Donald Sutherland's M*A*S*H and Animal House costars pay tribute to Hollywood 'giant': 'Was like my brother'

Tributes from Donald Sutherland's former Hollywood co-starts are pouring in as they celebrate the prolific actor's 'gigantic' presence on-and-off screen.

Elliott Gould, who starred with Sutherland in Robert Altman's 1970 movie M*A*S*H, where they played battlefield surgeons, told DailyMail.com that the 6-foot-4 Sutherland towered over most but not just because of his stature.

'Donald was a giant, not only physically but as a talent,' Gould said. 'He was enormously kind and generous. 

'It's never easy losing the caliber of a human being and actor like Donald Sutherland, but this one really profoundly hurts because Donald was like my brother, and a big part of my own career.'

Gould said when they took on the roles of Hawkeye Pierce (Sutherland) and Trapper John McIntyre (Gould), they were both young fathers and quickly bonded in their new roles as actors and dads. 

Both were nominated for Golden Globes for Best Actor in 1971.  

Actor Elliott Gould, right, and Donald Sutherland formed a close bond during the filming of the 1970 film M*A*S*H

Set in South Korea during the Korean War, the movie M*A*S*H followed the lives of medical staff who cared for the wounded in a mobile army surgical hospital. Sutherland, left, and Gould, right, played battlefield surgeons in the 1970 movie

Gould, 85, added: 'Rest in Peace, you dear kind friend. I love you and I will never forget you.'

The veteran Canadian-born actor's fellow movie-star son Kiefer Sutherland announced the Hollywood icon's passing on Thursday.

'With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away,” Kiefer Sutherland wrote on X. 'I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. 

He added: 'He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived.' 

The veteran actor starred in over 200 TV and film roles during his career in Hollywood for over 60 years

Sutherland's CAA representative, Missy Davy, confirmed to DailyMail.com that the veteran actor died in Miami. 

A private celebration of life will be held by his family, but no further details were provided concerning his cause of death.

Tim Matheson, who starred with Sutherland in the 1978 comedy classic National Lampoon's Animal House, said he admired his co-stars' passion for his craft. 

'One of the finest and most passionate actors I’ve ever worked with,' Matheson told DailyMail.com. 

'He made me a better person, performer and director by working with him. And he always had an evilly delicious sense of humor and intelligence to delight you with.'

He added: 'I offer my deepest condolences to his family for their loss. And thank you Donald for leaving us such a huge legacy and body of work to celebrate you with. I will always adore you.'

Tim Matheson starred in National Lampoon's Animal House with Sutherland, which was released in 1978

Matheson, left, said he admired Sutherland's 'passion' for acting

Actress Karen Allen, who also starred in Animal House, reflected on Sutherland's 'unique' sensibility.

'I adored Donald as both the soulful person he was, and as a great poetic actor,' she told DailyMail.com. 

Sutherland appeared in about 200 television shows and films over six decades, including Six Degrees of Separation, Klute and the 1978 remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. 

In his more recent roles, he played the main antagonist President Snow in The Hunger Games franchise. 

He received an honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2017.

Elliott Gould, right, said Donald Sutherland, left, was 'a giant, not only physically but as a talent'

In 2022, he appeared on what would be his last projects, Lawmen: Bass Reeves and Swimming With Sharks.

Sutherland was set to star in the upcoming apocalyptic flick Heart Land, which is in pre-production.