Robert Duvall was born on January 6, 1931, in San Diego, California. His father, William Howard Duvall, served in the United States Navy and eventually reached the rank of Rear Admiral. Robert Duvall was round 10 years old when his family moved east, and he would spend most of his remaining childhood in the Anapolis, Maryland area. Robert Duvall attended Severn School in Severna, Maryland and then attended Principa College in Elsah, Illinois (a village near St. Louis). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from Principa in 1953.
Robert Duvall's father fully expected him to attend the United States Naval Academy, but young Robert Duvall enlisted in the United States Army instead. He served in the Army for two years. In 1955, he moved to New York City where he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. His roommate was Dustin Hoffman, and his classmates ind included Gene Hackman and James Caan. He made his television debut in an episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre in 1959. In 1960, he guest-starred on the shows Armstrong Circle Theatre and Playhouse 90.
It was in 1962 that Robert Duvall made his movie debut in one of his most acclaimed roles, playing the simple-minded Boo Radley in the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. During the Sixties, he also appeared in the movies Captain Newman, M.D. (1963), Nightmare in the Sun (1965), The Chase (1966), Countdown (1967), The Detective (1968), Bullitt (1968), True Grit (1969), The Rain People (1969),. MASH (1970), and The Revolutionary (1970). He made several guest appearances on television, including Great Ghost Stories. Cain's Hundred, Shannon, Route 66, Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Untouchables, The Twilight Zone, The Virginian, Stoney Burke, Arrest and Trial, The Lieutenant, Kraft Suspense Theatre, The Outer Limits, The Fugitive, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Defenders , The F.B.I., Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Hawk, Shane, The Felony Squad, The Time Tunnel, T.H.E. Cat, Combat!, The Cimarron Strip, The Wild Wild West, Run for Your Life, Judd for the Defence, CBS Playhouse, and The Mod Squad. He appeared on Broadway in Wait Until Dark.
In the Seventies, Robert Duvall was nominated for the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor for the movies The Godfather (1972) and Apocalypse Now (1980), and for Best Actor for The Great Santini (1979). He appeared in the movies Lawman (1971), THX 1138 (1971), Tomorrow (1972), The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972), (1972), Joe Kidd (1972), Lady Ice (1973), Badge 373 (1973), The Outfit (1973), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), Breakout (1975), The Killer Elite (1975), The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), Network (1976), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), The Greatest (1977), The Betsy (1978), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979), and The Great Santini (1979). On television, he appeared in the mini-series Ike. He appeared on Broadway in American Buffalo. Robet Duvall made his feature film directorial debut with We're Not the Jet Set in 1971.
In the Eighties, Robert Duvall played Captain Gus McRae in the mini-series Lonesome Dove, for which he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special. He appeared in the TV movie The Terry Fox Story. Robert Duvall appeared in the movies True Confessions (1981), The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981), (1983), Tender Mercies (1983), The Stone Boy (1984), The Natural (1984), The Lightship (1985), Belizaire the Cajun (1986), Let's Get Harry (1986), Hotel Colonial (1987), (1988), Colours (1988), The Handmaid's Tale (1990), A Show of Force (1990), and Days of Thunder (1990). He directed the movie Angelo My Love (1983).
In the Nineties, Robert Duvall directed the movie The Apostle (1997), in which he also starred. He appeared n the movies Rambling Rose (1991), Convicts (1991), (1992), Newsies (1992), La peste (1992), Falling Down (1993), Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993), The Paper (1994). The Stars Fell on Henrietta (1995), Something to Talk About (1995), The Scarlett Letter (1995), A Family Thing (1996), Phenomenon (1996), Sling Blade (1996), The Gingerbread Man (1998), Deep Impact (1998), A Civil Action (1998), Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000), A Shot at Glory (2000), and The 6th Day (2000). He appeared on television in the TV movies Stalin and The Man Who Captured Eichmann. He guest starred on Saturday Night Live.
In the Naughts, Robert Duvall appeared on the two-part TV movie Broken Trail. He directed the movie Assassination Tango (2002), in which he also appeared. He appeared in the movies John Q (2002), Gods and Generals (2003), Open Range (2003), Secondhand Lions (2003), Kicking & Screaming (2005), Thank You for Smoking (2005), Lucky You (2007, We Own the Night (2007), Four Christmases (2008), The Road (2009), and Crazy Heart (2009). In the Teens, he directed and appeared in the movies Wild Horses (2015). He appeared in the movies Seven Days in Utopia (2011), Jayne Mansfield's Car (2012), Jack Reacher (2012),A Night in Old Mexico (2013), The Judge (2014), In Dubious Battle (2016), and Widows (2016). In the 2020s, he appeared in the movies 12 Mighty Orphans (2021), Hustle (2022), and The Pale Blue Eye (2022).
Robert Duvall was one of the greatest actors of the late 20th Century and the early 21st Century. He was so remarkable that it is difficult to summarize his greatest performances in a matter of paragraphs. To adequately do them justice would take an entire book. He could play a wide variety of characters. He played the mentally unbalanced surfing fanatic Lt Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now. He the character of the title in The Great Santini, a larger than life Marine pilot whose personality clashes with his family. In The Godfather, he was the Corleone's non-Italian consigliere, who served as a voice of reason. Robert Duvall even knocked it out of the park with his film debut. He played the gentle and protective Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. What might have been his most famous television role was Captain Gus McCrae, the free-spirited but nonetheless philosophical former Texas Ranger in the min-series Lonesome Dove.
Robert Duvall gave a number of great performances even in his lesser known work. This was particularly true of his work in television, on which he left us with a number of great performances. In "A Hole in the City," one of the Naked City episodes on which he guest-starred, he played Lewis Nunda, an armoured car robber who finds himself haunted by his past. In the Route 66 episode "Birdcage on My Foot," he played a heroin addict that Tod (Martin Milner) attempts to rehabilitate. In the Twilight Zone episode "Miniature," he played a a lonely man who becomes convinced that the figures in a dollhouse are alive. His movie The Apostle may not be as well known as The Godfather or Apocalypse Now, but Robert Duvall gives a remarkable performance as the flawed, but sincere Sonny. Among his best-loved performances is that of Hub McCann, the bigger-than-life great uncle of Walter (Haley Joel Osment).
Robert Duvall was a giant when it came to acting. He had but few peers, and he was unmatched when it came to the variety of roles he could play. While the fame of other actors may fade with time, Robert Duvall will always be remembered for the many great performances he leaves behind.
