Donald Sutherland has died at the age of 88, his family said, paying tribute to the veteran actor as one of the most important figures “in the history of film”.

Sutherland, who starred in films ranging from The Dirty Dozen to Pride and Prejudice and The Hunger Games franchise, died in Miami following “a long illness”, his agent said.

His son, the Emmy-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland, said it was “with a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away”.

He described his father as “one of the most important actors in the history of film”, who was “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,” he said.

The Canadian-born actor earned around 200 film and TV credits over more than 60 years in the industry.

His big break came in 1967, when he secured a role in Robert Aldrich’s star-packed 1967 World War II drama The Dirty Dozen, playing Vernon Pinkley opposite Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, George Kennedy, Telly Savalas and others.

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