Veteran Hollywood star Robert Duvall has died at the age of 95, marking the end of one of the most remarkable and lasting careers in film history. The Oscar-winning actor, famous for his roles in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, his wife Luciana Duvall announced.
Duvall’s career lasted more than six decades and included nearly 100 films. He received seven Academy Award nominations and won Best Actor for his role in Tender Mercies in 1983. He was known for playing strong, complex, and deeply human characters. Audiences and fellow actors respected him for his dedication and talent.
Duvall appeared in several plays before being cast in the film version of “To Kill a Mockingbird” in the small but pivotal of Arthur “Boo” Radley in 1962. (He later named one of his dogs “Boo.”) Duvall won an Oscar for portraying a country singer in the 1983 movie “Tender Mercies,” in which he did his own singing.
He also earned Academy Award nominations for playing a marine at odds with his family in “The Great Santini,” and as Lt. Col. Kilgore in the Vietnam War epic “Apocalypse Now,” which reunited him with Coppola and featured him delivering the oft-quoted line, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” Duvall also became a filmmaker, writing, directing and costarring in the 1997 movie “The Apostle,” about a troubled preacher, and later directing the films “Assassination Tango” and “Wild Horses.” He was again nominated for an acting Oscar for his work in “The Apostle.”
He remained active well into the 2010s, earning his final Oscar nomination at 84 for “The Judge” in 2014, and appearing in such films as “Jack Reacher” and “Widows.
Here’s a list of 10 of Robert Duvall’s best films, some of his most famous roles that show how talented and versatile he was as an actor:
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) – In his film debut, he played the quiet and mysterious Boo Radley in the classic adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel.
- The Godfather (1972) – He played Tom Hagen, the calm and intelligent adviser to the Corleone crime family, in one of the greatest films ever made.
- The Godfather Part II (1974) – He returned as Tom Hagen in the highly praised sequel.
- Apocalypse Now (1979) – In this Vietnam War epic directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Duvall played Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore and delivered the famous line about loving “the smell of napalm in the morning.” He earned an Oscar nomination for this role.
- Tender Mercies (1983) – He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing former country singer Mac Sledge, a man trying to rebuild his life.
- The Great Santini (1979) – He received another Oscar nomination for his role as a strict and demanding Marine fighter pilot and father.
- Lonesome Dove (1989) – In this popular TV Western, he played Augustus “Gus” McCrae, one of his most loved roles. He received an Emmy nomination for this performance.
- Network (1976) – He played ambitious TV executive Frank Hackett in this sharp and powerful satire about the media industry.
- Open Range (2003) – He starred alongside Kevin Costner in this modern Western about cattlemen fighting to protect their way of life.
- The Apostle (1997) – He wrote, directed, and starred in this emotional story about a preacher seeking redemption. The film earned him another Oscar nomination.
Tributes have been paid by Hollywood figures, including The Godfather co-star Al Pacino, who said his “phenomenal gift will always be remembered”.
Adam Sandler posted photographs from their time shooting 2022 film Hustle, writing: “Funny as hell. Strong as hell. One of the greatest actors we ever had. Such a great man to talk to and laugh with.”
Viola Davis recalled filming Widows with Duvall. “I was in awe,” she said. “I’ve always been in awe of your towering portrayals of men who were both quiet and dominating in their humanness. You were a giant… an icon.”
