Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall Actor - Born 5 Jan 1931 · San Diego, California, USA

Died 15 Feb 2026 · Middleburg, Virginia, USA (undisclosed)

Birth name Robert Selden Duvall

Nickname Bob

Height 5′ 9¼″ (1.76 m)

Bio Veteran actor and director Robert Selden Duvall was born on January 5, 1931 in San Diego, California to Mildred Virginia (Hart), an amateur actress, and William Howard Duvall, a career military officer who later became an admiral. Duvall majored in drama at Principia College (Elsah, IL), then served a two-year hitch in the army after graduating in 1953. He began attending The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre In New York City on the G.I. Bill in 1955, studying under Sanford Meisner along with Dustin Hoffman, with whom Duvall shared an apartment. Both were close to another struggling young actor named Gene Hackman. Meisner cast Duvall in the play "The Midnight Caller" by Horton Foote, a link that would prove critical to his career, as it was Foote who recommended Duvall to play the mentally-disabled "Boo Radley" in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). This was his first "major" role since his 1956 motion picture debut as an MP in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), starring Paul Newman.

Duvall began making a name for himself as a stage actor in New York, winning an Obie Award in 1965 playing incest-minded longshoreman "Eddie Carbone" in the off-Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge", a production for which his old roommate Hoffman was assistant director. He found steady work in episodic TV and appeared as a modestly billed character actor in films, such as Arthur Penn's The Chase (1966) with Marlon Brando and in Robert Altman's Countdown (1967) and Francis Ford Coppola's The Rain People (1969), in both of which he co-starred with James Caan.

He was also memorable as the heavy who is shot by John Wayne at the climax of True Grit (1969) and was the first "Major Frank Burns", creating the character in Altman's Korean War comedy M*A*S*H (1970). He also appeared as the eponymous lead in George Lucas' directorial debut, THX 1138 (1971). It was Francis Ford Coppola, casting The Godfather (1972), who reunited Duvall with Brando and Caan and provided him with his career breakthrough as mob lawyer "Tom Hagen". He received the first of his six Academy Award nominations for the role.

Thereafter, Duvall had steady work in featured roles in such films as The Godfather Part II (1974), The Killer Elite (1975), Network (1976), The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), and The Eagle Has Landed (1976). Occasionally this actor's actor got the chance to assay a lead role, most notably in Tomorrow (1972), in which he was brilliant as William Faulkner's inarticulate backwoods farmer. He was less impressive as the lead in Badge 373 (1973), in which he played a character based on real-life NYPD detective Eddie Egan, the same man his old friend Gene Hackman had won an Oscar for playing in fictionalized form as "Popeye Doyle" in The French Connection (1971).

It was his appearance as "Lt. Col. Kilgore" in another Coppola picture, Apocalypse Now (1979), that solidified Duvall's reputation as a great actor. He receives his second Academy Award nomination for the role and was named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most versatile actor in the world. Duvall created one of the most memorable characters ever assayed on film, and gave the world the memorable phrase, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"

Subsequently, Duvall proved one of the few established character actors to move from supporting to leading roles, with his Oscar-nominated turns in The Great Santini (1979) and Tender Mercies (1983), the latter of which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Now at the summit of his career, Duvall seemed to be afflicted with the fabled "Oscar curse" that had overwhelmed the careers of fellow Academy Award winners Luise Rainer, Rod Steiger and Cliff Robertson. He could not find work equal to his talents, either due to his post-Oscar salary demands or a lack of perception in the industry that he truly was leading man material. He did not appear in The Godfather Part III (1990), as the studio would not give in to his demands for a salary commensurate with that of Al Pacino, who was receiving $5 million to reprise Michael Corleone.

His greatest achievement in his immediate post-Oscar period was his triumphant characterization of grizzled Texas Ranger Gus McCrae in the TV mini-series Lonesome Dove (1989), for which he received an Emmy nomination. He received a second Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in Stalin (1992), and a third Emmy nomination playing Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in The Man Who Captured Eichmann (1996).

The shakeout of his career doldrums was that Duvall eventually settled back into his status as one of the premier character actors in the industry, rivaled only by his old friend Gene Hackman. Duvall, unlike Hackman, also has directed pictures, including the documentary We're Not the Jet Set (1974), Angelo My Love (1983) and Assassination Tango (2002). As a writer-director, Duvall gave himself one of his most memorable roles, that of the preacher on the run from the law in The Apostle (1997), a brilliant performance for which he received his third Best Actor nomination and fifth Oscar nomination overall. The film brought Duvall back to the front ranks of great actors, and was followed by a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod for A Civil Action (1998).

Robert Duvall will long be remembered as one of the great naturalistic American screen actors in the mode of Spencer Tracy and his frequent co-star Marlon Brando. His performances as "Boo Radley" in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), "Jackson Fentry" in Tomorrow (1972), "Tom Hagen" in the first two "Godfather" movies, "Frank Hackett" in Network (1976), "Lt. Col. Kilgore" in Apocalypse Now (1979), "Bull Meechum" in The Great Santini (1979), "Mac Sledge" in Tender Mercies (1983), "Gus McCrae" in Lonesome Dove (1989), and "Sonny Dewey" in The Apostle (1997) rank as some of the finest acting ever put on film. It's a body of work that few actors can equal, let alone surpass.

- IMDb mini biography by: Jon C. Hopwood

Family Spouses

Luciana Pedraza (October 6, 2004 - February 15, 2026) (his death)

Sharon Brophy (May 1, 1991 - 1996) (divorced)

Gail Youngs (August 22, 1982 - 1986) (divorced)

Barbara Benjamin (December 31, 1964 - 1975) (divorced)

Children

No Children

Parents

William Howard Duvall

Mildred Virginia Hart

Relatives

William Duvall (Sibling)

John Duvall (Sibling)

Wayne Duvall (Cousin)

Trademarks

Very mannered style of delivery

Often plays characters who have suffered some trauma in their life

Often plays tough, macho characters.

Quiet but expressive voice, though often having one or two bombastic scenes.

Southern characters

Frequently worked with director Francis Ford Coppola

Trivia

Was roommates and good friends with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman while all were struggling stage actors in New York before any of them succeeded. Among the three, Hoffman and Duvall were known for their ways with the women, and Duvall and Hackman were known for their short fuses, which led to numerous bar fights. The three often bonded over elaborate practical jokes.

Owns a large estate in rural Virginia, where some skirmishes of the Civil War were fought (he has found shells and other artifacts on the property). Some scenes in Gods and Generals (2003) were filmed on his land.

He says the work he is most proud of by far is his role as the former Texas Ranger Augustus McCrae in the miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989).

Fractured several ribs after falling off a horse while rehearsing for a role in Open Range (2003).

With the death of Rosemary Murphy on July 5, 2014, he is the last surviving credited adult cast member of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).

Speaks Spanish fluently.

He has appeared in eight films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), M*A*S*H (1970), The Godfather (1972), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), Network (1976), Apocalypse Now (1979) and Tender Mercies (1983). The Godfather and The Godfather Part II won in the category.

Joined the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and studied under Sanford Meisner for two years. Dustin Hoffman, James Caan and Gene Hackman were classmates.

Resided with Luciana Pedraza for seven years before marrying her on October 6, 2004. She is 41 years younger than him.

Being descended from Robert E. Lee, he can actually trace his family back to President George Washington. Washington himself had no biological children, but his wife, Martha Custis, did, and he adopted them after the death of Martha's first husband. Her son, John Custis, had a son of his own, Washington Custis, whose daughter, Mary Custis, was Robert E. Lee's wife. Interestingly, Duvall played Lee in Gods and Generals (2003), opposite Jeff Daniels, who had played Washington in The Crossing (1990). Duvall starred in the adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).

Received his honorary degree (Doctor of Arts) from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia (1998).

Put up $5 million of his own money to finance The Apostle (1997) after this was rejected by numerous studios.

Has directed one Oscar nominated performance: his own in The Apostle (1997).

Travels to Argentina at least five times a year and has a home there.

His favorite city is Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an avid Tango dancer.

Has appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and Tender Mercies (1983), both of which were written for the screen by Horton Foote, and both of which earned him an Oscar for "Best Screenplay".

He publicly criticized director Steven Spielberg for flying to Cuba in October 2002, and vowed never to work for Dreamworks studio again.

His performance as Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies (1983) is ranked #14 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

Was considered for the role of Police Chief Martin Brody in the horror film Jaws (1975), which went to Roy Scheider.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 18, 2003.

Has played ancestor Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals (2003), when Martin Sheen was unable to reprise the role (due to his commitment to The West Wing (1999)).

Was considered for the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which went to Anthony Hopkins.

Watched Broken Trail (2006) with President George W. Bush in a special screening at the White House on June 11, 2006.

Has a family connection to two 2008 Presidential hopefuls. One of his ancestors, Mareen Duvall, is also an ancestor of Barack Obama. John McCain's family has been involved in the military for several generations, including an ancestor who worked with George Washington, to whom Duvall is related (by adoption).

While a struggling actor, he worked at a post office as a clerk but quit after six months. He says he did not want to be there 20 years later, still working in a post office.

Being a huge soccer fan, he supports the Argentinian national side.

A staunch, lifelong supporter of the Republican party, Duvall was personally invited to George W. Bush's inauguration as President in 2001. Duvall attended the ceremony.

Born to William Howard Duvall, a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, and his wife Mildred Virginia Hart, an amateur actress.

Duvall attended Principia College in Illinois and received his degree in Liberal Arts. While there he participated in campus theatrical productions and enjoyed the experience.

Served in the United States Army (serial #52-346-646) from August 19, 1953 to August 20, 1954, achieving rank of Private First Class and awarded the National Defense Service Medal.

Was director Robert Altman's first choice for a country singer in Nashville (1975), but he used Henry Gibson instead when Duvall could not do this because of the scheduling.

His performance as Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979) is ranked #59 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

Has English, with smaller amounts of German, Swiss-German, French, Welsh and Scottish, ancestry. His French Hugenot ancestors immigrated to the United States in the 1700s.

Narrated a video supporting John McCain for the Republican National Convention in 2008.

Named My Life as a Dog (1985) as one of his favorite movies.

The middle of three brothers, his elder brother William Duvall and younger brother John Duvall both appeared as singers in his film Angelo My Love (1983).

Hosted a fundraiser for Rudy Giuliani at his Hollywood home. He later endorsed Senator John McCain after Guiliani dropped out.

In Gods and Generals (2003), played ancestor Robert E. Lee. The role was originally played by Martin Sheen in Gettysburg (1993). Duvall and Sheen starred together in the popular Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now (1979).

He has appeared in eight films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Bullitt (1968), M*A*S*H (1970), The Godfather (1972), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), Network (1976) and Apocalypse Now (1979).

No relation to Shelley Duvall, despite a popular misconception.

He made his film debut in To Kill a Mocking Bird and gradually worked his way up to star character roles and direction of films.

Was considered for the role of Mitch Leary in In the Line of Fire (1993), which went to John Malkovich.

Although he played Laurence Olivier's grandson in The Betsy (1978), he is only 23 years his junior in real life.

As of 2018, has been a co-star to eight Oscar winning acting performances: Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962); John Wayne for True Grit (1969); Marlon Brando for The Godfather (1972); Robert De Niro for The Godfather Part II (1974); Beatrice Straight, Faye Dunaway, and Peter Finch for Network (1976); and Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009).

Is response to Duvall's criticism of his trip to Cuba, Steven Spielberg defended himself by explaining that he actually went with permission from the American government as a cultural ambassador.

Studied acting with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York.then appeared in 'A View From the Bridge' and 'Tomorrow' at St Marks Playhouse.

He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2005.

Ex-brother-in-law of John Savage and Jim Youngs.

He was the subject of a false death report on 19 August 2019.

Kirsty Mitchell's initial break-through performance came as Robert Duvall's daughter in film A Shot at Glory (2000).

After years of acting in rep and in Off - Broadway plays he began getting featured roles in television series and despite receding hair soon built a successful career.

He was due to star in the 1986 film Cat Chaser.

Quotes

[on the reason he did not appear in The Godfather Part III (1990)] If they paid Pacino twice what they paid me, that's fine, but not three or four times, which is what they did. (Francis Ford Coppola) came to my farm, parked his car... went in the kitchen. (I) said: "I know you always wanted the crab cake recipe, let me cook it for you." Oh, he loves to eat, so I cooked the crab cake... and he wrote it down... and he forgot it, so he called twice. He was... more concerned that he forgot the crab cake recipe than would I be in Godfather III. [January 8, 2004]

[on Hollywood political activists] They should keep their mouths shut.

Being a star is an agent's dream, not an actor's.

[on James Dean] I don't think he was that great. He was good, but there was Brando, and there was founding member Steven Hill in the Actors Studio, those were the two guys. James Dean came in third. Dean was talented, obviously. But he died at a good time.

One guy asked me, "How can you be an actor and be a Republican?". I can vote either way. But how can you boil it down to political affiliation? All the atrocities against blacks in the South were committed by Democratic sheriffs.

Everybody likes to win. One of the biggest disappointments was when I didn't get an Emmy for Lonesome Dove. It's political. It can be a popularity contest.

[1983 comment on Francis Ford Coppola] Coppola's talented. I'm pissed that he cut a scene that would have given the audience an insight into my character in Apocalypse Now (1979), but he's talented.

[on Lonesome Dove (1989)] I think I nailed a very specific individual guy who represents something important in our history of the western movement. After that, I felt I could retire, that'd I'd done something.

[on Bueno Aires] There's a place called La Biela, it's my favorite corner in the world. It's a coffee shop near the Recoleta where Evita's buried. You can go there and sit in the evening, at three in the morning there are hundreds of people in the streets. And you can get up at eight and go back and have your espresso. Going to Argentina, going to Buenos Aires, I like it more there than anyplace else.

I always considered myself as a character actor. I always try to be versatile to show different sides of human experience.

[on Governor Sarah Palin] About a year ago, I first saw this wonderful woman speak. I didn't know who it was. And I said who is this woman? And a year later, I said to myself about three or four weeks ago, why isn't she up for the vice presidency?

Well, our hero, coming up, was Brando. He kinda squandered it. But he was so revolutionary in so many ways.

The way Hollywood speaks out is absolutely beyond me. Some people are so ill-informed. I mean, why be so outspoken about it anyway? Does it help Sean Penn's career to go over to Iraq? Did it help Jane Fonda to go over to Vietnam years ago? I don't know. But sometimes when these guys speak out... I get embarrassed.

Marlon Brando had an innate shrewdness, finding ways to do things better than everyone else. One of the great tragedies is that Brando never developed his tremendous potential. He really was the godfather to young actors coming up in the seventies and even today. He was the guy, really, more than [Laurence Olivier], or anybody.

[on Jeff Bridges] There's the Actors Studio in New York, everybody sitting around talking about Stanislavski, but that's not Jeff. This is a guy off the beaches of L.A. He learned from his father (Lloyd Bridges), that was his mentor, and he always seems so loose and relaxed -- but he's always prepared, and he brings so many surprises, like good actors do.

Because my parents were so religious, I attended church regularly. I've always been a believer.

When I knew nothing, I thought I could do anything.

A friend is someone who many years ago offered you his last $300 when you broke your pelvis. A friend is Gene Hackman.

Making the first Godfather was more laughs than making Godfather II. That's because Jimmy Caan was in the first Godfather.

A young actor once asked me, What do you do between jobs? I said, Hobbies, hobbies, and more hobbies. It keeps you off dope.

Sometimes, when you look back on it, the $10-million-and-under movies are some of your favorites.

I feel like our country is just a big giant kid with tremendous talent - like an athlete. A big giant kid that's made mistakes, but there's a lot of potential.

You never know how reality is going to coincide with your dreams. You're optimistic, and you go from there.

Virginia is the last station before heaven.

Getting together with friends and holding court over a meal is one of the great things in life.

I'm not perceived as a traditional leading man, but I never aimed at that sort of thing either. I never straightened my front teeth, or whatever. I wan't cut out for that. Even if I did a 'big' movie, I'd still want to make it a real character.

[on other actor/co-stars] Brando was more of a respected actor than Wayne although Wayne wasn't as bad as some supposedly serious actors I've seen who trained at the Actors Studio and all that. The thing with Brando is that he reads his lines. He has for 14 years, He's a real method. Wayne was interesting to be around. He was pleasant and outgoing. I once took a part with Muhammed Ali because - not that he was a good actor - I wanted to be in his movie. I like to be around people who are famous to see what makes them tick. I worked with Olivier twice, and that was interesting. I wanted to work with De Niro again, so I did True Confessions (1981).

Method acting is a way of working internally as a substitute if something isn't happening for you; if you don't need it, it's like walking on a good leg instead of using a crutch or cane.

I think studying professionally helped although I had already done summer theater and had a lot of experience. I got right into acting and then studied. The best thing about the Playhouse was that I really learned to improvise, to change things, in films. Not in an indulgent way, but in a beneficial way. So from that point of view, Sndy was good for me. I might have learned it eventually - you learn from other actors, directors. The problem is so many people study but they don't get any better. It's up to the individual. And I don't think a teacher can manufacture talent. i guy can study all his life on a violin ad never play it well.

I got into acting because I wanted to act, not to become a star. The word 'star' is so strange, especially in this country, I think, I don't know. It has something to do with a whole scene. Like with The Great Santini (1979), when I shook the producer's hand for the first time - before I could even sit down in the chair - he said, "They're talking about Oscars." We hadn't even started rehearsals yet. I mean, the whole industry is so geared to that - Oscars, the star system.

[evaluating his career, 2018] I've done a lot of crap, but I've done a lot of good things too. You always wish there was one more. It's like the great jumping-horse riders - always looking for a horse, 'the' horse.

[on "True Grit"] The director and I didn't get along - I don't get along with a lot of directors, but I do OK! But John Wayne was great working with. He was a good man and a very good natural actor, a lot better than a lot of people gave him credit for. He was an institution unto himself. And that final film he did, The Shootist, it was wonderful what he did. So he was a good guy to work with, absolutely.

[when asked if there will ever be a fourth Godfather movie] No. And there shouldn't have been a third one either, but they wanted the money.

Salaries

The Godfather (1972) - $36,000

The Chase (1966) - $30,000

Robert Selden Duvall (January 5, 1931 – February 15, 2026) was an American actor and filmmaker. With a career spanning seven decades, he was regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. He received an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, four Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.