Robert Duvall, Oscar-winning actor known for Tender Mercies and The Godfather, dead at 95

American worker henry martyn robert Duvall, known for his best-actor Oscar role in tenderize Mercies and for appearing in classics the likes of The Godfather and Apocalypse at present, has died at 95.

Duvall's wife, Luciana Duvall, confirmed his death in a social media post.

"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, surrounded by love and comfort," Luciana, 54, says in the Facebook post. "To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything."

Duvall acted in dozens of films, starring in intense dramas including To Kill a Mockingbird and The Judge, and in lighter flicks like Four Christmases alongside Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaugh. He's worked with the likes of Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Christian Bale, Viola Davis, Marlon Brando and Al Pacino.

"For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented," Luciana wrote in her post. "In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all. "

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Duvall, the son of a navy admiral and an amateur actress, grew up in Annapolis, Md. After graduating from Principia College in Illinois and serving in the U.S. Army, he moved to New York, where he roomed with Dustin Hoffman and befriended Gene Hackman when the three were struggling acting students.

After working on a variety of television shows, Duvall made a strong impression even in small roles, such as his first movie part as the mysterious recluse Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Perhaps Duvall's most memorable role came in Frances Ford Coppola's 1979 Vietnam epic Apocalypse Now, playing the off-kilter, surfing-obsessed Lt.-Col. Bill Kilgore.

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Duvall only received a few minutes of screen time but almost stole the film as his character swaggered around a battlefield after a successful attack and exuberantly proclaimed, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." It smelled "like victory," Kilgore said.

The role brought Duvall one of his seven Academy Award nominations, including for Tender Mercies (1983), in which he played an alcoholic former country music star.

He was also nominated for best supporting actor for Coppola's The Godfather, playing Tom Hagen, consigliere to the Corleone Mafia family. Duvall appeared in the second Godfather film but rejected the third because he considered the salary offer inadequate.

Duvall's other Oscar nominations were for The Great Santini (1979), The Apostle (1997), A Civil Action (1998) and The Judge (2014). 

The iconic actor was passionate about tango and Argentina, where he met Luciana. She was his fourth wife and they had a 41-year age gap.

Duvall split his time between Los Angeles, Argentina and a 146-hectare farm in Virginia, where he converted the barn into a tango dance hall.

Anya Zoledziowski is a Peabody-winning multimedia journalist from Edmonton who's covered social and climate justice, Indigenous affairs, gender, politics and more, and has been recognized by several national and international awards. She’s currently pursuing her PhD in journalism studies.

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