Hollywood Mourns the Loss of Robert Duvall at Age 95
Robert Duvall, the commanding and supremely versatile actor who earned a lasting place in American movie history, has died at the age of 95. He passed away peacefully on Sunday in his home in Middleburg, Virginia, with his wife, Argentine actor and director Luciana Pedraza, by his side, according to a statement from his family.
Duvall did not want a formal service, so his family has encouraged fans to honor his memory by "watching a great film, telling a good story around a table with friends, or taking a drive in the countryside to appreciate the world's beauty."
A Prolific Career Spanning Nearly Six Decades
In a prolific Hollywood career that spanned nearly six decades, Duvall deftly alternated between leading and supporting roles, delivering performances of coiled fury and quiet gravitas. He fully inhabited each character, whether portraying a ruthless TV executive in Network (1976) or a passionate Pentecostal preacher in The Apostle (1997).
He was nominated for seven Academy Awards and seven Golden Globes, winning the best actor Oscar in 1984 for his turn as alcoholic country singer Mac Sledge in Bruce Beresford's Tender Mercies.
Early Life and Rise to Fame
Robert Seldon Duvall was born on January 5, 1931, in San Diego, California, to an amateur actress and a U.S. Navy rear admiral. He grew up on Navy bases around the country and graduated from Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, in 1953.
After serving two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Duvall studied drama under the storied instructor Sanford Meisner at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, where his classmates included Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, and James Caan.
He made his film debut at age 31, taking on the small but crucial role of Arthur "Boo" Radley in the 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the 1960s, he built his reputation with memorable work in films like True Grit (1969) and The Rain People (1969).
Key Roles and Iconic Performances
In the 1970s, Duvall emerged as one of the key figures of the "New Hollywood" movement, frequently collaborating with visionary directors. He reached new heights of fame with his indelible performance as the calmly calculating Corleone family attorney Tom Hagen in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), earning his first Oscar nomination.
Duvall continued to make his mark in the late 1970s and early 1980s, earning rave reviews for roles such as the cruel Lt. Col. Bull Meechum in The Great Santini (1979) and the bellicose, larger-than-life surfing enthusiast Lt. Col. Kilgore in Coppola's explosive Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now (1979), delivering the world-famous line: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."
Later Career and Personal Projects
In the 1980s, Duvall took the lead in Tender Mercies, a heartfelt tale of faith and redemption that won him his first Academy Award. He also appeared in notable roles in The Natural (1984) and Colors (1988), and earned glowing reviews for the miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989).
Throughout the 1990s, he worked steadily on high-profile projects like Days of Thunder (1990) and Deep Impact (1998), while also realizing his passion project, The Apostle, which he directed, wrote, and financed with $5 million of his own money.
In more recent years, Duvall racked up additional credits in films such as Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), The Judge (2014), and Widows (2018), earning yet another Oscar nomination for The Judge. He directed a total of four narrative features, including Angelo My Love (1983) and Wild Horses (2015).
Duvall is survived by his wife, Luciana Pedraza. He was previously married to Barbara Benjamin Marcus, Gail Youngs, and Sharon Brophy. His legacy as a Hollywood legend endures through his iconic performances and contributions to cinema.
