Actor Robert Duvall has died.
NYT – 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 Fauquier County, Va., west of Washington. (more)
Posted in Hollywood
He was a great actor. We will be watching movies he acted in for the rest of our lives. I think “Open Range” was my favorite movie that he was in.
Godfather 1 was my favorite of his movies but my favorite performance was in “The Apostle”, a truly exceptional film and vastly underrated. Highly recommend if you have not seen it. RIP. Mr. Duvall. Thank you for bringing so much wonderful thespian artistry to the silver screen.
So true, vastly underrated movie, great performance
God bless Mr. Duvall
“I’m on my way to heaven”… Gutted.
The Great Santini, memorable movie.
Was on location when The Great Santini was filmed. It was interesting watching the movie first shown at that location, Beaufort SC. They were good at removing any time achronisms and even changing the price of gas on a sign at a local gas station along with installing pumps from that era. It was awesome.
True Grit
Iconic scene early in his career. And the memorable line:
“I call that pretty bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.”
Fill your hands you son of a bitch!
I too really liked “Open Range” and “Broken Trail”.
A great actor.
Yes , he had the aid of some great scripts and producers.
That does not diminish his talent.
And another thing..
Ninety-five years old and I have no clue what his politics are…
Nor do I care.
RIP.
Let your words at the end, be a lesson to all actors and artists.
Only two nights ago we were thinking of rewatching a movie, made in 2005.
Saw many of the “big mouths” were involved with it and decided to give it a pass this time,
knowing what we know now.
Enjoyed it the first time we watched it, but probably wouldn’t have watched it even then if we’d known what they were gonna say and do later.
They can have their legacies imprinted in the concrete in Hollywood, but they can also destroy that entire legacy by shooting off their mouth.
He was very Conservative…reason why you didn’t know lol
And played opposite of Tommy Lee Jones, Al Gores’ collage room mate, in Lonesome Dove.
Talk about oil and water…
Rest well, Mr. Duvall.
Good in reacher.
Robert Duvall will always be one of greats. I will never tire of his dry humor. RIP Mr. Duvall.
Yep, just watched it a couple weeks ago, Pluto channel.
I think the first film I ever saw Robert Duval in was, “Places In The Heart.” Sally Field was the female lead.
The film was set in Waxahachie, Texas, and a relative appeared as one of the townspeople.
There was a huge wind scene (tornado, I think) and the whole town was talking about the size of the giant fan used to film it.
Oh, and the relatives told us the way to remember how to pronounce Waxahachie was to remember:
chickie-walkie-before-he-hatchie.
I just realized that I got the name of the film and the female lead (above) mixed up with “TENDER MERCIES” COSTARRING TESS HARPER. THIS IS THE FILM, etc., I WROTE ABOUT ABOVE.
As penance, here are a couple of facts:
Duvall sang his own songs in “Tender Mercies,” and drove 600 miles around the state recording accents and
playing in country music bands preparing for the role.
Well, I thought I had deleted my REPLY to myself , while I searched for facts, because I realized I’d gotten some things wrong, due to very little sleep last night. But, it hadn’t been deleted after all! At this point, it’s just plain embarrassing!
I will try to straighten things out!
“PLACES IN THE HEART” DOES STAR SALLY FIELD, but it DOES NOT STAR ROBERT DUVALL! It stars Ed Harris, John Malkovich and Danny Glover. IT WAS MADE IN WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS AND SET IN 1930 DURING THE DEPRESSION. There was a giant fan and one of my relatives involved in the filming! IT WAS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ROBERT BENTON WHO WAS BORN IN DALLAS, TEXAS. It was critically and commercially successful, and it received 7 Academy Award Nominations. It won 2: Best Actress for Sally Field and Best Original Screenplay.
NOW, back to ROBERT DUVALL!
”TENDER MERCIES” DOES STAR ROBERT DUVALL AND TESS HARPER. In it, Duvall plays an alcoholic washed-up country singing star, and he does sing his own songs in the film. It was not successful at the box office, but received 5 Academy Award Nominations. It won 3 – Robert Duvall for Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Original Screenplay. THE SCREENPLAY WAS WRITTEN BY HORTON FOOTE WHO WAS BORN IN WHARTON, TEXAS.
What with one film set in Waxahachie, Texas, and it’s Writer/Director, Robert Benton, born in Dallas, Texas, and the other film’s Original Screenplay WriterWell, I thought I had deleted my REPLY to myself , while I searched for facts, because I realized I’d gotten some things wrong, due to very little sleep last night. But, it hadn’t been deleted after all! At this point, it’s just plain embarrassing!
I will try to straighten things out!
“PLACES IN THE HEART” DOES STAR SALLY FIELD, but it DOES NOT STAR ROBERT DUVALL! It stars Ed Harris, John Malkovich and Danny Glover. IT WAS MADE IN WAXAHACHIE AND SET IN 1930 DURING THE DEPRESSION. There was a giant fan involved in the filming! IT WAS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ROBERT BENTON WHO WAS BORN IN DALLAS, TEXAS. It was critically and commercially successful, and it received 7 Academy Award Nominations. It won 2: Best Actress for Sally Field and Best Original Screenplay.
NOW, back to ROBERT DUVALL!
”TENDER MERCIES” DOES STAR ROBERT DUVALL AND TESS HARPER. In it, Duvall plays an alcoholic washed-up country singing star, and he does sing his own songs in the film. It was not successful at the box office, but received 5 Academy Award Nominations. It won 3 – Robert Duvall for Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture. THE SCREENPLAY WAS WRITTEN BY HORTON FOOTE WHO WAS BORN IN WHARTON, TEXAS.
What with one film set in Waxahachie, Texas, and it’s Writer/Director, Robert Benton, born in Dallas, Texas, and the other film’s Original Screenplay writer, Horton Foote, born in Wharton, Texas, it gets a little confusing… , Horton Foote, born in Wharton, Texas, it gets a little confusing…
THIS IS THE ONLY CORRECT VERSION OF MY COMMENT. MY PHONE, PAGES APP, AND THE EDIT BUTTON WERE NOT WORKING TOGETHER AT ALL TONIGHT!
I will try to straighten things out!
“PLACES IN THE HEART” DOES STAR SALLY FIELD, but it DOES NOT STAR ROBERT DUVALL! It stars Ed Harris, John Malkovich and Danny Glover. IT WAS MADE IN WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS AND SET IN 1930 DURING THE DEPRESSION. There was a giant fan and one of my relatives involved in the filming! IT WAS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ROBERT BENTON WHO WAS BORN IN DALLAS, TEXAS. It was critically and commercially successful, and it received 7 Academy Award Nominations. It won 2: Best Actress for Sally Field and Best Original Screenplay.
NOW, back to ROBERT DUVALL!
”TENDER MERCIES” DOES STAR ROBERT DUVALL AND TESS HARPER. In it, Duvall plays an alcoholic washed-up country singing star, and he does sing his own songs in the film. It was not successful at the box office, but received 5 Academy Award Nominations. It won 3 – Robert Duvall for Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Original Screenplay. THE ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY WAS WRITTEN BY HORTON FOOTE WHO WAS BORN IN WHARTON, TEXAS.
What with one film set in Waxahachie, Texas, and it’s Writer/Director, Robert Benton, born in Dallas, Texas, and the other film’s Original Screenplay Writer, Horton Foote, born in Wharton, Texas, it gets a little confusing…
TR, thanks for making that mistake, makes me feel better. I am forever getting those two films confused.
To quote Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore:
“I LOVE THE SMELL OF NAPALM IN THE MORNING !!! You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn’t find one of ‘em, not one stinkin’ dink body …”
Another one of my/our “growing up” iconic Hollywood personalities has gone … sad. I always enjoyed his work. And FWIW, we were/and are distantly related (through his Mom and some Virginia relatives …
RIP good Sir …
Plan to watch Apocalypse Now… again, for what I believe will be the 10th time
He was a presence in all of my adult life. He will be missed.
Tender Mercies 1983, wrote and sung his own songs. 2 Oscars.
one of my all time favorite actors. He was very good at his craft. It’s one of those things you notice if you are a movie buff. Often you can really kind of tell when someone is putting it on. With Robert, you really believed in the art..he delivered it with that amusing smile that was all his own.
God Bless America, home of the best movies and movie talents the world over. no one even comes close to the production of such an enormous depth of genre’s that all are endearing, emotional, and captivating.
Noting: I have long thought about buying and re-opening a drive in theatre in my area. It’s was such a good and fun experience to put that box on the window rolled down and tune in and watch some movies with your pals…and girlfriend, and lovers and wives. I miss that. I am seriously contemplating buying a closed drive in. Maybe I’ll lose lots of money. I dunno. But I’ll be the first one in line every night, so there is that.
God Bless America
Do it, regitiger. My honey and I will be first in line…..and we won’t sneak anybody in the trunk. At least not for the first showing.
It would be a great way to celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary. The real America we all long to get back to or at least bring back some of the dream that we have been lucky enough to remember.
God Bless America!
Miss his smile….and sad voice. Days of Thunder with him playing the car builder was a fun movie. So many more….
Regitiger, once at a drive in theater out in SD, the theatre had a contest to see how many folks could fit in one car.
Trunk, backseat, all had to be inside the car. It was over twenty college students in one big old 50’s car with the humped trunk….maybe late 40’s. Back seat was removed for more room.
The drive in just up the road from me closed a year or so ago. A bunch of new neighborhoods going in, ruined it all. ‘Progress’ I guess. Meh. Traffic sucks out here now, I need to move further out.
Anyway, it was fun to go to (lot of families went), and it usually was well attended for big movie premiers. It would cause some traffic chaos at times (road it is on is just a 2-way FM road), but once you knew to be mindful of ‘big opening weekends’, it was easy to avoid.
I saw Smokey and the Bandit at a drive in when it first came out, great memories!
Yes please….. do it! When my husband and I lived in Maple Shade NJ, there were several drive ins in our radius and we loved them! After coming home from work from a 3 – 11 shift at the hospital one night, we decided to pull in and see Star Wars: A New Hope that had just begun showing…. what fond memories we have!
I really liked Duvall as an actor. I enjoyed his parts and he played them as well as anyone I have ever seen.
My sympathies to his family. I was a fan and I shall miss him and his work.
Absolutely loved “Second Hand Lions.”
R.I.P.
Things a man should believe in.
Thank you for the reminder as I was searching for the name “Second Hand Lions” in my memory . I still have it plus lots more movies with Duval on VHS.
Somehow VHS is better. R.I.P.
Thanks for the recommendation… watched it tonight! Have to agree with your last sentence! We loved it, too!
I first remember Robert Duvall from George Lucas’s first film THX 1138. Not the best movie, but his presence clearly stood out even then.
R.I.P.
To me Robert Duvall will always be Augustus McCrae. Watching lonesome dove with my dad when it aired as a tv mini series is one of my fondest memories.
YES! Lonesome Dove. My Father was ill from Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. That disease, as far as I can ken is poisoning of the body by all kinds of chemicals. He used to spray his orchard with Malathion.
I somehow taped the whole Lonesome Dove movie for him. He loved it and surely related to the story, and said “What kind of man would be if I lost my leg ( a very bad bump on his leg took him out of remission).
R.I.P. to Robert Duvall and my dear Father.
I may be wrong but I don’t recall him ever making stupid political statements. So many Hollywood actors think they need to tell us what they think whether they are well informed or not.
He was said to be a conservative. In any case he didn’t run his mouth like so many of these other lunatics.
His favorite role was “Stalin”.
heh.
Recquem for one of my favorite guys. Loved Open Range….God rest his soul.
He was conservative. It’s why he didn’t stay in the limelight. Guy did his work and went home to family. Those of us that live near him were aware of his leanings.
Boo Radley and Gus McRae RIP
“Miss Gene Louise, may I present Mr Arthur Radley” or words to that effect. One of the most powerful film moments I’ve experienced. I’m told it was his first film
Secondhand Lion
It’s no coincidence that Mr. Duvall spent his golden years on his sprawling horse ranch, when he gave some of the last great portrayals of western cowboys of that beloved but now-faded genre.
Along with men like Sam Elliott, Tom Selleck, Ben Johnson and Kevin Costner, he was a true horseman and able to ride with the best of them.
He was a highly talented and sophisticated actor, and I don’t remember ever seeing a role in which I didn’t like his work, but in my mind’s eye he’ll always be remembered as a cowboy.
There’s a roundup in Heaven today.
Duvall was in a very watchable B grade movie (with Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid)–“Something to Talk About”. His character owned a significant horse farm. Duvall rode in the movie. Lots of un. So few such movies like that now.
Nicely done Sundance…he deserves his own post IMHO. He lived right down the road from me and I always hoped to run into him some place nearby so I could quickly tell him how much I enjoyed his films…but, alas, it was not meant to be. He did attend some local town halls over the years when some project would adversely affect the surrounding countryside. Other than that, he kept to himself and his neighbors respected his privacy…AND DEFENDED IT!
https://www.fauquier.com/news/neighbor-shoots-down-drone-near-robert-duvall-s-property/article_f1e81ac8-68bf-11e6-8df0-973717fade5f.html
God bless him and his family…he is now teaching my old man to tango up in heaven
Korean War Veteran
Some gave all, all gave some.
May God bless his family in their time of bereavement.
Rest in Peace, Bluebonnet.
https://clip.cafe/open-range-2003/im-not-going-my-maker-without-knowing-given-name/
As “Boo Radley” ducks behind Jem’s bedroom door, Scout goes into the room where her brother lays, unconscious from the earlier attack in the woods. Scout watches her brother in his bed, and then turns around and sees a person standing in the corner, behind Jem’s door… She sees this, and then her daddy… Atticus Finch turns to his daughter, and says, “… Miss Jean Louise Finch, [please meet] Mister Arthur Radley”.
His appearance in the “To Kill a Mockingbird” movie at the very end of that movie was a minute long…or less. Yet, I will never forget his ghostly portrayal of a person who was talked about many times in the movie, but never appeared…Until the very end. Ghostly indeed.
Robert Duvall is yet another iconic, talented, and gifted actors that we will all miss. His portrayals of many characters over the years, still occupy my “minds eye” of who he played in many movies, etc. In my “minds-eye”, Robert Duvall will be who I picture when I am reading many a book, etc.
God Rest His Soul, in Peace.
No small feat STAYING ALIVE 95 years.
What a great actor, and a sweet man from interviews I’ve seen.
He moved as far away from Hollywood as possible. Rest in Eternal Peace!
Three other films in which his role was memorable (especially the last), though the messages of the films themselves were not what I call positive:
Something To Talk About
The Handmaid’s Tale
M.A.S.H.
He improved all three.
And he was also Boo Radley…
I remember watching “Something To Talk About” starring Kyra Sedgwick (Kevin Bacon’s real wife and star of The Closer tv series fame, Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid (from Texas), Robert Duvall, and Gena Rowlands.
That scene in the Women’s Club just cracked us up!
He was always good like Gene Hackman. He gave some great understated performances but he could also give flashy performances like in Network and Apocalypse Now.
I forgot to include ‘The Judge’ (2014) with Robert Downey Jr. & Billy Bob Thornton
he was so great in that… do see that one if you haven’t already.
trivia:
“Joseph Palmer says in the film that he is seventy-two years old. Robert Duvall was eleven years older when the film was released, and became the oldest Oscar nominee ever for his performance at the age of eighty-four.”
{ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872194/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_the%2520judge }
I agree with the take on “The Judge”. There were some fantastic scenes in that movie with him and RD Jr.
Entirely underrated, imo..
Everything previous sets up the scene in the courtroom when son is questioning father under oath and decides to ask him for some personal Truth – ‘why did you do that to me?’
that has stayed with me as a parent… (things our own children don’t/ can’t understand about us as people from their perspective);
such a powerful exchange & deeply impactful due entirely to the actors’ delivery.
One of the greats.
RIP.
Cab driver in “Bullitt.”
McQueen: How do you know it was a long distance call?
Duvall: (Tone making answer obvious): He put in a lot of change.
Small role. Duvall made it memorable.
Same with Ned Pepper in True Grit.
I think TENDER MERCIES is my favorite Duvall movie. And then there was ASSASSINATION TANGO, Robert Duvall’s tribute to the tango, which is why he filmed it in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His wife was from Argentina. She was 41 years his junior. She’s dancing with him in this clip:
Kitty, I missed your comment when I posted mine a little later. So I apologize: You were first to mention Assassination Tango. It is a complicated movie with too much subtlety, I think, for the general audience. When Manuela said,”You have a chance now,” that simple statement, that one idea, rattled around my mind. (In real life, Duvall accepted the challenge.) If that wasn’t THE theme of the movie, it was certainly A theme. And as I look back, I think Robert Duvall brought a piece of that idea to every role he played.
Bo Radley in to Kill a Mockingbird is such a warm hearted role, seen through the eyes of an innocent child. One of the best old black and white films.
If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and spend some time with Augustus & Lonesome Dove.
I’d argue, Mr. Duvall’s greatest role.
Agreed. And for my money, Lonesome Dove is the greatest mini-series ever made.
Possibly due to the faithful representation of the Pulitzer Prize winning book – I couldn’t put it down.
the screenplay writers didn’t write much of the dialog for that movie… it came straight from the book.
If you haven’t read the book, go ahead & do it – as excellent as the movie is, it doesn’t whatsoever top the book.
RIP Robert Duvall
Rooster, I’m shot to pieces”
True Grit 1969
Don’t know that it has been mentioned, but he played a doctor’s role in John Travolta’s Phenomenon. Good little movie worth looking up………
Loved our Bobby Duval! Blessings to him!
It’s not often, in fact, it’s rare, for anyone to get this much love from the Treehouse crew.
That’s not a criticism.
It’s good that we have different or slightly different points of view.
He was also in Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges and Colin Farrell. They did some great music in this film as well. Great version of a Ryan Bingham somg “The Weary Kind”. Pretty much a remake of Tender Mercies
He seems to be one of the good ones who didn’t get involved in the rot. I have not ever seen anything or heard anything. Doesn’t mean I didn’t miss it. Sure can’t say the same about Diniro…..who seems to be really involved in the rot……and has something to hide to keep what legacy he has left alive. The two will never be looked at the same…..they obviously made different choices.
I had the pleasure of meeting Duvall in the 80’s in Malibu at a rental car agency. He was by himself, shook my hand and I never got the feeling he looked down on me. He was wearing a cowboy hat and boots and if not for me seeing his face and recognizing him…..he fit right in and didn’t expect anything other treatment than what everybody else there was getting.
I’ll never forget the moment.
He never stopped being the rancher at heart he Truly was, and would have loved being all his life –
‘actor’ was not ever his main identity… he knew that and behaved accordingly.
I love your retelling of your spontaneous encounter with him in the wild, Dave.
He’s in the Cowboy Hall of Fame, btw
{ https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FINAL_WHA.pdf }
An absolute icon. Never played a bad role. I would watch any movie or production that he was a part of.
Thanks to some of the productions mentioned here, I see I have some catching up to do.
Two I haven’t seen mentioned are Assassination Tango and Joe Kidd.
I often think, if civilization is around 3000 years from now will people still watch great movies and listen to great music from this era.
Will people know the Godfather ,the Beatles, John Wayne?
Lonesome Dove was one of my favorites although anything he did was quality. What a marvelous talent. Truly one of a kind.
RIP,… Lonesome Dove TX Ranger, Augustus ‘Gus’ McCrae! (What a fine Actor).
He said he, Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman used to hang out together in NYC while in acting school and they all held Marlon Brando as their idol.
Thanks for your talented work, Mr. Duvall,… remember, in Life,…. “Rubbin Is Racing!
“You smell that? Do you smell that?… Napalm, son.
Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn’t find one of ’em, not one stinkin’ dink body.
The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill.
Smelled like… Victory…
…- Someday this war’s gonna end…”
Resquiat in Pace, Robert Duvall
Falling Down!
… – Por que, Bankster?… – The 1993 Michael Douglas flick where the defence contractor bureaucrat guy goes off the reservation whilst stuck in traffic and proceeds to go postal on everyone?… – *That* Falling Down?…
… – Sh@t, I did not *Even* notice Robert Duvall was in that… – My Bad… – *Hontounii* Gomenasai!!…
… – For what it’s worth, for his sunset years’ films, I always rated him as Tom Cruise’s mentor in Days of Thunder, trashy tho’ it was… 🙂
“I’m going to shape you like a *Bullet*…”
… – As an addendum, actually the hilarious part of this scene was the fact that Col Kilgore – an officer completely obsessed with surfing – by ordering the napalm strike on the beach, managed to completely *F@*! Up* the break, due to the resultant thermals blowing offshore…
… – Oops!… (We had to save the village by…, etc., etc.)
… – Maybe this is a deeper metaphor of something or other, I dunno…
… – At any rate, the lesson, evidently, is this: – *Never* get off the boat… 😉
The Great Santini
RIP
Duvall was an exceptional actor. If he had been British, he would have been knighted.