Netflix viewers have been quick to notice that the lead actor in the new drama Murder in a Small Town comes from a very famous acting family. Rossif Sutherland, who plays Detective Karl Alberg, is the son of Hollywood legend Donald Sutherland and the half-brother of Kiefer Sutherland.
Family Ties
The Canadian psychological detective drama has arrived on Netflix UK, two years after its US debut on Fox. The two-season series follows Detective Karl Alberg, who moves from the city to a quiet coastal town, only to find that even idyllic places hide secrets and murders to solve.
Rossif Sutherland, 47, is the son of Donald Sutherland, known for roles such as Hawkeye Pierce in MASH, President Snow in The Hunger Games franchise, and Vernon L Pinkley in The Dirty Dozen. Donald Sutherland passed away in June 2024 at the age of 88 in Miami, Florida, after a long illness.
Rossif also has a famous paternal half-brother, Emmy Award-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland, best known for 24 and Designated Survivor.
Not Always an Actor
Acting was not always Rossif's ambition. He told Global News: “I remember walking down the street with my dad when I was a kid and I was always taken aback by how imposing and how sometimes very rude people could be by just pointing a camera in my dad’s face without asking for permission.
“I didn’t particularly want to be an actor growing up although I was around it all the time.
“I didn’t really get the craft. I figured it out only later on in my life.”
Murder in a Small Town is available to watch on Netflix.
