Robert Duvall, the Academy Award–winning actor whose film and television career spanned seven decades, has died at the age of 95. He was best known for his role as Tom Hagen in “The Godfather,” where he starred alongside Al Pacino and Marlon Brando. His wife, Luciana Duvall, confirmed that he died on Sunday.
Tributes have been pouring in from the time news of Duvall’s death was broken by Luciana on social media. “Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time,” Luciana wrote on Facebook Monday, adding that Robert “passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort.”
Star Goes Peacefully
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“To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller,” Luciana continued. “To me, he was simply everything. His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court.”
Luciana added that Robert “gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented” in his several acting roles.
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“In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all,” she shared. “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.”
Luciana’s tribute featured a warm, personal photo of the couple at their Virginia ranch, showing them standing together with a horse and their two dogs.
Duvall, born on January 5, 1931, in San Diego, Calif., began his acting journey on television in the 1960s, taking on small roles in shows like “The Defenders,” “Playhouse 90,” and “Armstrong Circle Theatre.”
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He made a powerful impression with his feature film debut as Boo Radley in “To Kill a Mockingbird” in 1962. Over the rest of the decade and into the early ’70s, he steadily built his reputation with roles in “Captain Newman, M.D.,” “Bullitt,” “True Grit,” “M*A*S*H,” “THX 1138,” “Joe Kidd,” and “Tomorrow.”
An Oscar Win
Duvall earned the Academy Award for Best Actor for his deeply moving performance as a struggling former country singer in “Tender Mercies.” His work also brought him Oscar nominations for “The Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now,” “The Great Santini,” “The Apostle,” “A Civil Action,” and “The Judge.”
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Beyond awards, his filmography reads like a tour through modern American cinema, with standout roles in “The Outfit,” “The Godfather Part II,” “The Conversation,” “Network,” “True Confessions,” “The Natural,” “Days of Thunder,” “Rambling Rose,” “Falling Down,” “The Paper,” “Sling Blade,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Open Range,” “Crazy Heart,” “Get Low,” “Jack Reacher,” “Widows,” and “Hustle.”
Across decades and genres, Duvall earned a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most reliable and quietly powerful performers.
Robert Duvall was married four times over the course of his life and did not have any children.
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He met his first wife, Barbara Benjamin, while filming “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The two were married in 1964 and later divorced in 1975.
Duvall’s second marriage was to Gail Youngs, which lasted from 1982 to 1986. He later married dancer Sharon Brophy in 1991, though that relationship ended in 1995.
In 2005, he married his fourth wife, Luciana Pedraza, with whom he shared a long and private life. Luciana is the granddaughter of Argentine aviation pioneer Susana Ferrari Billinghurst.
