ADDED: "I don’t try to be a hard guy to work with.... But I decide what I’m going to do with a character. I will take direction, but only if it kind of supplements what I want to do. If I have instincts that I feel are right, I don’t want anybody to tamper with them. I don’t like tamperers, and I don’t like hoverers."
February 16, 2026
Goodbye to Robert Duvall.
"Robert Duvall, Chameleonlike Actor of Film, Stage and TV, Dies at 95/The Oscar winner was known for his ability to disappear into roles, playing a wide range of characters in films such as 'Apocalypse Now' and 'The Godfather,' and in the television series 'Lonesome Dove'" (NYT)(gift link).
Why there he is:
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58 comments:
One of the all time greats. See Lonesome Dove
...so many roles made great by...
The old movies and the overwhelming use of violins. eee.
Damn. One of the truly great actors. To Kill a Mockingbird was his first , he was in some great movies for the next 50+ years.
One of my all-time favorites. He made every role deeper and better. He was fortunate to be cast in so many well-written movies and shows.
Loved Robert Duvall. Always a solid performance. The Godfather movies, Tender mercies, MASH, etc. Some good roles on "Combat" and numerous dramas/westerns TV shows in the 60s.
I guess this is why he always seems to be playing Robert Duvall with all the usual tics: "I will take direction, but only if it kind of supplements what I want to do." Robert Duvall was a good role to play, mind you.
Goodbye to The Great Santini. One of the greats of our generation. Very few with his range and ability to take over the scene, not by being loud, but by being real.
He had great range. The timid bank clerk in "The chase". The outlandish colonel in Apocolypse now. A German explosvies expert on Combat. The Good cop in "Falling down". Ned Pepper in "True Grit". Not to mention "Stalin" and "Ike". And a likable loser in "Minature" Twlight zone.
Our Alec Guiness
"I don’t like tamperers, and I don’t like hoverers."
Would make a good masthead motto. CC, JSM
Turns out I've seen very few of his movies. Godfather speaks for itself. I loved Tender Mercies, with him in the lead. I love everything about the Conversation, in which he has a limited uncredited role. I love Falling Down, which my son seems to think is a precursor to ugle Trumpian thinking. I suspect Apocalypse Now is just crazy, maybe reflecting how the Vietnam War came to occupy the minds of Americans.
The judge beat me to it. Absolutely love him in Lonesome Dove. I've probably watched it 6-8 times over the years.
Liked him fine in other roles but Lonseome Dove absolutely kicked pigs.
So long Gus.
John Henry
I’ve seen nearly all of his movies. What a splendid actor… one of the best if not THE best of his generation. RIP.
God, he was a great actor and a pleasure to watch. R.I.P.
I'll give one that most won't think of....Phenomenon.
Wait a minute… maybe he’s just catching his breath. (One of my favorite roles was him in “Geronimo: An American Legend“)
even in minor roles like reacher, he nearly stole the role from
tom cruise, similarly in deep impact,
John henry said...
The judge beat me to it. Absolutely love him in Lonesome Dove. I've probably watched it 6-8 times over the years.
Liked him fine in other roles but Lonseome Dove absolutely kicked pigs.
So long Gus.
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I also liked him in Open Range.
His best role was in "Network".
Curious George, I also thought of Phenomenon. It was a minor supporting role, but Duvall executed it brilliantly. Also. Second Hand Lions, with Michael Caine.
I've read that Duvall's favorite role was as Gus in Lonesome Dove, and I agree wholeheartedly. Outstanding adaptation of an outstanding book.
A committed Christian as well, and wonderful as the flawed evangelist in The Apostle. Like everyone else, loved him in Lonesome Dove, probably the best thing Tommy Lee Jones ever did.
First Hackman. Now, Duvall. You gotta wonder how much longer Clint will last.
When SyFi network was playing their Twilight Zone marathon on New Year's I recognized him in an episode. I tried to tell my wife who he was and our only point of shared reference was as the dad in Four Christmases.
Mary Anne Meechum: Hey Dad, why do you love me more than your other children?
Bull Meechum: Beat it, I'm reading the sports page.
Mary Anne Meechum: Let's have a conversation Dad. Let's bare our souls and get to know one another.
Bull Meechum: I don't want you to get to know me. I like being an enigma, like a Chink. Now scram.
Mary Anne Meechum: Am I a Meechum Dad? Can girls be real Meechums; girls without jump shots? Or am I a simple form of Meechum, like in biology. Mary Anne, the one-celled Meechum.
Bull Meechum: Mary Anne scram, I'm starting to lose my temper; Lilian!
Mary Anne Meechum: [falls to the ground] Dad, I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant by a negro Daddy. His name is Rufus, I didn't wanna tell you but since we're baring our souls to each other. Rufus is a pacifist; a pacifist homosexual.
Bull Meechum: Jesus H. Christ! Lilian, I'm going to the club. I'll see you all at the game! I can't stand it around here!
[storms off as Mary Anne follows him]
Mary Anne Meechum: But you'll get to like him after awhile Dad. Dwarfs are easy to like, especially when they're bald and cross-eyed... Dad... Dad... *Dad*!
What happened to us?
he and hoffman and hackman were in the same acting class,
Damn. He always seemed like just a regular guy. Imagine how great it would have been just to sit down and have a beer with him. RIP
His work is the kind that turns a product into fine art.
Long life. RIP
He managed to live a fairly normal life a bit west of me in what is still pretty decent Virginia horse country. As normal as possible, that is to say, as man with that level of wealth and achievement. Locals were respectful and protective.
With DeNiro and Durning in True Confessions, his understated performance outclassed DeNiro by a country mile, and I'd bet DeNiro probably didn't even realize it until final screening. A terrific actor, RIP.
I read once that he brought in Wilford Brimley, a friend, on Tender Mercies because the director was driving him crazy, and he needed someone he trusted to run interference.
‘Can’t do it, Sally…’
What a line and what a delivery. Wow. RIP
My recollection of his career is not about any of Robert Duvall’s performances, outstanding as they were, but an Oscar acceptance speech by Dustin Hoffman, where he compared his work — unfavorably — to the performances of Bob Duvall. I tried to find it on YouTube but so far no luck. Can anyone help?
Aggie "With DeNiro and Durning in True Confessions, his understated performance outclassed DeNiro by a country mile, and I'd bet DeNiro probably didn't even realize it until final screening. A terrific actor, RIP."
I agree 100%. Maybe his best performance of all time. And yes, he was leaps and bounds above DeNiro. Probably my favorite movie of his.
I
RIP, Man. One of the all-time greats.
He will forever be Gus McCrea.
“Hey Boo”.
“It’s not dying I’m talking about it’s living”
“By God Woodrow, it’s been one hell of a party”
Secondhand Lions. Who’s left of that caliber?
Michael caine (but hes mostly retired)
Jon voight but he chose poorly with megalopolis
How can one forget thx 1138
Back in the 1980s, I was at a friend’s house for a cookout. He was hosting some missionaries from his church. They were based on one of the Pacific island nations but I don’t remember which one. They mentioned how their flock got their knowledge about the US from movies. I suggested they watch Tender Mercies to get a different perspective. As was so often the case, Duvall gave a masterful performance in that movie.
Lonesome Dove and Open Range were great westerns.
Tender Mercies and Secondhand Lions were great, very original stories.
The Godfather is a timeless classic.
His career spanned so many genres and his consistent excellence is the mark of a true professional.
Second Hand Lions is an underrated movie. Excepting for one line, it’s okay for young people to watch.
His father was an admiral during WWII. You can read that Duvall thought he was a direct descendant of Robert E. Lee (whom he played in "Gods and Generals") through his mother. AI thinks that too. It's not true. He may have been descended from a different branch of the large Lee family.
His father's people came from the Virginia backcountry. His grandfather, Abraham Lincoln Duvall (son of Andrew Jackson Duvall and father of William Howard Duvall) would have been very out of place in some parts of the state, but the Duvalls actually descended from prominent early settlers of Maryland
IMO - He was one of the greats.
One of the best ever ... and the most underrated.
Open Range and the two Godfather movies are my favs.
I was surprised about how many people were talking about "Second Hand Lions" on Twitter and not about "Lonesome Dove" or his roles in more famous movies.
Forever and always Capt.Gus. The scene in Lonesome Dove where Jake must be taken out is among the saddest in TV history. GOAT.
Robert Duvall was one of the greatest movie actors of my adult life. That was brought home to me when, in law school in the late '70s, my university had weekend movie nights. One Friday night movie to which I went was The Godfather, which I had seen several times before. The Saturday night movie, which I had not seen before, was A Seven Percent Solution. Unfortunately, I arrived a bit late for the start of that show, and so I missed the opening credits. When the closing credits ran, I saw that Duvall had played Dr. Watson.
Even though I had seen him the night before as Tom Hagen, I sat through the whole Seven Percent Solution movie having no idea that he was Dr. Watson. That's how good he was.
Jack Nicolson, for example, in my view, more or less played himself in his various roles. However much Duvall didn't like tamperers and hoverers, what he brought to each character he played was unique to that character, not just a little variation on himself.
So yes, sadly, goodbye to The Great Santini (thanks for that superb reference, Genghis) and to him in so many other fabulous performances. I doubt that I will see his like again.
Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
RIP, brother.
Open Range
he and hoffman and hackman were in the same acting class
Hoffman followed Hackman to New York and just showed up at his door. Moved in, and stole his couch. Hackman was like, "son of a bitch." He had to find an apartment for Hoffman. "Here. You live here."
Hoffman and Hackman
Apparently, Hoffman showed up at Duvall's place, too!
Hoffman and Duvall
Lots of people posting favorite lines from his movies. One of my favorites is from the movie “Something to Talk About “, with Dennis Quaid and Julia Roberts. In the movie, when his wife (Gena Rowland) finds out about his philandering, she has the locks changed. When Duvall arrives home he says “Now open this goddamn door. I might have fooled around but I never cheated.”
My favorite Robert Duvall movie is also my favorite religious movie, Tender Mercies. When he and his step-son are baptized it made me teary and reminded me of my own Southern Baptist experience.
"wonderful as the flawed evangelist in The Apostle. "
My experience is that pastor's love that movie.
"Back in the 1980s, I was at a friend’s house for a cookout. He was hosting some missionaries from his church. They were based on one of the Pacific island nations but I don’t remember which one. They mentioned how their flock got their knowledge about the US from movies. I suggested they watch Tender Mercies to get a different perspective."
Should have told them to watch The Apostle.
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