Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor renowned for his versatility and fierce dedication to his craft, has died at 95.
Duvall died “peacefully” Sunday at his home in Middleburg, Virginia, according to his publicist and a statement posted on Facebook by his wife, Luciana Duvall.
“To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything,” Luciana Duvall wrote. “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.”
Bald and wiry, Duvall never fit the mold of a conventional leading man. Yet few character actors built such a long, unpredictable and distinguished career, shifting effortlessly between leading and supporting roles — from itinerant preachers to Josef Stalin.
He made his film debut in 1962 as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird, launching a career that would span more than six decades. He earned seven Academy Award nominations and won best actor for his performance as a washed-up country singer in Tender Mercies. Over the years, he also collected four Golden Globes, including one for his role as the philosophical cattle-drive boss in the 1989 miniseries Lonesome Dove, which he often described as his favorite performance.
