“My Dad loved working with him, often telling me that, “Robert was a consummate professional and a brilliant actor,” Katina Zinner, daughter of Academy Award-winning film editor, Peter Zinner, commented when she was informed that Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall, 95, died on Feb. 15. Duvall’s wife, Luciana Pedraza, an actress and director whom Duvall married in 2005, sadly announced his death on Feb. 16 in a Facebook post.
Duvall has a long-standing connection to Malibu, where he owned property, including a home in Serra Retreat, that he sold in 2003, according to virtualglobtrotting.com. Duvall passed away at his home in Middleburg, Virginia, a place he loved as he was a longtime conservationist and advocate for protecting open spaces there and across the country. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
A native of San Diego, the actor made his feature film debut as Boo Radley in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In his decades-long career, Duvall became best known for his roles in “The Godfather,” a film for which both he and Zinner were nominated for Academy Awards, as well as for “Apocalypse Now,” “The Apostle,” “The Judge,” “The Great Santini,” and “Tender Mercies,” for which Duvall was awarded Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1984.
During his esteemed and storied career, Duvall was also nominated for other Academy Awards for “Apocalypse Now,” “The Great Santini,” “The Apostle,” and for legal thrillers, “A Civil Action” and, most recently, “The Judge.” He received the BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award for his role as the tough Lieutenant Colonel William “Bill” Kilgore in “Apocalypse Now” (1979). He won the Screen Actors Guild Award for playing an attorney in “A Civil Action” (1998).
Duvall’s performances in various television roles also garnered award nominations and he won two Primetime Emmy Awards. including for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his role as an aging cowboy in the AMC western miniseries “Broken Trail” (2006). Previously, he was Emmy-nominated for playing Texas Ranger Capt. “Gus” McCrae in the CBS western miniseries “Lonesome Dove” (1989), Joseph Stalin in the HBO television film “Stalin” (1992), and the dual role of Adolf Eichmann and Ricardo Klement in the TNT film “The Man Who Captured Eichmann” (1996). Duvall’s last screen credit was the Christian Bale-starring 2002 film, “The Pale Blue Eye.”
Pedraza’s announcement regarding the beloved actor’s death stated, “Yesterday, we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the great actors of our time. Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort. His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court. 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. Thank you for the years of support you showed Bob and for giving us this time and privacy to celebrate the memories he leaves behind.”
She added, “To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything.”
In a social media post, Malibu actress Jane Seymour wrote: “There are actors who perform, and there are actors who inhabit a role completely. Robert Duvall did the latter. His screen presence carried honesty, weight, and grace. I am thankful for the moments shared for the artistry he gave the world.” Seymour starred alongside Duvall in the 1995 film “The Stars Fell on Henrietta.”
