Robert Duvall, the Academy Award-winning actor best known for his roles in two of “The Godfather” films and “Apocalypse Now” has died at his home in Virginia, according to his family. He was 95.
His wife of more than 20 years, Luciana Pedraza, said in a statement on social media on Feb. 16 that the Hollywood legend had died the previous day “peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort.”
“To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything,” she wrote. “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.
“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.”
Born in 1931 in San Diego to a career naval officer, Duvall grew up primarily in Annapolis, Maryland, alongside his brothers. After earning a bachelor’s degree in drama and briefly serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he moved to New York to pursue an acting career that would span more than six decades.
Duvall appeared in a number of stage productions before landing the film role of Arthur “Boo” Radley in the 1962 adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” More work followed, but the role that made him a household name was Tom Hagen, the steady consigliere to the Corleone family in Francis Ford Coppola’s mafia saga, “The Godfather,” which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1973.
He reprised the role in Coppola’s equally acclaimed sequel, “The Godfather Part II,” in 1974. He later reunited with Coppola to deliver another iconic turn as the surfing-obsessed Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore in the 1979 Vietnam War epic “Apocalypse Now.”
His line in that movie—“I love the smell of napalm in the morning”—delivered amid jets roaring overhead and shells exploding nearby, became one of the most memorable scenes in his history of war films.
After multiple nominations, Duvall finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1984 for his portrayal of washed-up country singer Mac Sledge in “Tender Mercies.”
Duvall also moved behind the camera, writing, directing, and co-starring in the 1997 film “The Apostle,” about a troubled Pentecostal preacher, and later directing “Assassination Tango” and “Wild Horses.” He received another acting Oscar nomination for “The Apostle.”
Over the course of his career, he portrayed several historical figures, including Joseph Stalin in the 1992 HBO film “Stalin,” Adolf Eichmann in the 1994 Nazi hunter drama “The Man Who Captured Eichmann,” and Robert E. Lee in the 2003 Civil War epic “Gods and Generals.”
Duvall remained active well into the 2010s, earning an additional Oscar nomination at 84 for “The Judge” in 2014 and appearing in such films as “Jack Reacher” and “Widows.” Duvall gave his final film performance in 2022, appearing opposite Christian Bale in director Scott Cooper’s gothic mystery thriller “The Pale Blue Eye.”
Married four times, Duvall wed Argentine actress-director Pedraza in 2004.
Duvall is survived by Pedraza, who appeared with him in “Assassination Tango” and “Wild Horses.” He did not have children.
