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Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an Academy Award-, two-time Emmy
Award-, and four-time Golden Globe Award-winning American film actor and director.
He is best known for his roles in The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse
Now, THX 1138, Tender Mercies and The Apostle.
 Early
life
Duvall was born in San Diego, California, the son of Mildred Virginia (née Hart),
an amateur actress and relative of American Civil War General Robert E. Lee, and
William Howard Duvall, a Virginia-born U.S. Navy admiral. Duvall's father was a
Methodist and his mother was a Christian Scientist, and Duvall was raised in the
Christian Science religion. Duvall grew up in a military family, living for a time
in Annapolis, Maryland near the United States Naval Academy. He attended Severn
School in Severna Park, Maryland. In 1953 he graduated from Principia College in
Elsah, Illinois. 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.
Career
Duvall's screen debut was as Boo Radley in the critically acclaimed To Kill a
Mockingbird (1962). Duvall later played the notorious malefactor Ned Pepperin 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). He
won Oscar's Best Actor in Tender Mercies (1983). 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 Augustus "Gus" McCrae in
Lonesome Dove.
Personal
life
Duvall is close friends with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman, both of whom he has
known since their struggling actor days.
He 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, Argentina. They were both born on
January 5, but Duvall is 41 years older. They have been together since 1997. Duvall
speaks fluent Spanish and maintains a farm in The Plains in Fauquier County,
Virginia. He has the same birthday as Godfather co-star Diane Keaton who was born
in 1946. His favorite city is Buenos Aires. 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, though he has since renounced his support of Bush in
disagreement with his foreign and domestic policy. On Wednesday, September 5, 2007,
Duvall announced his support for Republican Presidential candidate Rudy
Giuliani.
Duvall is distantly related to President Harry Truman, Wallis Warfield Simpson
(Duchess of Windsor), Vice President Dick Cheney, and U.S. Senator Barack Obama.
All are related through ancestor Mareen Duvall.
Academy
Awards
Wins:
1983 - Best Actor in Tender Mercies
2007- Duvall won two Emmys: one for actor in a miniseries and one for producer.
Nominations:
1972 - Best Supporting Actor in The Godfather
1979 - Best Supporting Actor in Apocalypse Now
1980 - Best Actor in The Great Santini
1997 - Best Actor in The Apostle
1998 - Best Supporting Actor in A Civil Action
Source : Some of the information on this page came
from a Wikipedia article and is licensed under the GNU Documentation
License. ©2008 www.geneticmatrix.com.
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Robert
Duvall - Generator - Biography
