Biography

One of Hollywood's most popular and versatile actors, distinguished American leading and supporting actor Robert Duvall possesses a rare gift for totally immersing himself in his roles. Born in San Diego, CA, on January 5, 1931 and raised by an admiral, Duvall fought in Korea for two years after graduating from Principia College. Upon his Army discharge, Duvall moved to New York to study acting with the Neighborhood Playhouse, where he won much acclaim for his portrayal of a longshoreman in A View from the Bridge. Later he acted in stock and off Broadway, and had his onscreen debut as Gregory Peck's simple-minded neighbor Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird (1963).

During his early film career, Duvall, with his intense expressions and chiseled features, frequently played troubled, lonely characters in other films such as The Chase (1966). Whatever the role, be it a lead or character part, Duvall brings to it an almost tangible intensity tempered by an ability to make his characters real (in contrast to certain contemporary actors who never let the viewer forget that they are watching a star playing a role). Though well-respected and popular, Duvall largely eschews the traditionally glitzy life of a Hollywood star. Over his career, he has worked with some of contemporary Hollywood's greatest directors, including a long association with Francis Ford Coppola, for whom he worked in two Godfather movies (1972 and 1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979). Duvall's several Oscar nominations include one for his acclaimed performance as a dyed-in-the-wool military father who victimizes his family with his disciplinarian tirades in The Great Santini (1980). For his portrayal of a has-been country singer in Tender Mercies -- a role for which he composed and performed his own songs -- Duvall earned his first Academy Award for Best Actor. He also directed and co-produced Angelo, My Love (1984), and earned acclaim for his memorable appearance in Rambling Rose (1991). One of Duvall's greatest personal triumphs was the production of The Apostle, the powerful tale of a fallen Southern preacher who finds redemption. Duvall wrote the script 15 years before and was unable to find a backer, so in the mid-'90s he financed the film himself. Directing and starring in the piece, Duvall earned considerable acclaim, including an Oscar-nomination for Best Actor.

The 1990s were a good decade for Duvall in general; his films, though not always successful, brought him steady work and great variety. Not many other actors could boast of playing such a diversity of characters: from a retired barber in 1993's Wrestling Ernest Hemingway to an ailing editor in The Paper (1994) to Billy Bob Thornton's father in the harrowing Sling Blade (1996) to James Earl Jones' brother in the same year's A Family Thing (which he also produced). 1998 saw Duvall take on two very different father roles, first in the asteroid extravaganza Deep Impact, and then in Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man.

Throughout his film career, Duvall has also continued to work on stage. In addition, he occasionally appeared in TV miniseries such as Lonesome Dove (1989) and Stalin (1992), and has done voice-over work for Lexus commercials. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Lost City, The (2004)
Secondhand Lions (2003) .... Hub
Open Range (2003)
Gods and Generals (2003) .... Gen. Robert E. Lee
Behind the Scenes of 'John Q' (2002) (V) .... Himself
Assassination Tango (2002) .... John J. Anderson
John Q (2002) .... Lt. Frank Grimes
... aka John Q. (2002) (USA: poster title)
"With the Filmmaker: Portraits by Albert Maysles" (2001) TV Series .... Himself
6th Day, The (2000) .... Dr. Griffin Weir
... aka Sixième jour, Le (2000) (Canada: French title)
Shot at Glory, A (2000) .... Gordon McLeod
Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) .... Otto Halliwell
Fearful Symmetry (1998) (V) .... Himself
... aka Fearful Symmetry: The Making of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1998) (V) (USA)
"Unseen Hollywood" (1998) TV Series .... Himself
Civil Action, A (1998) .... Jerome Facher
Deep Impact (1998) .... Captain Spurgeon 'Fish' Tanner
70th Annual Academy Awards, The (1998) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself (Past Oscar Winner Tribute Sequence)
Gingerbread Man, The (1998) .... Dixon Doss
Workin' Man: A Tribute to Merle Haggard (1998) (TV) .... Himself
"Celebrity Profile" (1997) TV Series .... Himself
Apostle, The (1997) .... Euliss 'Sonny' Dewey - The Apostle E.F.
Kennedy Center Honors, The (1996) (TV) .... Himself
Man Who Captured Eichmann, The (1996) (TV) .... Adolf Eichmann
Sling Blade (1996) .... Mr. Childers
... aka Reckoning (1996)
Phenomenon (1996) .... Doc
Family Thing, A (1996) .... Earl Pilcher Jr.
Scarlet Letter, The (1995) .... Dr. Roger Prynne/Roger Chillingworth
Stars Fell on Henrietta, The (1995) .... Mr. Cox
Something to Talk About (1995) .... Wyly King
... aka Grace Under Pressure (1995)
Paper, The (1994) .... Bernie White, Editor New York Sun
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993) .... Walter
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) .... Al Sieber, Chief of Scouts
Falling Down (1993) .... Prendergast
... aka Chute libre (1993/II) (France)
Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980, The (1992) (V) .... Tom Hagen
... aka Godfather Saga, The (1992) (V) (USA)
... aka Godfather Trilogy, The (1992) (V)
Stalin (1992) (TV) .... Josef Stalin
Peste, La (1992) .... Joseph Grand
... aka Plague, The (1992)
Newsies (1992) .... Joseph Pulitzer
... aka Newsboys (1992)
64th Annual Academy Awards, The (1992) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Godfather Family: A Look Inside, The (1991) (TV) .... Himself
Lonesome Dove: The Making of an Epic (1991) (TV) .... Himself
Rambling Rose (1991) .... Daddy
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991) .... Himself
Convicts (1990) .... Soll
... aka Horton Foote's Convicts (1990) (USA: complete title)
Days of Thunder (1990) .... Harry Hogge
Show of Force, A (1990) .... Howard
Handmaid's Tale, The (1990) .... Commander
... aka Geschichte der Dienerin, Die (1990) (Germany)
"Lonesome Dove" (1989) (mini) TV Series .... Augustus 'Gus' McCrae
Colors (1988) .... Officer Bob Hodges
Apocalypse Pooh (1987) (TV) (voice) .... Gopher
Tango Bayle nuestro (1987)
... aka Tango, Our Dance (1987) (USA)
Hotel Colonial (1987) .... Roberto Corrosco (Luca)
Let's Get Harry (1986) .... Shrike
... aka Rescue, The (1986)
Belizaire the Cajun (1986) .... The Preacher
Lightship, The (1985) .... Caspary
... aka Killers at Sea (1985) (USA: TV title)
Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret (1984) .... Himself
Stone Boy, The (1984) .... Joe Hillerman
Natural, The (1984) .... Max Mercy
Terry Fox Story, The (1983) (TV) .... Bill Vigars
Tender Mercies (1983) .... Mac Sledge
Aliens From Another Planet (1982) (TV) .... Nimon
Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, The (1981) .... Gruen
... aka Pursuit (1981)
True Confessions (1981) .... Tom Spellacy
Great Santini, The (1979) .... Bull Meechum
... aka Ace, The (1979)
... aka Gift of Fury, The (1979) (USA)
Apocalypse Now (1979) .... Lt. Colonel William 'Bill' Kilgore
... aka Apocalypse Now Redux (2001) (International: longer version English title)
"Ike" (1979) (mini) TV Series .... Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ike: The War Years (1978) (TV) .... General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) (uncredited) .... Priest on Swing
Betsy, The (1978) .... Loren Hardeman III
... aka Harold Robbins' The Betsy (1978)
Greatest, The (1977) .... Bill McDonald
Seven-Per-Cent Solution, The (1976) .... Dr. John H. Watson/Narrator
Eagle Has Landed, The (1976) .... Colonel Max Radl
Network (1976) .... Frank Hackett
Killer Elite, The (1975) .... George Hansen
Breakout (1975) .... Jay Wagner
Godfather: Part II, The (1974) .... Tom Hagen
... aka Mario Puzo's The Godfather: Part II (1974) (USA: complete title)
Outfit, The (1974) .... Earl Macklin
Conversation, The (1974) (uncredited) .... The Director
Badge 373 (1973) .... Eddie Ryan
Lady Ice (1973) .... Ford Pierce
Tomorrow (1972) .... Jackson Fentry
Joe Kidd (1972) .... Frank Harlan
... aka Joe Kidd (1972) (USA)
Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid, The (1972) .... Jesse James
Godfather, The (1972) .... Tom Hagen
... aka Mario Puzo's The Godfather (1972) (USA: complete title)
Lawman (1971) .... Vernon Adams
THX 1138 (1971) .... THX 1138
Revolutionary, The (1970) .... Despard
MASH (1970) .... Maj. Frank Burns
... aka M*A*S*H (1970)
Rain People, The (1969) .... Gordon
True Grit (1969) .... 'Lucky' Ned Pepper
Bullitt (1968) .... Weissberg (Sunshine Cab driver)
Detective, The (1968) .... Nestor
Countdown (1968) .... Chiz
Flesh and Blood (1968) (TV) .... Howard
Cosa Nostra, Arch Enemy of the FBI (1967) (TV) .... Ernie Milden
Fame Is the Name of the Game (1966) (TV) .... Eddie Franchot
Chase, The (1966) .... Edwin Stewart
Nightmare in the Sun (1965) .... Motorcyclist
Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) .... Capt. Paul Cabot Winston
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) .... Arthur 'Boo' Radley
John Brown's Raid (1960) (TV)