Robert Duvall, Apocalypse Now Actor, Dead At 95

Screen legend Robert Duvall has died at age 95, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Duvall's acting career spanned more than six decades and saw him appear on screen as part of the most iconic movies made in the 20th century — from "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now," to "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Tender Mercies," the latter of which won him an Academy Award for best actor in 1983.

Duvall is survived by his wife, Luciana Pedraza, who's 41 years his junior. She announced his death via Facebook, writing, "To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. 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. 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."

While he's best known for his work on films, Duvall told Cowboys & Indians in a 2020 interview, "Some of my best work has been on television." His TV credits include the 1989 miniseries "Lonesome Dove," which he believed is too often left out of the conversation when people discuss the best westerns. "I remember I went into the lunch tent while we were making 'Lonesome Dove,' and I said, 'Boys, we're making the 'Godfather' of westerns,'" he recalled. 

Robert Duvall was born on January 5, 1931, into a military family with a colorful past. His father was a U.S. naval officer, so he spent a great deal of his childhood on the road until they settled in Annapolis, Maryland, according to Vanity Fair.

Duvall told People in 1977 that he was "terrible at everything," and after high school, he joined the Army as an act of rebellion and ended up in Korea. After he left, he returned to the U.S., enrolled at Principia College in Illinois, and then moved again — this time to New York, where he worked at Neighborhood Playhouse. 

The aspiring actor had to work several jobs to make a living; he worked at the post office and at Macy's and he drove a truck. To make ends meet, he also had a roommate: Gene Hackman, who tragically died in February 2025. The flat, which Vanity Fair described as "a youth hostel" for aspiring performers looking for a place to crash, also hosted Dustin Hoffman, who was known to sleep on the kitchen floor. The trio, who remained close, survived on bit parts on TV, in the movies, and playing in off-Broadway productions. Duvall's film break finally came in 1963 when he played Boo Radley, a villager in "To Kill a Mockingbird." 

Robert Duvall's appearance in "To Kill a Mockingbird" opened doors to other parts. However, he didn't receive his first Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor until 10 years later, earning the accolade for his portrayal of Mafia attorney Tom Hagen in "The Godfather." He followed that by delivering two performances that also snagged him nominations: his portrayal of warmonger Lieutenant Colonel Bill "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now" in 1979 and Bull Meechum in "The Great Santini" in 1980. He eventually won an Oscar for best actor in 1983 for his performance as country singer Mac Sledge in "Tender Mercies," for which he also wrote some of his own songs.

All told, Duvall was in the industry for nearly seven decades and was nominated for seven Academy Awards and five Emmys (he won two). He also played a variety of roles, from newspaper tycoon Joseph Pulitzer to Joseph Stalin, which he said he felt the least qualified for, even though he won a Golden Globe for portraying the Russian dictator in a 1992 TV movie. He remained a character actor, and in 1977, he expressed few regrets about being famous. "To be a (Steve) McQueen or a (Robert) Redford," Duvall told People, "I don't know. They do the same thing all the time. They do themselves, and that must get boring."