It is a heavy loss for the film world. Robert Duvall passed away this past Sunday, February 15, 2026, at his home in Middleburg, Virginia. His wife, Luciana, shared that he died peacefully surrounded by family. While no specific cause was given, reports indicate he had been experiencing the natural frailty of his 95 years but remained active until recently, even seen lifting weights just a few months ago.
Tributes have poured in from former co-stars like Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and John Travolta, as well as other Hollywood peers who remembered him as a “giant” and a “born actor.”
In the 1970s, Duvall solidified his reputation as one of Hollywood’s most respected performers, often described as the “No. 1 No. 2 lead” due to his unparalleled ability to steal scenes in supporting roles. This decade was his artistic peak, where his gritty, realistic acting style perfectly aligned with the New Hollywood movement.
As Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), the Corleone family’s “Consigliere,” he was the calm, methodical voice of reason. His performance earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He had a brief but pivotal uncredited role as “The Director” in The Conversation (1974), adding to the film’s atmosphere of corporate paranoia. He closed the decade with his most iconic role as Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979). His portrayal of the surf-obsessed, napalm-loving commander earned him another Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win.
Outside of the Coppola epics, Duvall established himself as a master of playing “memorable jerks” and authority figures. In M*A*S*H (1970), he played the supercilious and incompetent Major Frank Burns, a role that became a blueprint for “the man you love to hate.” In George Lucas’s directorial debut THX 1138 (1971), Duvall played the title role, proving he could carry a cerebral, avant-garde sci-fi film as a lead. As Frank Hackett in Network (1976), the ruthless television executive, he was a “ferocious hatchet man” who personified the cold corporate takeover of news. Playing Bull Meechum in The Great Santini (1979), a domineering Marine pilot, he earned his first Best Actor nomination, delivering a harrowing performance as a father who treats his family like a military unit.
Duvall’s 1970s work is often studied by actors today for how he balanced technical precision with deep, lived-in humanity. Here are 20 amazing photos of Robert Duvall on screen during the 1970s:
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