Tributes are pouring in from across Hollywood following the death of legendary actor Robert Duvall, who has died aged 95.
The Oscar-winning star passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, according to a statement shared by his wife, Luciana Pedraza Duvall, on Facebook.
“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.”
Duvall’s career spanned more than six decades, making him one of the most respected and enduring figures in American cinema. He was perhaps best known to modern audiences for his portrayal of Tom Hagen in The Godfather, starring opposite Al Pacino and Marlon Brando in Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal 1972 crime epic. He reprised the role in The Godfather Part II, cementing his place in one of the most acclaimed trilogies in film history.
Born in 1931, Duvall began his career in television during the early 1960s, appearing in series such as The Defenders, Playhouse 90, and Armstrong Circle Theatre. His feature film debut came in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), where he played the reclusive Boo Radley — a performance notable for its quiet intensity despite limited screen time.
Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, Duvall built a formidable body of work, with roles in Bullitt (1968), True Grit (1969), MAS*H (1970), THX 1138 (1971) and Joe Kidd (1972). His collaboration with Coppola continued in Apocalypse Now (1979), where his turn as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore — delivering the now-iconic line about loving “the smell of napalm in the morning” — became one of cinema’s most memorable performances.
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Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor best known for “The Godfather,“ “Apocalypse Now” and many other tough-guy roles over an acclaimed screen career that spanned six decades, has died. He was 95.
He received multiple Academy Award nominations across his career and won the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of a washed-up country singer in Tender Mercies (1983). Other Oscar-nominated performances included The Great Santini (1979), The Apostle (1997) — which he also wrote and directed — A Civil Action (1998) and The Judge (2014).
Director Francis Ford Coppola, who worked with Duvall on The Godfather, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, described his passing as “a blow” and called him “a great actor.” He said Duvall had been an “essential part” of his American Zoetrope production company.
Al Pacino said in a statement: “It was an honour to have worked with Robert Duvall. He was a born actor as they say, his connection with it, his understanding and his phenomenal gift will always be remembered. I will miss him.”
Robert De Niro, who shared the screen with Duvall in The Godfather Part II and True Confessions, said: “God bless Bobby. I hope I can live till I'm 95. May he Rest in Peace.”
Actor Adam Sandler, who worked with Duvall on the Netflix film Hustle, called him “one of the greatest actors we ever had”, adding: “Loved him so much. We all did. So many movies to choose from that were legendary. Watch them when you can. Sending his wife Luciana and all his family and friends our condolences.”
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Michael Imperioli described him as “one of the best ever” and “an actor's actor,” while Jamie Lee Curtis hailed him as “the greatest consigliere the screen has ever seen.”
A particularly emotional tribute came from Robert Patrick, who starred alongside Duvall in The Car. He wrote: “I am gutted. Robert Duvall I will miss you brother. He was the actor I looked up to. His ability to find the truth of a scene was something special.”
He added: “Over the years I would call Bobby and we'd talk movies and barbecue. He loved barbecue and I'd always let him know when I was having it in Lockhart, Texas. I will miss Bobby. I will always be proud that I got to play his son. Rest in peace my friend.”
Further tributes came from Viola Davis, who appeared with him in Widows, Walton Goggins, who worked on The Apostle, Jane Seymour, who starred alongside him in The Stars Fell on Henrietta, as well as Alec Baldwin and Josh Gad.
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Widely regarded as one of the finest character actors of his generation, Duvall was known for his understated style, emotional authenticity and ability to inhabit complex, often morally ambiguous men. Whether playing a ruthless military officer, a conflicted lawyer, a preacher, or a fading musician, he brought a lived-in realism that set him apart.
For many in Hollywood — and for generations of film lovers — Robert Duvall was quite simply one of the greats.
