Robert Duvall Death: Legendary Oscar-winning actor from The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, dies at 95 at his Virginia home. His wife confirms he passed peacefully surrounded by family.
Legendary Godfather and Apocalypse Now Actor Dies at 95 (Image: File)
Robert Duvall, the Academy Award-winning actor whose performances in The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Tender Mercies defined American cinema for six decades, died Sunday at his Virginia ranch surrounded by family. He was 95.
His wife Luciana Pedraza confirmed the death in a statement, saying the family said goodbye to "one of the greatest actors of our time."
Robert Selden Duvall was born in San Diego on January 5, 1931, to an amateur actress mother and a Navy rear admiral father. He graduated from Principia College in Illinois in 1953 before serving two years in the U.S. Army. He then moved to New York to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse under Sanford Meisner.
In 1955, a young Duvall shared a New York apartment with struggling actor Dustin Hoffman. They became close friends with Gene Hackman. "Dustin Hoffman, me, and Gene Hackman used to go to Cromwell's Drugstore... if we mentioned Marlon once, we mentioned him 25 times," Duvall later recalled. Hoffman said of young Duvall: "Bobby was the new Brando. I felt he was the one."
Duvall made his film debut in 1962 playing the reclusive Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird without speaking a single line. Screenwriter Horton Foote recommended him after seeing him on stage, beginning a creative partnership that led to Tender Mercies.
Duvall amassed more than 130 credits over seven decades. His early work included MAS*H (1970) and The Rain People (1969). The 1970s brought The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), Network (1976), and Apocalypse Now (1979). The 1980s included The Great Santini (1979), Tender Mercies (1983), and The Natural (1984). Later films included Lonesome Dove (1989), Days of Thunder (1990), Sling Blade (1996), The Apostle (1997), The Judge (2014), and Hustle (2022).
Duvall portrayed Corleone consigliere Tom Hagen in The Godfather and Part II, earning his first Oscar nomination. Coppola initially wanted him for Sonny, but Duvall insisted on the more reserved Hagen. He was absent from Part III due to a salary dispute.
In Apocalypse Now (1979), Duvall delivered one of cinema's most quoted lines as Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." The scene was shot in one take because the production only had use of the jets for 20 minutes.
Yes. Duvall won Best Actor for Tender Mercies (1983), playing an alcoholic country singer. He sang his own songs and drove 600 miles through Texas to prepare. He received seven Oscar nominations total, including for The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini, The Apostle, A Civil Action, and The Judge.
Duvall repeatedly said his favorite role was Augustus "Gus" McCrae in the 1989 miniseries Lonesome Dove. "Playing Augustus McCrae was kind of like my Hamlet," he told American Cowboy magazine. He called it "the Godfather of Westerns."
Yes. Duvall wrote, directed, and starred in The Apostle (1997), which took 12 years and $5 million of his own money to create. He played a flawed Texas preacher and earned another Oscar nomination.
Duvall had four marriages. His fourth wife, Argentine filmmaker Luciana Pedraza, whom he wed in 2005, is his surviving spouse. He was 65 and she was 24 when they first met. He was previously married to Sharon Brophy (1991–1995), Barbara Benjamin (1964–1975), and Gail Youngs (1982–1986).
Luciana Pedraza Duvall, born on January 5, 1972 shared the same birthday as her husband. She worked as an architect before directing and starring alongside him. In 2001, they founded the Robert Duvall Children's Fund to assist impoverished families in Northern Argentina.
Robert Duvall had no biological children. He once jokingly remarked, "I guess I'm shooting blanks." Through his charitable foundation, he and Luciana dedicated themselves to helping children in Argentina.
Estimates of Duvall's net worth prior to his passing ranged around $70 million, reflecting a prolific career spanning seven decades with more than 130 film and television credits.
In his final years, Duvall lived on his ranch in Middleburg, Virginia, continuing to work into his 90s with films including Widows (2018), 12 Mighty Orphans (2021), and Hustle (2022). He died peacefully at home on February 15, 2026.
His wife confirmed he died peacefully at home surrounded by family, but no specific cause of death was released.
A: He was 95 years old. He was born on January 5, 1931, and died on February 15, 2026.
A: He received seven Academy Award nominations and won once for Tender Mercies in 1983.
A: His most quoted line is from Apocalypse Now: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."
A: Yes, he served in the U.S. Army for two years, leaving in 1954 as a private first-class.
A: No, Robert Duvall had no biological children.
Disclaimer: This information is based on inputs from news agency reports. TSG does not independently confirm the information provided by the relevant sources.
