1931-2026 ROBERT DUVALL A Hollywood Classic

THE ICONIC ACTOR NEVER WANTED STARDOM, BUT IT CAME FOR HIM ANYWAY, THANKS TO DECADES OF UNFORGETTABLE ROLES

- SCOTT HUVER

Robert Duvall always did Hollywood his own way. “I’m not perceived as a traditional leading man, but I never aimed at that sort of thing either,” said Duvall, who transformed from a committed character actor to a widely admired movie star over the course of his seven-decade career. “I never straightened my front teeth. I wasn’t cut out for that. Even if I did a ‘big’ movie, I’d still want to make it a real character,” he added to USA Today. Duvall—who died at 95 on Feb. 15 “peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort” at his farm in Middleburg, Va., according to his wife, filmmaker Luciana Pedraza, 53—ultimately became one of the most respected actors of his generation, earning a bevy of awards including an Oscar (amid seven nominations), four Golden Globes and two Emmys.