Robert Duvall, 1931-2026

 

Robert Duvall, one of America's greatest actors, died yesterday at the age of 95.  From Variety:

Robert Duvall, who won an Oscar for “Tender Mercies” and was nominated for his roles in films including “The Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “The Great Santini,” has died. He was 95.

Duvall’s death was announced on Facebook via a statement from his wife, Luciana Duvall.

“Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time,” she wrote. “Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort. To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything.” 

She continued, “His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court. For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented. In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all. Thank you for the years of support you showed Bob and for giving us this time and privacy to celebrate the memories he leaves behind.”

Duvall’s gruff naturalism came to define the acting style of a generation that included Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman in such films as “Network” and “The Apostle,” which he also directed.

And while he may never have been as big a star as DeNiro, his unshowy ability to fully embrace the characters he played earned him respect both from his peers and from critics. As Francis Ford Coppola once told the New York Times, at a certain point, it’s “hard to say the difference between leading men and great character actors.” 

He was an actor’s actor who drew seven Oscar nominations but also found time to shine in TV vehicles such as “Lonesome Dove” and “Broken Trail,” drawing a total of five Emmy nominations and winning twice.

His first big-screen role, and one of his most memorable, was the scary Boo Radley in 1962’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” While Duvall’s career took some time to get off the ground despite the strong start, by the early to mid-’70s he had come into his own, combining the abilities for seamless character acting with occasional strong forays into larger roles.

In 1969, he paired with a young director, Francis Ford Coppola, onthe intimate drama “The Rain People,” and the next year got the juicy role of Frank Burns in Robert Altman’s “MASH.” He also starred in George Lucas’ experimental “THX 1138.” And the actor was doing interesting work onstage.

But the movie that turned it all around was 1972’s “The Godfather,” in which he played the patient and sly consigliere Tom Hagen, the role that brought him his first Oscar nomination. He reprised his role as Hagen in “The Godfather: Part II” in 1974. He also appeared in Coppola’s “The Conversation” and as Dr. Watson in Herbert Ross’ “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution.”

In 1976, he had a memorable role as a ruthless television executive in “Network,” and three years later, as Colonel Kilgore, he uttered the memorable “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” line in Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” walking off with a second Oscar nomination.  [snip]

It was not, however, until “The Great Santini,” in which he played the title character, a blustery, militaristic father, that he established his leading man credentials on film, garnering his first Oscar nomination as best actor in 1980. The following year, he won kudos at the Venice Film Festival opposite Robert De Niro in “True Confessions.”

Then, in 1984, his quiet, detailed performance in “Tender Mercies,” written by Horton Foote and directed by Bruce Beresford, brought him the Oscar as best actor.  [snip]

Born in San Diego, Duvall was the son of a Navy rear admiral and grew up in various parts of the country, but especially Annapolis, Md., site of the U.S Naval Academy. It was actually at the insistence of his parents and teachers that Duvall began to study drama. After graduating from Principia College and the completion of his military service, Duvall studied under Sanford Meisner at New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse.

Much more at the link on his long, prolific, stellar career in movies, television and the theatre.  It was at New York's Neighborhood playhouse that he met and befriended fellow generational talents Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman.  R.I.P.

(Photo:  Duvall in 1983 / Sara Krulwich, New York Times)