Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall, one of the great American actors of the 20th and 21st centuries, died Sunday, February 15, 2026, at the age of 95. His wife, Luciana, announced on social media that he passed peacefully at home.

Duvall is known for starring in some of the most iconic movies in film history, including "The Godfather," "Apocalypse Now," "M*A*S*H," "Network," "To Kill a Mockingbird," and the television miniseries "Lonesome Dove."

"To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller," Luciana Duvall wrote. "To me, he was simply everything. 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."

Duvall was born January 5, 1931, in San Diego, and grew up in Annapolis, Maryland. As a young man, he studied acting at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre alongside contemporaries including Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and James Caan. He roomed with Hackman and Hoffman, and he remained lifelong friends with both actors.

Duvall's early acting career, beginning in the early 1950s, was interrupted by a brief post-Korean War stint in the U.S. Army, but when he returned to the States, he quickly gained a reputation as a fine stage actor. His debut film role was Boo Radley, the local recluse, in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), and he appeared in "Bullitt" (1968), "True Grit" (1969), and "THX 1138" (1971) before "The Godfather" made him a major star and earned him his first Oscar nomination.

Duvall uttered one of the most memorable quotes in cinema history when his Lt. Col. Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now" (1979) said: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Other classic films in which Duvall appeared include "The Natural" (1984), "Deep Impact" (1998), "The Apostle" (1997), and "Wild Horses" (2015), the latter two of which he also wrote and directed. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for "Tender Mercies" (1983).

On television, Duvall was Emmy nominated for his role in "Lonesome Dove" – his personal favorite role – and won Emmys for "Stalin" and "Broken Trail." He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2005.

By Legacy News Staff

(Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images)