Robert Duvall has passed away at the age of 95. We’re really losing all of the legends and it’s heartbreaking. Duvall lived such a wonderful, long life though, and he reportedly passed away peacefully at home, likely at his horse ranch in Virginia. He is survived by his fourth wife, Luciana. I never realized it before now, but Duvall was not a father – he had no biological or adopted children.
Robert Duvall, who drew from a seemingly bottomless reservoir of acting craftsmanship to transform himself into a business-focused Mafia lawyer, a faded country singer, a cynical police detective, a bullying Marine pilot, a surfing-obsessed Vietnam commander, a mysterious Southern recluse and scores of other film, stage and television characters, died on Sunday. He was 95.
His death was announced in a statement by his wife, Luciana Duvall, who said he had died at home. She gave no other details. He had long lived on a sprawling horse farm in The Plains, in Fauquier County, Va., west of Washington.
Mr. Duvall’s singular trait was to immerse himself in roles so deeply that he seemed to almost disappear into them — an ability that was “uncanny, even creepy the first time” it was witnessed, said Bruce Beresford, the Australian who directed him in the 1983 film “Tender Mercies.”
One of the most insane things about Duvall’s career is that his FIRST film role was… Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. That’s absolutely incredible. Duvall was nominated for an Oscar seven times, but he only won one, Best Actor in 1984 for Tender Mercies. My favorite Duvall role… well, I have so many, but I love Tom Hagen in The Godfather movies. Duvall did incredible work in those films. He had so many great roles though – Apocalypse Now, Network, The Natural, Sling Blade and on and on. His last film role was in 2022, so he was still working somewhat consistently well into his 80s and early 90s. He had fun too – he took dumb roles in big studio movies and he often stole every scene in those films as well. Anyway… rest in peace to a real one.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid and Avalon.red.