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Revision as of 04:21, 2 May 2007

Robert Duvall
BornRobert Selden Duvall

Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an Academy Award and four-time Golden Globe winning American film actor and director.

Biography

Early life

Duvall was born in San Diego, California. His father, William Howard Duvall, was a retired U.S. Navy admiral with French Huguenot roots; his mother was an amateur actress and a descendant of American Civil War General Robert E. Lee. His father was a Methodist and his mother was a Christian Scientist; he was raised in the Christian Science religion, which he claims to follow today despite many years living a decidedly un-Christian Scientist lifestyle (as he states in a 2006 article in Vanity Fair).

Duvall grew up in a military family, living for a time in Annapolis, Maryland near the United States Naval Academy. He was expelled from Severn School in Annapolis. He served in the United States Army (service number 52 346 646) from 19 August 1953 to 20 August 1954, achieving the rank of Private First Class and receiving the National Defense Service Medal.

Duvall studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York under Sanford Meisner. While struggling as an actor, he worked at a Manhattan post office as a clerk but quit after six months. Duvall is close friends with actors Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman whom he knew during their years as struggling actors. At one point, Duvall roomed with Hoffman while they were looking for work.

Film career

His screen debut was as Boo Radley in the critically acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Duvall later played the notorious malefactor Ned Pepper in True Grit (1969), and Major Frank Burns in the film version of MASH (1970), but his breakout role was that of Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974). He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in A Civil Action and for his role as Lt. Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979). His line "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" from Apocalypse Now is now regarded as iconic in cinema history. The full text is as follows:

You smell that? Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory.

(Pause)

Some day this war is going to end....

He directed the critically acclaimed The Apostle, about a preacher on the run from the law, and Assassination Tango (2002), a thriller about one of his favorite hobbies, tango. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2005. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 18, 2003.

Duvall portrayed General Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals in 2003 and is actually a relative of the Confederate general.

He has stated in several forums, including CBS Sunday Morning, that his favorite role was that of Gus McCrae in Lonesome Dove.

Academy Awards

Wins:

Nominations:

File:Robertduval2.jpg
Duvall starred in two of Francis Ford Coppola's acclaimed works: The Godfather series and Apocalypse Now. Here is a screen capture from Apocalypse Now when he recites his most famous line, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," rated the most popular line in cinema by a poll conducted by the BBC.

Personal life

Duvall is close friends with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman, both of whom he has known since their struggling actor days.

Duvall has been married four times:

  • Barbara Benjamin (1964 - 1975)
  • Gail Youngs (1982 - 1986)
  • Sharon Brophy (1991 - 1996)
  • Luciana Pedraza (2005 - present)

He met Pedraza on a street in Buenos Aires. They were both born on January 5, but Duvall is 40 years older. They have been together since 1997.

Duvall speaks fluent Spanish and maintains a farm in The Plains, Virginia in Fauquier County, Virginia. He has the same birthday as Godfather co-star Diane Keaton who is born 1946. His favorite city is Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an avid Tango dancer and soccer fan.

Duvall's political views are variously described as libertarian or conservative ]. He was personally invited to Republican President George W. Bush's inauguration in 2001. He attended the event. He is currently actively involved in a legal battle against a local power company's plans to put high-voltage power lines through his local area.

Partial filmography

Template:S-awards
Preceded byBen Kingsley
for Gandhi 		Academy Award for Best Actor
1983
for Tender Mercies 		Succeeded byF. Murray Abraham
for Amadeus

External links

Template:Persondata

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