Actor Robert Duvall died earlier this week at the age of 95, and no, I would never have guessed that he was that old. He was the consummate actor, good in everything he ever did. When I think of Duvall, I think immediately of two roles of his. The first, of course, is that of Tom Hagen, the Corleone Family consigliere in "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather Part II" (1974). The other is his portrayal of retired Texas Ranger turned cattle driver Augustus McCrea in the 1989 TV mini-series "Lonesome Dove" (that he didn't win an Emmy for that part is a crime).
But that's just me, and if your initial thoughts of Duvall are different than mine it is certainly understandable, because his list of acting credits, and there are 145 of them in IMDB, is astonishing. You actually learn, or at least I did, that Duvall was in some great movies that you saw and you didn't actually remember that he was in the cast. His first feature film role was that of Boo Radley in1962's "To Kill A Mockingbird". He had a bit part as a cab driver in the Steve McQueen classic "Bullitt" (1968), and he was the original Major Frank Burns in the movie "M*A*S*H" (1970). He was in "True Grit" with John Wayne in 1969, "The Eagle Has Landed" with Michael Caine in 1976, "True Confessions" with Robert DiNiro in 1981, and "The Natural" with Robert Redford in 1984. He was nominated for seven Oscars during his career and won one for "Tender Mercies" in 1983.
There were other great roles, and, I have probably left out some of your favorite Robert Duvall movies. In fact, in looking at his filmography, I noticed a credit for a 2018 movie called "Widows". It was a heist movie that I recall enjoying, but didn't remember that Duvall was in it. So I go into The Grandstander archives, and sure enough, on February 19, 2019 my write up on that movie included this:
"A terrific cast also features Liam Neeson, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, and Daniel Kaluuya. Consummate old pro Duvall pretty much dominates every scene that he is in."
And before all of the movie roles, Duvall made his bones acting in series television. Name a series that was on the air in the 1960's, and chances are, Duvall made an appearance. Naked City, Playhouse 90, Twilight Zone, The Fugitive, Route 66, and The Wild, Wild West are just a few of them.
What a Career. What an Actor.
RIP Robert Duvall.
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