly selected and receive a copy of the book.

Competition is open to UK residents only please; closing date will be midnight July 31st UK time. Winning books will be sent out shortly thereafter. 

Question: Le Streghe (also known as The Witches) is a film produced by Dino De Laurentiis in 1965 and released in 1967. It consists of 5 short stories, directed by Franco Rossi, Luchino Visconti, Mauro Bolognini, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Vittorio De Sica. Each story is about witches and features the beautiful Silvana Mangano. But what was the name of the story which starred Clint? 

Our thanks to Michał and Good luck! 

Doubling your Dollar in 1969

Doubling your Dollar in 1969

I wanted to post a few bits here for the U.S. 1969 Double-Bill release of A Fistful of Dollars / For a Few Dollars More. Hoping to cash in for a second time around and on the back of the success of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, United Artists re-released the first two classic dollar westerns, pairing them up for a limited run. The two movies were also shown together in Australia and in the U.K. where it had a 2-week run at the London Pavilion in April 1969.

Below: Original Theatrical banner

Below: The U.S. One sheet poster

Below: An example from the Double-Bill U.S. Lobby card set

Below: The rare Australian Day bill Double-Bill 

Below: A selection of rare Newspaper adverts

Below: The UK Quad Double-Bill poster

Below: Original Combo Radio Spots Vinyl Record

     

Below: The original Double-Bill theatrical trailer

           

Eastwood Soundtrack selection #2

Eastwood Soundtrack selection #2

Ronald Alfred Goodwin (17 February 1925 – 8 January 2003) was an English composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years. His most famous works included Where Eagles Dare, Battle of Britain, 633 Squadron, Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple films, and Frenzy.

Born in Plymouth, Devon, England, Goodwin learned to play the piano and trumpet from the age of five which allowed him to join the school band. When he was nine, the family moved to Harrow, London, where he attended Willesden County School and Pinner County Grammar School, in Middlesex. 

From there he went on to study the trumpet in London at the Guildhall School of Music.

Whilst working as a copyist, he formed his own orchestra in his spare time and began arranging and conducting recordings for over fifty performers, which resulted in more than 100 chart successes. He wrote his first feature film score for Whirlpool, with screenplay by Lawrence P. Bachmann. After Bachmann became executive producer at MGM-British Studios in 1959, Goodwin composed and conducted the music for most of its productions, as well as working for other film studios.

Where Eagles Dare received a 1969 UK album release on MGM Records 2315 036 and in the United States on MGM Records S1E-16 ST although the sleeve designs were very different – the content was identical. The was also a French album (Quand Les Aigles Attaquent MGM Records 61 625) which again featured entirely different artwork. A Spanish album appeared (El Desafío de Las Águilas) also with different artwork and a Japanese album appeared in 1981 (MGM Records – 25MM9030) and carried the same sleeve design as the original U.S. release. In 1990 EMI Records doubled up edited highlights with 633 Squadron (CDP 79 4094 2). Available on both vinyl and CD the sleeve carried a full close-up image of Eastwood. Also, in 2001 Chapter III records in the states released a cd version (CH 37500-2). 

However, in 2004 Film Score Monthly released a beautiful Remastered 2 CD version (FSMCD Vol. 6 No. 21) which was limited to just 3,000 copies and doubled up with another great Goodwin score, Operation Crossbow (1965). At 20 tracks (74:07), FSM’s release remains the ultimate version of the soundtrack. I was also very fortunate to receive a credit on this release – as I provided a great deal of the illustrative material for the accompanying 27-page booklet. 

Ron Goodwin’s score opens with a quiet, terse and repetitive drumbeat before a bombastic brass section joins in. It’s a simple theme tune for a film with a storyline that is anything but. Ascending scales foretell the vertiginous cliffs below the Schloss Adler, the German castle that a team led by Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood must penetrate to fulfil their objective, and the film’s climactic fight on the roof of a moving cable car. 

Below: Here's Where Eagles Dare Soundtrack Suite   

              

Eastwood Symphonic: A Son’s Tribute to his father

Eastwood Symphonic: A Son’s Tribute to his father

Mon 7th April 2025, 19:30, The Barbican, London. Kyle Eastwood teams up with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Eastwood Symphonic is a tribute from a son to his father the actor, director, musician and animal rights activist Clint Eastwood. It is also the witness of an artistic legacy, the transmission of personal passions that touch each other until they merge as often as they can. 

At each step of this musical road movie. Kyle and his quintet will perform with the world-famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to offer a rich and emotional rendition of the soundtracks associated with Clint Eastwood’s masterpieces, under the baton of Gast Waltzing.

This special evening’s Programme features:

Ennio Morricone A Fistfull of Dollars

Ennio Morricone The Good The Bad and The Ugly

Lalo Schfrin Dirty Harry

Lalo Schfrin Magnum Force

L. Niehaus Unforgiven

John Williams The Eiger Sanction

Lennie Niehaus Unforgiven

Lennie Niehaus The Bridges of Madison County

Clint Eastwood Flags of our fathers

Kyle Eastwood, M. Stevens Letter from Iwo Jima

Kyle Eastwood, M. Stevens Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood Changeling

Featuring Andrew McCormack on Piano, Chris Higginbottom Drums, Quentin Collins Trumpet and Bugle and Brandon Allen Saxophones. 

Ticket prices range from £45 (restrictive viewing) to £150 - VIP Meet and Greet Tickets are also available for this performance. It sounds like this will be a wonderful night and it would have been nice to cover this event.

For more information and ticket availability, visit The Barbican website HERE

Kyle Eastwood - Eastwood Symphonic is available on both CD and vinyl 

 

Rare 1971 French Ennio Morricone compilation LP

Rare 1971 French Ennio Morricone compilation LP 

It’s always nice to find a piece of Eastwood related vinyl to add to the collection, so today was particularly rewarding. This original French Ennio Morricone compilation album dates from November 1971. Ennio Morricone – Les Bandes Sonores De Ses Films was released on the Orange RCA Victor – 741021 label.

I had never come across this one before, but it caught my attention immediately as the sleeve was a full colour image from the climax of Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964). It’s the same image which appeared on the German 7” single from 1965 – although it appeared on the single in b/w as opposed to colour. 

Consisting of 12 tracks, the LP also contains a few collaborations with other composers such as Carlo Alberto Rossi, Sergio Bardotti and Gillo Pontecorvo – but in general, the majority is made up of Morricone compositions. The reverse also features a photo of Clint standing in the saloon entrance from A Fistful of Dollars. 

A nice addition to the vinyl collection and well worth looking out for if vinyl collecting is your thing. This release also had a 1971 release on 8-Track Cartridge (LP8S 21132) and a 1972 release on audio cassette (RCA – 6.010). 

Below. The 8 Track and audio cassette versions

Eastwood Soundtrack selection #1

Eastwood Soundtrack selection #1

I was playing a few scores last week when it occurred to me that we really don’t share enough of the many great soundtrack releases that have graced Clint’s films. I thought we should address this and post the occasional theme, or a suite from the vast selection of scores. Considering that most are readily accessible and available on various platforms such as YouTube – why not enjoy them here too.

I’ll back up each post with a little information to accompany each choice. If anything, I hope it will provide us all with a bit of a musical ‘interlude’ as well as a reminder of some classic Eastwood moments. 

I thought I’d get things going with Lalo Schifrin’s great theme to Joe Kidd (1972). Schifrin had just finished composing his great urban jazz score for Eastwood’s previous picture, Dirty Harry when he was asked to provide the John Sturges western score. Schifrin would later work with director Sturges again on the 1976 British war film, The Eagle Has Landed. Both films also featured actor Robert Duvall. 

Joe Kidd took a long while to receive a soundtrack release, eventually coming through over 40 years later on January 21st 2013 on the Intrada label (Intrada Special Collection Volume 234]. Although in an Interview with composer Lalo Schifrin, he did explain to me that there was a bootleg album which he believed originated from South America that briefly surfaced, but to this day I have never seen a copy. 

The official release was certainly worth waiting for. Intrada’s complete score used pristine condition multi-track stereo session elements from Universal Pictures. The release featured highly informative liner notes by our late friend and Schifrin authority, Nick Redman plus it featured reversible covers containing original Universal/Malpaso art from both America and Europe. I was also lucky enough to assist art director Joe Sikoryak on this release, and as such - it became a very personal and rewarding experience.

Below: Here's the Main title to Joe Kidd

         

Photo Opportunity #51

Photo Opportunity #51

To kick off the month of July, our Photo Opportunity features a great profile shot of Clint as Joe Kidd. We don’t often see too many new shots from Joe Kidd – so this great image (found by Davy Triumph) is certainly a welcome addition. 

Joe Kidd was Clint’s 1972 American Revisionist Western written by Elmore Leonard and directed by John Sturges. The film is about an ex-bounty hunter hired by a wealthy landowner named Frank Harlan to track down Mexican revolutionary leader Luis Chama, who is fighting for land reform. It forms part of the Revisionist Western genre. Following Dirty Harry, filming began in Old Tucson in November 1971, overlapping with another film production, John Huston's The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, which was just wrapping up shooting and how the famous photo shoot of Clint and Paul Newman presented itself. 

Rare Advance 60 sec Teaser for The Enforcer

Rare Advance 60 sec Teaser for The Enforcer 

Every now and then, something still manages to come along that really catches us by surprise. I have to thank our friend Davy Triumph for discovering this little gem. It’s a very curious, advance 60 second Warner Bros Trailer for Clint’s third Dirty Harry outing, The Enforcer (1976). I initially wondered if it was an early TV spot – but the scope frame would seem to suggest otherwise. 

On first viewing, I was left a little confused, as the trailer doesn’t contain a single frame from the film? Instead, we get a very cool, edited montage consisting of clips from both Dirty Harry and Magnum Force – supported by an equally cool voice over. What puzzled me further is the fact that I have a full set of 5 TV Spots for The Enforcer on 16mm (as Warner Home Video failed to include any on the Blu-ray release) and this one is certainly not included on that reel – and added additional weight to it more likely being a cinema teaser.

Of course, we know it’s an advance teaser – with the ‘coming soon’ opening logo, and the fact that a Christmas date is also mentioned (it was released stateside on December 22nd 1976) – but it would be interesting to know how far ahead of its release this was actually shown? It’s still very strange that nothing is featured from The Enforcer – yet ‘The Dirtiest Harry of them all’ tagline is already in place and mentioned in the voiceover.  The Enforcer was shot during the summer of 1976, and by the fall it was in post-production, so I would guess it was around this time, possibly October or November that this teaser may had been screened. 

Aside from it being a quirky mystery, one thing’s beyond any doubt – it’s a real thing of beauty! 

Clint Eastwood: A Life on Both Sides of the Camera by Michał Talarek

Clint Eastwood: A Life on Both Sides of the Camera by Michał Talarek

Independently published (31 May 2024), English Edition, 550 pages, ISBN-13: ‎ 979-8322480341.

I’d been aware of Michal Talarek’s original book a couple of years ago, when it was released in Talarek’s native Polish. As Talarek once explained to me, it was an exercise ‘to share more insights with Polish audiences’, which was of course an honourable thing to do. Nevertheless, it’s perhaps no surprise to find that books presented in a foreign text often have a rather limited appeal and a limited market outside of its domestic home. Yet, despite its limitations due to language, Talarek’s book was still stirring up a healthy degree of respect – which finally convinced the author to go with an English translation. A brave move, but one that displays a real sense of confidence in his product. The market on Eastwood books is quite a healthy one, despite the fact that most of the best books are long out of print or extremely hard and expensive to track down – and this is what makes Talarek’s book the perfect solution. 

Spanning more than six decades, Clint Eastwood's career is a story of relentless reinvention and commitment. The cinematic maverick has directed more than 40 films, including true masterpieces, smash hits, and a few misfires. This book explores Eastwood's journey, from his early days of struggle to his rise to stardom and unparalleled success as a director. It offers a synthesis of perspectives on both his celebrated and lesser-known works.

Beyond a stoic screen persona lies a filmmaker of deep introspection and versatility, whose works span the broad spectrum of human experience. From the raw edges of "Dirty Harry" to the haunting silence of "Unforgiven" and the intricate morality of "Million Dollar Baby", Eastwood's films invite us into a world where the lines between right and wrong are blurred in the shadow of reality. Not to mention the ambiguity that surrounds his perception in the public eye.

"Clint Eastwood: A Life on Both Sides of the Camera" is more than a chronicle of Eastwood's cinematic achievements. Through detailed analysis of his films, personal anecdotes from colleagues, friends, and family, and insights into his unique directing style, readers will discover Eastwood's philosophy on life, filmmaking, and the relentless pursuit of authenticity. This is a journey through the career of a man who has forged his own path, defying the conventions of Hollywood without ever compromising his vision. 

 

Considering the sheer amount of Eastwood books that have been published over the decades, it’s going to be pretty hard to come up with something completely new or original in regards to a general career retrospective – it’s important to establish that fact. But there is nothing wrong with being inspired and taking a good concept, collecting the best information and presenting it as a new, fresh perspective. And this is what Talarek does incredibly well. Yes, if you already own some 80 or 90 books on Eastwood – then the chances are you’re going to recognise certain pieces and passages. Talarek makes no apologies, as a fan himself, he is open about the influences behind this book – in fact, his sources, references and acknowledgments at the back consists of 924 entries – so the author has clearly done his job well. 

Too many books of late have simply rewritten an existing book – it’s a cheap and careless way of presenting the same old story, following the oh so familiar path – and too often you are simply left with the feeling that you’ve already read this book! But this really isn’t the case with A Life on both sides of the Camera – simply because it’s been afforded the most crucial of elements - time, effort and research. Talarek has done what any good fan would do, used the best sources and presented them in a way that provides a refreshing new concept. For anyone investing in an Eastwood book for the very first time – you’ll undoubtably feel greatly rewarded. In fact – if you have a dozen books on Eastwood already on the shelf – I’m sure you will still discover plenty of new information here. 

The book does not contain any images – it’s solid reading material all the way and takes a more scholarly and academic approach rather than a picture-based book. When questioned, Talarek explained to me that it was an initial consideration – but again, it would have only increased the costs – and Talarek simply wanted to keep costs down to help the consumer.

 

Self-publication is a fairly expensive business, but I have to say, the binding of this hardback edition is solid and beautiful presented. Broken down into easy chapters, with some concise additional lists to awards and TV appearances etc – the book really doesn’t miss a beat, the best and most enjoyable I’ve read in a very long time. Highly recommended. 

Mainstream Actor

Captivating a broad audience with iconic roles.

Tough Conservative

A champion of traditional values and strong politics

Efficient Filmmaker

Renowned for his quick, no-nonsense approach to filmmaking.

Seasoned Legend

A veteran with his finger on the audience's pulse.

Sensitive Director

Delving into the depths of human drama with a tender touch.

Advocate for Freedom

Supporting individual freedoms and standing up for human rights.

Devoted Family Man

A dedicated parent, friend, and behind-the-scenes companion.

Master Craftsman

Deeply experienced, with a keen eye for the essence of storytelling.

Eternal Learner

An adaptable explorer, always open to new lessons and perspectives.

"Clint Eastwood: A Life on Both Sides of the Camera" is more than a chronicle of Eastwood's cinematic achievements. Through detailed analysis of his films, personal anecdotes from colleagues, friends, and family, and insights into his unique directing style, readers will discover Eastwood's philosophy on life, filmmaking, and the relentless pursuit of authenticity. This is a journey through the career of a man who has forged his own path, defying the conventions of Hollywood without ever compromising his vision. It is a tribute to an artist who, in his search for storytelling, became history.

The book is available in Hardback HERE with a softback edition also on the way. 

There is also a Kindle Edition available HERE

Michał Talarek’s Eastwood website can be found HERE 

               

Donald Sutherland, Star of Kelly’s Heroes, Klute and Space Cowboys Dies at 88

Donald Sutherland, Star of Kelly’s Heroes, MASH, Klute and Space Cowboys Dies at 88

I was very saddened to receive news this afternoon that the legendary actor Donald Sutherland had died aged 88. Sutherland was always an incredibly popular actor among Eastwood fans. Rick Schultz of Variety wrote:

Donald Sutherland, the tall, lean and long-faced Canadian actor who became a countercultural icon with such films as “The Dirty Dozen,” “MASH,” “Klute” and “Don’t Look Now,” and who subsequently enjoyed a prolific and wide-ranging career in films including “Ordinary People,” “Without Limits” and the “Hunger Games” films, died Thursday in Miami after a long illness, CAA confirmed. He was 88.

For over a half century, the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor memorably played villains, antiheroes, romantic leads and mentor figures. His profile increased in the past decade with his supporting role as the evil President Snow in “The Hunger Games” franchise.

Most recently, he appeared as Judge Parker on the series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” and in the “Swimming with Sharks” series in 2022. His other recent recurring roles include the series “Undoing” and “Trust,” in which he played J. Paul Getty, and features “Ad Astra” and “The Burnt-Orange Heresy.”

Sutherland won a supporting actor Emmy for HBO’s “Citizen X” in 1995 and was also nominated in 2006 for the Lifetime miniseries “Human Trafficking.”

After what Sutherland called “a meandering little career,” including roles in low-budget horror pics like 1963’s “Castle of the Living Dead” and 1965’s “Die! Die! My Darling!,” he landed a part as one of the bottom six in 1967’s “The Dirty Dozen.”

Sutherland told the Guardian in 2005 that he originally had one line in the film, until Clint Walker refused to play a scene requiring him to impersonate a general. According to Sutherland, director Robert Aldrich, who didn’t know his name, suddenly turned to him and said, “You! With the big ears! You do it!”

The smart-alecky role was a perfect fit for Sutherland, whose wolfish sideways smile and boyish charm caught the attention of producer Ingo Preminger, who cast him as the anti-authoritarian surgeon Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce in 1970’s comedy smash hit “MASH.”

“MASH” turned Sutherland, and co-star Elliott Gould, who played Capt. “Trapper” John, into major stars. But the tradition-bound actors had trouble adjusting to director Robert Altman’s improvisational and often chaotic approach. According to Sutherland, Altman tried to fire him during the shoot, but Preminger held firm.

In a 1976 Playboy interview, Altman gave a different view, recalling that Sutherland loved his directorial style. “His improvisation was profound,” Altman said. “He’s a hell of an actor.”

Sutherland also co-starred with Gould in 1971’s inspired Alan Arkin-helmed black comedy “Little Murders” and again in director Irvin Kershner’s 1974 misfire “SPYS.”

In the 1970 WWII actioner “Kelly’s Heroes,” Sutherland joined Clint Eastwood, portraying Sgt. Oddball, an absurdly conceived but scene-stealing proto-hippie tank commander. (Sutherland reteamed with Eastwood in 2000’s “Space Cowboys,” this time playing a former hotshot pilot.)

With 1971’s “Klute,” a thriller/character study directed by Alan J. Pakula and co-starring Jane Fonda, Sutherland emerged as a credible romantic leading man. He portrayed a troubled detective who falls in love with a call girl (Fonda) whom he’s protecting from a sadistic killer.

Fonda later gave Sutherland credit for her Oscar-winning best actress performance, because of “all the intense feelings I was experiencing” with him.

The two were having a love affair at the time, and the relationship stoked Sutherland’s antiwar politics. He got involved with Vietnam Veterans Against the War and, along with Peter Boyle and Howard Hesseman, Fonda and Sutherland put together a traveling revue called FTA (Free the Army, popularly known as F**k the Army). The Pentagon unsuccessfully tried to keep troops away from the shows; the FBI put both Sutherland and Fonda under surveillance.

In Nicholas Roeg’s influential 1973 psychological horror film “Don’t Look Now,” Sutherland’s intriguing passivity and pared-down acting style helped highlight Julie Christie’s performance. They portray a grieving married couple who flee England to Venice after the death of their little girl.

The film became controversial for an integral explicit sex scene between them, edited in a fragmented style. Roeg intercut their post-coital dressing to go out to dinner as the sequence unfolds. Even in a sex-obsessed era, the scene became — and remains — one of the most memorable ever filmed.

At the height of his success, Sutherland began to make eccentric career choices. 

He turned down John Boorman for “Deliverance” and chose Paul Mazursky’s “Alex in Wonderland” (1970) over Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs.” He acted with Fonda again in “Steelyard Blues” (1973) and played Christ in Dalton Trumbo’s “Johnny Got His Gun” (1971). Both fizzled at the box office.

Sutherland received mixed notices for his role as a hick in John Schlesinger’s “Day of the Locust” (1975), played the title character in 1976’s arty bomb “Fellini’s Casanova” and a psychopathic fascist in Bertolucci’s “1900” (1977). He had a memorable cameo in 1978 hit “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” playing a professor who is discovered having an affair with a student (Karen Allen). He took a small upfront fee for his work instead of an offered percentage of the profits. The actor estimated the choice cost him $14 million.

Sutherland rebounded with 1980’s “Ordinary People,” convincing director Robert Redford to cast him as the grieving father trying to hold his family together after his older son’s accidental death. Redford had originally offered him the part of the psychiatrist that eventually went to Judd Hirsch.

In 1981 WWII thriller “Eye of the Needle,” Sutherland gave one of his last romantic leading man performances on the big screen, albeit as a heavy — a stranded German agent who falls for a lonely married woman (Kate Nelligan).

Another career peak came in 1998, when Sutherland convinced director-writer Robert Towne to cast him as coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman in “Without Limits,” about U. of Oregon runner Steve Prefontaine (Billy Crudup). He was also memorable in 2005’s “Pride and Prejudice” as Keira Knightley’s father.

Sutherland made a lasting impression in smaller roles, such as Mister X, a high-placed Pentagon official who claims to know why JFK was murdered, in 1991’s Oliver Stone-helmed “JFK.”

Remarkably, Sutherland was never nominated for an Oscar, though his work in such films as “Ordinary People” and “Without Limits” is often cited by critics as among the finest of their respective decades.

Other noteworthy roles include President Snow in “The Hunger Games” (2012) and its sequels; a safecracker in “The Italian Job” (2003); the father in “Six Degrees of Separation” (1993); a stylish safecracker in “The Great Train Robbery” (1978); and the lead in Philip Kaufman’s 1978 remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

Sutherland also appeared with son Kiefer in 1996’s “A Time to Kill.” He turned down an offer to play the father of Kiefer’s character, Jack Bauer, in “24,” his son’s successful TV series. The two appeared together in the 2014 Western “Forsaken.”

In 2014 the actor also starred with Brie Larson in the India-set musical comedy “Basmati Blues,” written and directed by Dan Baron.

Sutherland’s TV work includes “The Superlative Seven” episode of “The Avengers” (1967) and two episodes of “The Saint” (1965, 1966). He starred as Patrick “Tripp” Darling III in “Dirty Sexy Money” (2007-09) and as Nathan Templeton in “Commander in Chief” (2005-06). His TV miniseries work includes 2010’s “The Pillars of the Earth,” based on Ken Follett’s epic novel.

In one of his best TV roles, Sutherland portrayed Clark Clifford in John Frankenheimer’s “Path to War” (2002). In 1995, he won a supporting actor Emmy for “Citizen X” (HBO).

Born in Saint John, Canada, he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before getting roles in British TV shows and films such as “The Avengers” and “The Saint.” “The Saint” star and director Roger Moore recommended him to the producers of “The Dirty Dozen,” and after the success of that film he moved to Hollywood.

Sutherland is survived by his wife Francine Racette, sons Roeg, Rossif, Angus, and Kiefer, daughter Rachel, and four grandchildren.

Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to his friends and family, RIP Sir