The famed actor Robert Duvall passed away on February 15, 2026, at the age of 95. Having appeared in over 90 movies, he occupies an incredible place in American film legacy, with a career that saw him play an array of characters. Throughout it all, he brought a sense of curiosity and restraint to the roles he embodied, whether he was a leading man or a character actor.
Duvall first honed his craft in the 1950s. He studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse, a drama school in New York, under Sanford Meisner, and with classmates that included Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman. The Meisner method is an instinct-based approach that prioritizes listening and an authentic response over having a pre-planned emotional delivery. In 2015, the actor summed up his philosophy while on Oprah’s Masterclass, stating, “Basically just talk and listen, and keep it simple. And however it goes, it goes.”
Duvall’s acting breakthrough was in 1962. He starred as Boo Radley in an adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Although he only appeared in a handful of scenes and had no dialogue, his ability to say so much with his physicality demonstrated that he had undeniable talent.
From there, his roles grew bigger. He played Tom Hagen, the consigliere and head lawyer of the Corleone family, in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. In 1979, he starred as the antagonist Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now. It was the same year he had his first major leading role in The Great Santini, in which he played the eponymous character. He’d go on to win an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1983 with Tender Mercies, in which he played washed-up country singer Mac Sledge.
While Duvall made a name for himself in film, his acting success reached the small screen, too. In 1989, he starred alongside Tommy Lee Jones to play a former Texas Ranger in the television miniseries Lonesome Dove. It reached a massive audience and earned widespread critical acclaim at a time before the golden age of television.
The 1990s saw Duvall fighting to make The Apostle, an independent film which he wrote, directed, and co-produced. In it, he stars as Sonny Dewey, an evangelical preacher trying to start a new church in Louisiana while concealing his difficult past. It’s considered a career masterpiece. Duvall continued to act throughout the early aughts and up until 2022, when he was in The Pale Blue Eye alongside Christian Bale. It was his last film.
Duvall’s oeuvre represents some of the very best in movies and television. Over his long career, he brought a variety of roles alive with curiosity and nuance. His characters live on because of him.
The famed actor Robert Duvall passed away on February 15, 2026, at the age of 95. His breakthrough was in 1962 when he starred as Boo Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird.
From there, his roles grew bigger. He played Tom Hagen, the consigliere and head lawyer of the Corleone family, in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather.
In 1979, he starred as the antagonist Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now.
While Duvall made a name for himself in film, his acting success reached the small screen, too. In 1989, he starred alongside Tommy Lee Jones to play a former Texas Ranger in the television miniseries Lonesome Dove.
Having appeared in over 90 movies, he occupies an incredible place in the American film legacy, with a career that saw him play an array of characters. See more from him:
Sources: Actor Robert Duvall has died — he brought a compassionate center to edgy hard roles; Robert Duvall, a Chameleon of an Actor Onscreen and Onstage, Dies at 95
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