Robert Duvall, a veteran actor who won an Oscar in 1984 and was best known for films like The Apostle, Apocalypse Now, and more, has died. He was 95.
Duvall’s death was announced in a statement by his wife, Lucia, on his official Facebook page. “Yesterday, we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time,” the statement began. “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. 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,” she continued. “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.”
No cause of death was revealed. His last real onscreen role was in The Pale Blue Eye in 2022.
Everett Collection
Duvall was born on January 5, 1931, in San Diego, California, and raised in Annapolis, Maryland. He was the son of a Navy admiral and he himself served in the U.S. Army, which he was able to draw from for some of his film roles (including Apocalypse Now and The Great Santini). He appeared off-Broadway in Horton Foote’s one-act play The Midnight Caller in 1958 and in an off-Broadway revival of Arthur Miller‘s A View from the Bridge in 1965.
It was in 1962 that Duvall, widely hailed as one of the greatest actors of his generation, starred as Arthur “Boo” Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird; he’d had one-off guest spots in TV shows prior to that. He followed up that film with episodes of The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Route 66, and The Defenders. He then starred in the 1969 films True Grit — as the unpredictable Ned Pepper in what’s considered the definitive John Wayne western — and Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Rain People; he and Coppola would go on to collaborate four more times.
Duvall then starred in a series of notable films in the 1970s: The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II (as Tom Hagen, valued consigliere and adopted son of Marlon Brando‘s Don Vito Corleone, a role he later voiced for the 2006 video game The Godfather: The Game); Network (as bullying corporate executive Frank Hackett); Apocalypse Now (as surfing fanatic Colonel Kilgore, with the very memorable, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning”); and The Great Santini (as the sadistic Lieutenant Colonel Bull Meechum). He received his first two Oscar nominations for The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, but it was for his role as washed-up country singer Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies in 1983 that he won for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He was nominated for another three Oscars after that, for The Apostle, A Civil Action, and The Judge.
myCinema / courtesy Everett Collection
The Apostle, which Duvall also wrote and directed, was a project he’d finished the script of over a decade before it was released; studios passed, then he was able to finance it himself. It followed Duvall’s fallen preacher, who found unexpected redemption through a series of deceptive practices. It also starred Farrah Fawcett, Miranda Richardson, and Billy Bob Thornton.
Duvall’s other film credits, among many, include M*A*S*H, The Natural, Colors, Days of Thunder, Deep Impact, A Civil Action, Gone in 60 Seconds, The 6th Day, John Q, Gods and Generals, Secondhand Lions, Thank You for Smoking, and The Judge. He remained in demand well into his 70s.
In addition to the aforementioned television guest spots, Duvall also appeared in multiple episodes each of The Fugitives, The F.B.I., and Lonesome Dove. It was for playing retired Texas Ranger Captain Augustus “Gus” McRae in Lonesome Dove that he received his first Emmy nomination. He’d go on to be nominated four more times and win twice for Broken Trail (for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie and Outstanding Miniseries) in 2007. Duvall also won four Golden Globes (for his work in Apocalypse Now, Tender Mercies, Lonesome Dove, and Stalin) and was nominated for another three.
In addition to The Apostle, Duvall directed four other films, three of which he also wrote: Angelo My Love, Assassination Tango, and Wild Horses. The crime drama Assassination Tango was co-produced by Coppola and featured one of Duvall’s passions, Argentinean tango dancing.
Duvall is survived by his wife, actress Luciana Pedraza.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
