Hollywood has been left mourning one of the greats after Robert Duvall sadly died on Sunday.
The Godfather and Apocalypse Now star passed away at the age of 95.
Film New Blitz’s RC Stacey pays tribute to the late, great actor.
Robert Duvall ‘leaves something lasting and unforgettable’
Hollywood legend Duvall passed away peacefully in his home in Virginia on Sunday, 15 February.
A statement shared by his wife poured praise on the icon who delivered consistently excellent acting performances across a seven-decade career.
“For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented. In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all.”
Duvall was nominated for seven Oscars, winning Best Actor for his soul-searing performance in Tender Mercies in 1983.
However, it is for his work with visionary director Francis Ford Coppola, namely in The Godfather (1 and 2), that cemented him as not only a phenomenal performer, but one of those rare talents who could become the lasting memory of a film.
In only a sparing few minutes of screen time, he etched his delivery of “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” into cinema history, playing Lieutenant Colonel William Kilgore in Coppola’s Heart of Darkness adaptation, Apocalypse Now.
Born in January 1931, Duvall moved to New York as a young man to study acting.
It was here that he made lifelong friends Dustin Hoffman and the late Gene Hackman.
His acting career began in the Gateway Playhouse, where he performed in Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams plays.
Playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote was so impressed with Duvall’s performance in his play The Midnight Caller that he was compelled to cast Duvall as Boo Radley in the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
The rest, as they say, is history.
Hollywood pays tribute to an acting legend
Boasting a career working with Robert Altman, George Lucas, and acting opposite Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, and Michael Caine, his oeuvre saw him showered in personal accolades, including BAFTAs and four Golden Globes.
Duvall was also an accomplished writer and director, who cast a young Walton Goggins in his 1997 thriller The Apostle.
Goggins is quoted as saying, “Bobby Duvall, the greatest storyteller of all time just left us. He was my friend. My mentor… The privilege of getting to work with this man, to know this man is still the most important experience of my life. He was my North Star, my hero. He knew it.”
The rest of Hollywood has been pouring tributes for the late great star, with frequent co-star Al Pacino saying, “He was a born actor as they say, his connection with it, his understanding and his phenomenal gift will always be remembered. I will miss him.”
Robert De Niro said, “God bless Bobby. I hope I can live till I’m 95. May he rest in peace.”
“I was in awe,” said Widows co-star Viola Davis “I’ve always been in awe of your towering portrayals of men who were both quiet and dominating in their humanness. You were a giant… an icon.”
It is with heavy hearts that we here at Film New Blitz remember the cinematic icon that was Robert Duvall.
Do you have a favourite performance of his?
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