Hollywood is grieving the passing of one of its best performers. Oscar‑winning star Robert Duvall, of Tender Mercies and his seminal roles in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, died quietly at his Virginia home on February 15, 2026. He was 95 years old. His wife, Luciana Pedraza Duvall, announced this the following day, saying he died of natural causes enveloped by love and comfort. Fans and coworkers around the globe are honoring a man whose career extended more than seven decades.
Robert Duvall’s career in cinema traces back to the 1950s. His breakthrough role came as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). From there he built a reputation as one of Hollywood's most adaptable actors.
He played Tom Hagen, the trusted consigliere in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), roles that remain iconic in cinema history. The unforgettable quote from Apocalypse Now (1979), in which he played Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore, is something nobody forgot even as he fought for the liberation of others: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
Duvall was named the winner of the 1983 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as a washed‑up country singer in Tender Mercies.
Duvall’s list of films includes classics such as MASH, The Great Santini, Lonesome Dove, and The Apostle. For him, authenticity is a given, and such dedication to authenticity in everything he does is respected. He was an actor with a lot to offer in terms of acting, as well as in the directing and producing of films, with which he was particularly famous, making Duvall a complex and multifaceted artist.
His passion for cinema was matched only by an undying love for family and with his beloved Luciana, who said of him in her tribute that he was “simply everything.”
Hollywood has arrived here at the end of an era. At 95, Duvall left behind a career that includes countless unforgettable and movie‑shaped characters. To audiences, he was a legend; his family loved him as a husband. For him, the true power in being an artist lies not behind a mask but through honesty and sincerity.
