Just announced: Robert Duvall passes away at 95.

Sad to see. He was one of H-Wood’s biggies. May he rest in peace…and in his boots.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/o...ow-dies-95-rcna42438

Robert Duvall, indelible actor from 'The Godfather' and 'Apocalypse Now,' dies at 95
The renowned actor died peacefully in his home in Middleburg, Virginia, with his wife at his side, according to a statement from his family.

Robert Duvall, the commanding and supremely versatile actor who earned a lasting place in American movie history as a stoic Mafia consigliere in “The Godfather,” a surf-loving Army colonel in “Apocalypse Now” and a washed-up country crooner in “Tender Mercies,” died Sunday.

He was 95.

Duvall died peacefully in his home in Middleburg, Virginia, with his wife at his side, according to a statement from his family.

He did not want a formal service, so his family encouraged fans to honor his memory by "watching a great film, telling a good story around a table with friends, or taking a drive in the countryside to appreciate the world’s beauty."

In a prolific Hollywood career that spanned nearly six decades, Duvall deftly alternated between leading and supporting roles, delivering performances of coiled fury and quiet gravitas. He fully inhabited each character, whether portraying a ruthless TV executive in “Network” (1976) or a passionate Pentecostal preacher in “The Apostle” (1997).

He was nominated for seven Academy Awards and seven Golden Globes. He won the best actor Oscar in 1984 for his turn as alcoholic country singer Mac Sledge in Bruce Beresford’s “Tender Mercies.”

Robert Seldon Duvall was born Jan. 5, 1931, in San Diego to Mildred Hart, an amateur actress, and William Duvall, a U.S. Navy rear admiral. He grew up on Navy bases around the country — including the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland — and graduated from Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, in 1953.

He served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. When Duvall returned to stateside, he studied drama under the storied instructor Sanford Meisner at New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse, where his classmates included Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman and James Caan.

In those years, Duvall made a living working odd jobs around New York and roomed with Hoffman and Hackman. He appeared in various Broadway and off-Broadway plays, including productions of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” and “A View from the Bridge,” and landed guest spots on popular television shows such as “The Twilight Zone.”

He did not make his film debut until age 31, taking on the small but crucial role of Arthur “Boo” Radley in the 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” He continued to build his reputation throughout the 1960s, delivering memorable work in the John Wayne flick “True Grit” (1969) and the Francis Ford Coppola character study “The Rain People” (1969).

In the 1970s, Duvall emerged as one of the key figures of the “New Hollywood” movement. He frequently collaborated with visionary directors and helped reshape the face of American movie stardom along with other unconventional leading men — a group that included Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and former roommates Hoffman and Hackman.

He was an important member of Robert Altman’s sprawling ensemble cast in the anti-war satire “M*A*S*H”(1970), playing the comically self-righteous Maj. Frank Burns, and he embodied the title character in George Lucas’ feature debut “THX 1138” (1971), a dystopian sci-fi thriller released six years before the original “Star Wars.”

Duvall reached new heights of fame with his indelible performance as the calmly calculating Corleone family attorney Tom Hagen in Coppola’s “The Godfather” (1972), which landed him his first Oscar nomination, and “The Godfather Part II” (1974), which featured an expanded role for his character.

“It always comes back to ‘The Godfather.’ The first ones are two of the best films ever made. About a quarter of the way into it, we knew we had something special,” Duvall told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2010.

He did not show up in the third “Godfather” chapter, released to mixed reviews in 1990, reportedly because he could not reach an agreement with Paramount Pictures over his salary.

cont...

RIP Thomas Hagen

Sad news. Older the violin, the sweeter the music.

No obituary of his is complete without a mention of Lonesome Dove.

The Great Santini, "I'm a Meechum. A Meechum's a thoroughbred, a winner all the way. He chews nails while the other kids eat cotton candy. He never surrenders. He never gives up."

First movie I saw him in and remembered he was in it.

He was so great!

"You wanna surf soldier ?"


"Yes, sir."


"That's good, son. 'Cause you either surf or fight. That clear ?

Hub McCann: “Right. I’m Hub McCann. I’ve fought in two world wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I’ve seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of Natives no White man had ever seen before. I’ve won and lost a dozen fortunes, killed many men, and loved only one woman with a passion a flea like you could never begin to understand. That’s who I am. Now, go home, boy.”


“Best I can figure, they were trying to fly through that barn, upside down.” – Sheriff

I had read Lonesome Dove before seeing the TV miniseries.

Duvall actually “brought to life” the role of Gus Macrae for me. Captured him perfectly.

He was pretty good in Apocalypse Now, The Godfather a Tender Mercies as well.

quote:

Originally posted by bigwagon:
No obituary of his is complete with a mention of Lonesome Dove.

Agreed. I couldn't believe it wasn't mentioned?

Hope he is happily Cutting the Cards in heaven.

I always enjoyed his work.

The presence of his character strongly enhanced every scene that he was in.

Very sad news, amazing actor, Apocalypse Now and Open Range are two of my favorites. RIP

I've told this story a few times here:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I was in Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, Memorial Day, 1996. I saw this guy about 20 feet away. He had his back to me. I told my girlfriend (soon to be wife) "Hey, that looks just like the back of Robert Duvall's head."
She laughed. The guy turned toward us and walked right at us. It was Robert Duvall. He seemed to be in a hurry, so as he walked past, I said quietly "Mister Duvall."
I could tell he didn't want to be noticed because he smiled and said very quietly out of the corner of his mouth "Hey, how ya doin'?"

It looked like he was trying to catch a connecting flight. I didn't bother him.

I even liked him in Assassination Tango. He was my favorite actor. I knew this day was coming soon. Thank you, Mr Duval, for hours of seamless acting.

We just watched Seven Days in Utopia with the boys Saturday night.
Likely one of his lesser known films but a good one.

I'll bet he's been in more movies than most any other actor. Just guessing.
He will be missed. My cousin in New Orleans just texted me a photo of him and Mr. Duvall at his Mardi Grah party from many years ago.