"Tender Mercies" Actor Robert Duvall 1931-2026 Career Memorial Video

Robert Selden Duvall (January 5, 1931 – February 15, 2026) was an American actor, filmmaker, and producer, best known for his roles in the later 20th century of Hollywood. Duvall began acting professionally on stage in 1952, performing in summer plays at the Gateway Playhouse in Bellport on Long Island until 1959, with a one-year break serving in the U.S. Army. He made contacts there that then led to a career on television in the 1960s on shows such as The Defenders, Playhouse 90, and Armstrong Circle Theatre. He made his Broadway debut in the play Wait Until Dark in 1966, and, in 1977, he returned from screen acting to the stage in David Mamet's play American Buffalo, earning a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play nomination.

He made his feature film debut portraying Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). His other early roles included Bullitt (1968), True Grit (1969), M*A*S*H (1970), THX 1138 (1971) and Tomorrow (1972), the last of which was developed at the Actors Studio and was his personal favorite. 

Duvall won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as an alcoholic former country music star in Tender Mercies (1983). His other Oscar-nominated roles included The Godfather (1972), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Great Santini (1979), The Apostle (1997), A Civil Action (1998), and The Judge (2014). 

Throughout his career, Duvall also starred in numerous television productions. He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for the AMC limited series Broken Trail (2006). His other Emmy-nominated roles included the CBS miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989), the HBO film Stalin (1992), and the TNT film The Man Who Captured Eichmann (1996).

With a career spanning seven decades, he received an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, four Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Volpi Cups for Best Actor, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was critically acclaimed for his technical proficiency and chameleon-like ability to assume a convincing role. Vincent Canby dubbed him "the American Olivier" in 1980 and this label stuck.

Death

Duvall died at his farm in Middleburg, Virginia, on February 15, 2026, at the age of 95. His death was announced through a public statement by his wife Luciana Pedraza.