How Donald Sutherland missed a $20 million ‘Animal House’ payday
nypost.comdied on Thursday at age 88 in Miami, after a long illness. His son, actor Kiefer Sutherland, announced on X, formerly Twitter, “With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away.
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.” As tributes flooded in, a story about one of Sutherland’s early roles surfaced: 1978 comedy classic, “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” Sutherland was reportedly given a choice between taking a fee of either 2% of the film’s gross profits or $35,000.
He opted for the latter – and he later acknowledged that mistake cost him a big payday. Directed by John Landis, the movie is set at the fictional Faber College (loosely based on Dartmouth College) and follows a fraternity of trouble-making frat boys such John “Bluto” Blutarsky (John Belushi) and Eric “Otter” Stratton (Tim Matheson) as they face off against rivals, throw parties and battle with the dean after they get put on “double secret probation.” Sutherland played Dave Jennings, a pot-smoking English professor who has an affair with a student, Katy (Karen Allen).
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