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Donald Sutherland’s wife was Francine Racette, a French Canadian actor. The Associated Press reports that Sutherland married her in 1972 and remained with her for the rest of his life. He died on June 20, 2024, at 88. The couple had three sons: Roeg, Rossif, and Angus.
Who Francine Racette is
Racette is identified in coverage of Sutherland’s life as a French Canadian actor. The articles that name her do not list specific film or stage credits, so this article does not attribute roles to her. Most of what is publicly known about her comes through Sutherland himself, through the press profiles that quoted him, and through the family details reported in his obituaries.
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How they met
Sutherland described the start of their relationship in a 2018 AARP interview, titled “A Conversation With Donald Sutherland.” He said: “But if I had done it, I would not have done Alien Thunder, where I met my wife [Francine Racette].” The meeting, in other words, happened on the set of Alien Thunder. No source here gives a more precise date or place for their first meeting.
Marriage and relationship timeline
Sources agree on the marriage year but frame the relationship in different ways. The table below separates what each source states.
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| Date or period | What is reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Early 1970s | Sutherland met Racette while making Alien Thunder. | Sutherland, AARP interview, 2018 |
| 1972 | Sutherland married Racette. | Associated Press, June 20, 2024; Biography.com, updated June 20, 2024 |
| 2018 remark | Sutherland said: “I’ve been with her for 46 years.” He gave this as the length of the relationship, not as a marriage date. | AARP, 2018 |
| June 20, 2024 | Sutherland died. The AP says the couple stayed together until his death. | Associated Press, June 20, 2024 |
Use 1972 when citing the marriage. Sutherland’s “46 years” remark, made in 2018, points to the same early-1970s start. The sources do not establish an exact day or year for when the two began dating, so describe the relationship as beginning in the early 1970s.
How Sutherland described her
A 1995 Los Angeles Times profile, published March 12, 1995, described Racette as Sutherland’s constant companion since 1974. The profile printed his description of her: “an exhilarating woman, so luminous, illuminating and practical.” That 1974 date describes when the Times placed her at his side as a companion. It is not a wedding date, and it should not replace the 1972 marriage year.
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Their three sons
Sutherland and Racette had three sons together. Coverage that names them gives only limited detail about each.
Roeg
Roeg is the eldest. The Associated Press notes that he was named after director Nicolas Roeg.
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Rossif
Rossif is named in the Associated Press and Biography.com coverage as one of the couple’s three sons. Those sources do not give further biographical details about him.
Angus
Angus is the third son named in the same coverage. The sources do not give further biographical details about him.
Rank #4
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Sutherland’s other two children
Sutherland had five children in all, according to the Associated Press and Biography.com. Kiefer and Rachel are from his earlier marriage to Shirley Douglas. They are not Racette’s children; the three sons are the children of Sutherland and Racette.
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What the sources do and do not establish
- Established by news coverage: Racette is a French Canadian actor; she married Sutherland in 1972; they had three sons; they remained together until his death in June 2024.
- Established in Sutherland’s own words: they met while making Alien Thunder, and he described the relationship as lasting 46 years as of 2018.
- Not established by these sources: an exact date for when the couple began dating, a list of Racette’s film or stage credits, and any first-person interview with Racette herself.
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