Hollywood Actor Robert Duvall Dies At 95, Star Of Godfather And Apocalypse Now
Legendary actor Robert Duvall, celebrated for his roles as mafia lawyer Tom Hagen in “The Godfather” and the surfing-obsessed Colonel Kilgore in “Apocalypse Now,” has died at the age of 95, his wife Luciana Duvall confirmed on Monday.
“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,” she wrote.
Known for his blunt honesty, versatility, and avoidance of Hollywood glitz, Duvall won an Academy Award for Best Actor and earned six additional nominations over a career spanning six decades. He worked as both a lead and supporting actor, later expanding into directing, and continued acting well into his 90s.
“To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything,” Luciana Duvall said. “His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court.”
Duvall received the Oscar in 1983 for his portrayal of a washed-up country singer in “Tender Mercies.” His most iconic performances also included the calm, loyal consigliere Tom Hagen in the first two “Godfather” films and the flamboyant Lieutenant Colonel William Kilgore in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 Vietnam War epic “Apocalypse Now.”
Al Pacino, who shared the screen with Duvall in “The Godfather” films, paid tribute, saying, “He was a born actor as they say, his connection with it, his understanding and his phenomenal gift will always be remembered. I will miss him.”
As Colonel Kilgore, Duvall delivered one of cinema’s most famous lines: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” a moment that helped cement his stardom. Originally intended to be an over-the-top character named Colonel Carnage, Duvall refined the role, demonstrating his meticulous approach.
“I did my homework,” he told Larry King in 2015. “I did my research.”
Director Francis Ford Coppola, who worked with Duvall on both “Apocalypse Now” and “The Godfather,” described his passing as “a blow,” noting, “Such a great actor and such an essential part of American Zoetrope from its beginning.”
Duvall was considered a late bloomer in Hollywood, gaining early attention at 31 with his role as Boo Radley in the 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” He went on to play a wide array of characters, including a ruthless executive in “Network” (1976), a strict Marine father in “The Great Santini” (1979), and his acclaimed role in “Tender Mercies.”
He often cited his favorite part as Augustus McCrae in the 1989 TV mini-series “Lonesome Dove,” based on Larry McMurtry’s novel.
Tributes poured in from colleagues, including British actress Jane Seymour, who recalled shared moments off-screen, and Alec Baldwin, who described Duvall’s performance as Boo Radley as utterly compelling. Film critic Elaine Mancini hailed him as “the most technically proficient, the most versatile, and the most convincing actor on the screen in the United States.”
