Hollywood icon Robert Duvall has died at the age of 95.
Duvall passed away ‘peacefully’ at his home on Sunday in Middleburg, Virginia, according to an announcement from his publicist.
The actor was best known for playing Tom Hagen, the consigliere and lawyer for the Corleone family, opposite Al Pacino and Marlon Brando in The Godfather films.
His other acclaimed movies include Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini and Tender Mercies.
Throughout his long career Duvall worked with several A-List actors, including Steve McQueen, Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Jeff Bridges, Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie.
The actor’s wife, Luciana, shared a tribute on Monday via Facebook.
She began, ‘Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time. Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort.’
She added, ‘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.’
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The Godfather actor Robert Duvall has died at the age of 95. The actor’s wife, Luciana, announced the news Monday on Facebook , writing, ‘Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time’; seen in 2000
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Duvall’s wife shared this image on Facebook when she announced his passing
She ended with: ‘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.’
The San Diego native worked as an actor for over seven decades.
Duvall began his career as a theater actor in New York City before he worked on TV shows in 1960s such as The Defenders, Playhouse 90 and Armstrong Circle Theatre.
He was already 31-years-old when he made his feature film acting debut portraying Boo Radley in the 1962 classic To Kill a Mockingbird.
Other early roles include Captain Newman, M.D. (1963), Bullitt (1968), True Grit (1969), M*A*S*H (1970), THX 1138 (1971), Joe Kidd (1972) and Tomorrow (1972).
Duvall won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as an alcoholic former country music star in the film Tender Mercies (1983).
His other Oscar-nominated films include The Godfather (1972), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Great Santini (1979), The Apostle (1997), A Civil Action (1998) and The Judge (2014).
His role in Apocalypse Now was memorable for the line, ‘I love the smell of napalm in the morning.’
His character was over the top as he was often bare chested, cocky and sporting a big black cowboy hat. ‘I did my homework,’ Duvall told talk show host Larry King in 2015. ‘I did my research.’
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Duvall was best known for playing calm, level-headed Tom Hagen in The Godfather films
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Duvall, left, with Al Pacino, right, as Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Part II in 1974
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The Godfather with Abe Vigoda, Richard Castellano, Marlon Brando, John Cazale, Al Lettiere, James Caan and Duvall
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Robert Duvall’s wife Luciana shared poignant final birthday tribute to star weeks before his death at 95
And some of his bigger hit films include The Outfit (1973), The Godfather Part II (1974), The Conversation (1974), Network (1976) and True Confessions (1981).
He also worked with Robert Redford on The Natural (1984), with Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder (1990), with Laura Dern in Rambling Rose (1991), with Michael Douglas in Falling Down (1993), with Michael Keaton in The Paper (1994) and with his friend Billy Bob Thornton on Sling Blade (1996).
In 2000 he co-starred with Angelina Jolie and Nicolas Cage in the hit film Gone In 60 Seconds (2000).
And later he was seen in Open Range (2003), Crazy Heart (2009), Get Low (2010), Jack Reacher (2012), Widows (2018) and Hustle (2022).
Duvall was born in San Diego in 1931. His mother was an actress and his father was in the United States Navy.
He lacked the concentration for schoolwork and nearly flunked out of Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. His despairing parents decided he needed something to keep him in college so he wouldn’t be drafted for the Korean War. ‘They recommended acting as an expedient thing to get through,’ he recalled. ‘I’m glad they did.’ He flourished in drama classes.
After two years in the Army, he used the G.I. Bill to finance his studies at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York where he became a roommate of Dustin Hoffman’s.
He worked in theater for many years before landing a TV role with The Jailbreak.
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His film debut was as Boo Radley in the critically acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird in 1962.Seen with co-star Mary Badham
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He had a memorable role in the 1979 classic Apocalypse Now
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Seen here in his Oscar-winning role in the 1983 movie Tender Mercies
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With Tom Cruise in the 1990 movie Days Of Thunder
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The actor played a cowboy in Broken Trail in 2006
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In We Own the Night with Mark Wahlberg in 2007
The star earned a reputation as a strong, very serious actor after working many years on Broadway.
Michael Caine, who co-starred with him in the 2003 Secondhand Lions, once told The Associated Press: ‘Before a big scene, Bobby just sits there, absolutely quiet; you know when not to talk to him.’
‘When I was doing Colors in 1988 with Sean Penn, someone asked me how I do it all these years, keep it fresh. Well, if you don’t overwork, have some hobbies, you can do it and stay hungry even if you’re not really hungry,’ Duvall told The Associated Press in 1990.
Duvall often said his favorite role was one he played in a 1989 TV mini-series Lonesome Dove.
He played the grizzled, wise-cracking Texas Ranger-turned-cowboy Augustus McCrae. The show was based on the novel by Larry McMurtry.
Film critic Elaine Mancini once described Duvall as ‘the most technically proficient, the most versatile, and the most convincing actor on the screen in the United States.’
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In Lucky You in 2007 with Sam Farha and Chau Gianga
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With Jeff Bridges in the 2009 film Crazy Heart
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At the Oscars in 1984 with Shirley MacLaine
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Here he is seen in a rare video with his friend Billy Bob Thornton
Between his high-paying jobs in major productions, Duvall devoted himself to directing personal projects: a documentary about a prairie family, We’re Not the Jet Set; a film about gypsies, Angelo, My Love; and Assassination Tango, in which he also starred.
Duvall had been a tango dancer since seeing the musical Tango Argentina in the 1980s and visited in Argentina dozens of times to study the dance and the culture. The result was the 2003 release about a hit man with a passion for tango.
His co-star was Luciana Pedraza, 42 years his junior, whom he married in 2005.
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Duvall in 1953 during his Senior Year at Principia College
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Here he is seen far left in the play Ring Round the Moon
Duvall has been married four times but did not have any children of his own.
Duvall met his first wife, Barbara Benjamin during the shooting of To Kill a Mockingbird. They were married from 1964 until 1975.
His second wife was Gail Youngs, to whom he was married from 1982 to 1986.
And his third marriage was to Sharon Brophy, a dancer, from 1991 to 1995.
In 2005, Duvall married his fourth wife, Pedraza, granddaughter of Argentine aviation pioneer Susana Ferrari Billinghurst.
ROBERT DUVALL’S LOVE LIFE
A look at the many loves of Robert Duvall.
Duvall has been married four times but did not have any children of his own.
Duvall met his first wife, Barbara Benjamin during the shooting of To Kill a Mockingbird. They were married from 1964 until 1975.
His second wife was Gail Youngs, to whom he was married from 1982 to 1986.
And his third marriage was to Sharon Brophy, a dancer, from 1991 to 1995.
In 2005, Duvall married his fourth wife, Luciana Pedraza, granddaughter of Argentine aviation pioneer Susana Ferrari Billinghurst.
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Duvall met his first wife, Barbara Benjamin during the shooting of To Kill a Mockingbird. They were married from 1964 until 1975
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His second wife was Gail Youngs, to whom he was married from 1982 to 1986
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And his third marriage was to Sharon Brophy, a dancer, from 1991 to 1995
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In 2005, Duvall married his fourth wife, Luciana Pedraza, granddaughter of Argentine aviation pioneer Susana Ferrari Billinghurst