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.

In 2005, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Though he had been acting for two decades, it was The Godfather that cemented his place among Hollywood’s elite. Director Francis Ford Coppola cast him as Tom Hagen, the quiet, calculating consigliere to the Corleone family, alongside Al Pacino and Marlon Brando. Duvall’s restrained performance made him an essential presence in the epic saga.

“Stars and Italians alike depend on his efficiency, his tidying up around their grand gestures, his being the perfect shortstop on a team of personality sluggers,” critic David Thomson wrote. “Was there ever a role better designed for its actor than that of Tom Hagen in both parts of ‘The Godfather?’”

In Apocalypse Now, also directed by Coppola, Duvall delivered one of cinema’s most indelible performances as Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore, a surfing-obsessed cavalry officer amid the chaos of war. His line — “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” — became one of the most quoted in film history.

Coppola once said of him: “Actors click into character at different times — the first week, third week. Bobby's hot after one or two takes.”

Duvall received supporting actor Oscar nominations for both “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” but declined to appear in the third installment of the mafia saga after a salary dispute — a decision widely lamented by fans and critics. He spoke openly about being offered less than his co-stars.

Known for meticulous preparation and intense focus, Duvall earned a reputation among fellow actors for his seriousness. Michael Caine once remarked that before a big scene, “Bobby just sits there, absolutely quiet; you know when not to talk to him.” His temper was equally legendary, flaring during the filming of the John Wayne Western “True Grit” after clashing with director Henry Hathaway.

He won the Academy Award in 1984 for “Tender Mercies,” accepting it in a cowboy tuxedo. In 1998, he was nominated again for best actor for The Apostle, a project he wrote, directed, produced and largely financed after spending 12 years developing it and visiting dozens of Southern churches for research.

Among his many other notable roles were appearances in True Grit, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, M*A*S*H, Network, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution and The Great Santini.

“When I was doing ‘Colors’ in 1988 with Sean Penn, someone asked me how I do it all these years, keep it fresh. Well, if you don’t overwork, have some hobbies, you can do it and stay hungry even if you’re not really hungry," Duvall told The Associated Press in 1990.

Even into his mid-80s, he continued working, earning a supporting Oscar nomination for The Judge. Later projects included Widows and 12 Mighty Orphans.

Born in 1931 in San Diego and raised in Navy towns including Annapolis, Duvall was the son of a career naval officer. Drawing on his upbringing, he often portrayed complex military figures, including the volatile patriarch in “The Great Santini,” a role partly inspired by his father.

After struggling academically, he found his calling in college drama classes and later studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, alongside aspiring actors such as Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman. Early television roles in “The Naked City” and “The Defenders” followed, setting the stage for one of the most enduring careers in American film.

Between major productions, Duvall pursued personal projects, directing documentaries and independent films including “Angelo, My Love” and Assassination Tango. A lifelong tango enthusiast, he spent years studying the dance in Argentina, which inspired the 2003 film.

In 2005, he married Luciana Pedraza, 42 years his junior. His three previous marriages ended in divorce.

Over a career that defied typecasting and convention, Robert Duvall remained a performer driven not by fame, but by the pursuit of authenticity — a craftsman devoted to revealing the depths of the human spirit.