Robert Duvall

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Robert Duvall

Born January 5, 1931(Age 75)
San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Notable roles Gordon in The Rain People
Major Frank Burns in MASH
THX 1138 in THX 1138
Tom Hagen in The Godfather and in The Godfather Part II
Frank Hackett in Network
Lt. Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now
Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies
Calvin Caspary in The Lightship
Officer Bob Hodges in Colors
Gus McCrae in Lonesome Dove
Harry Hogge in Days of Thunder
Martin Prendergast in Falling Down
Walter in Wrestling Ernest Hemingway
Sonny Dewey in The Apostle
Jerome Facher in A Civil Action
Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals
Boss Spearman in Open Range
Academy
 Awards		 Best Actor, Tender Mercies (1983)

Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an Academy Award-winning American film actor and director.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Duvall was born in San Diego, California. His father, William Howard Duvall, was a retired U.S. Navy admiral with French Huguenot roots; his mother was an amateur actress and a descendant of American Civil War General Robert E. Lee. His father was a Methodist and his mother was a Christian Scientist; he was raised in the Christian Science religion, which he claims to follow today despite many years living a decidedly un-Christian lifestyle (as he states in a 2006 article in Vanity Fair).

Duvall grew up in a military family, living for a time in Annapolis, Maryland near the United States Naval Academy. He served in the United States Army (service number 52 346 646) from 19 August 1953 to 20 August 1954, achieving the rank of Private First Class and receiving the National Defense Service Medal.

Duvall studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York under Sanford Meisner. While struggling as an actor, he worked at a Manhattan post office as a clerk but quit after six months.

[edit] Film career

His screen debut was as Boo Radley in the critically acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Duvall later played the notorious malefactor Ned Pepper in True Grit (1969), but his breakout role was a decade later as Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974). He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in A Civil Action and for his role as Lt. Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979). His line "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" from Apocalypse Now is now regarded as iconic in cinema history. the full text is as follows:

"You smell that? Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' chink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory."

He directed the critically acclaimed The Apostle, about a preacher on the run from the law, and Assassination Tango (2002), a thriller about one of his favorite hobbies, tango. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2005. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 18, 2003.

Duvall portrayed General Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals in 2003 and is actually a relative of the historical figure.

As Duvall has stated in several publications such as "CBS Sunday Morning", his favorite character to play was Gus McCrae, in "Lonesome Dove". A strong and whitty [sassy] character that he has mirrored in "Open Range" and "Broken Trail".

[edit] Academy Awards

Wins:

Nominations:

Duvall starred in two of Francis Ford Coppola's acclaimed works: The Godfather series and Apocalypse Now. Here is a screen capture from Apocalypse Now when he recites his most famous line, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," rated the most popular line in cinema by a poll conducted by the BBC.
Enlarge
Duvall starred in two of Francis Ford Coppola's acclaimed works: The Godfather series and Apocalypse Now. Here is a screen capture from Apocalypse Now when he recites his most famous line, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," rated the most popular line in cinema by a poll conducted by the BBC.

[edit] Personal life

Duvall is close friends with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman, both of whom he has known since their struggling actor days.

Duvall has been married four times:

  • Barbara Benjamin (1964 - 1975)
  • Gail Youngs (1982 - 1986)
  • Sharon Brophy (1991 - 1996)
  • Luciana Pedraza (2005 - present)

He met Pedraza on a street in Buenos Aires. They were both born on January 5, but Duvall is 40 years older. They have been together since 1997.

Duvall speaks fluent Spanish and maintains a home in Virginia. He has the same birthday as Godfather co-star Diane Keaton. His favorite city is Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an avid Tango dancer and soccer fan.

Duvall is a staunch Republican and was personally invited to George W. Bush's inauguration in 2001. He attended the event.

[edit] Partial filmography

Awards
Preceded by:
Ben Kingsley
for Gandhi		 Academy Award for Best Actor
1983
for Tender Mercies		 Succeeded by:
F. Murray Abraham
for Amadeus

[edit] External links

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