Hollywood legend Robert Duvall dies at 95

Hollywood legend Robert Duvall has died at the age of 95, closing the curtain on one of the most respected and enduring careers in American film.

Duvall passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, surrounded by love and comfort, according to his wife, Luciana Duvall. 

In a Facebook post shared on Monday morning, she wrote: “Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time.” 

She added that his passion for acting was matched by his love of food, storytelling and the people around him, and asked for privacy as the family remembers his life.

Over a career that stretched across seven decades, Duvall became known for disappearing into his roles, whether as the cool-headed lawyer Tom Hagen in The Godfather, the swaggering Lt Col Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now, or the broken but gentle country singer Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies. 

It was that last role that earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1984.

His line in Apocalypse Now, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like victory,” became one of the most quoted moments in cinema history, delivered with a mix of menace and dark humour that defined his screen presence.

Born in San Diego on 5 January 1931, Duvall grew up on military bases after his father, a US Navy rear admiral, moved the family frequently.

After studying drama at Principia College in Illinois and serving two years in the US Army, he trained under legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner at New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse. 

Duvall’s film debut came relatively late, at age 31, when he played the silent and haunting Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. 

Though he had no dialogue, the performance announced a major talent.

From there, he built a reputation through the 1960s and 1970s as a reliable scene-stealer, before emerging as a defining figure of the New Hollywood era.

He moved effortlessly between leading and supporting roles, earning seven Academy Award nominations in total. 

His performances ranged from the harsh military father in The Great Santini to the deeply human Texas Ranger Augustus “Gus” McCrae in Lonesome Dove, a role he later described as his personal favourite.

Away from the spotlight, Duvall avoided Hollywood glamour, preferring a quieter life in Virginia. 

He continued working well into his later years, taking on character roles as mentors, patriarchs and authority figures, and directing four feature films of his own.

Duvall is survived by Luciana, whom he married in 2005. He had no children.

In asking fans to honour his memory, the family said Duvall did not want a formal service. 

Instead, they encouraged people to remember him by watching a great film, sharing a good story with friends, or taking a drive through the countryside, simple pleasures that reflected the grounded life he lived.

For generations of audiences, Robert Duvall leaves behind something rare: performances that feel truthful, lived-in and timeless, and a body of work that will continue to be discovered, quoted and admired for years to come.