RIP To An Acting Legend…
Such sad new for movie lovers….Robert Duvall has died at the age of 95…his family says he passed away peacefully….
He was an Oscar-winning Actor who could do it all: action films, drama, romantic comedies and more….I love so many of his films and will mention a few but first – my favorite picture of him of all time:
Yes, he’s holding Marlon Brando’s lines for “The Godfather” on cue cards! I mean, hilarious – he played Tom Hagen, who was taken in by the Coreleone family and became the Consiglieri to The Godfather – only to be replaced by Michael…
Duvall is brilliant in the role – it is my #1 favorite film of all time…here are some of the best behind-the-scenes stories about it!
Also in my top ten of all time is this prescient film about network television news:
“Network”
One of the best and most incisive looks at the power of media – with one of the cinema’s most iconic lines:
“I’m Mad As Hell, And I’m Not Going To Take It Anymore!”
Peter Finch posthumously won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a network news Anchorman who has a breakdown live on TV – check out the trailer:
William Holden and Faye Dunaway were both nominated as well, and Dunaway won for her portrayal as a “tough as nails” Network Executive who has no boundaries when creating hits…here is the iconic photo of her the following morning at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel:
A brilliant film that is so prescient – because TV News is now wildly out of control – Duvall plays the new Bureaucrat who comes in to clean house – and his performance is so powerful and real…
Here’s the brilliant moment when he takes over:
What acting!
He also made a number of great action films, like this one, where he reunited with James can, also in “The Godfather”:
“The Killer Elite”
James Caan is great as a government Agent who’s betrayed by his co-worker, beautifully played with evil relish by Duvall. Check out the vintage trailer:
Duvall and Caan are both great actors to watch, and there are several terrific action sequences as well – the film was directed by Sam Peckinpah, the visionary behind “The Wild Bunch”, “The Getaway” and more….
Duvall delivered one cinema’s most iconic lines when he appeared in the brilliant “Apocalypse Now”:
He reunited with “The Godfather” Director Francis Ford Coppola, who went into the jungle and came back with this anti-war masterpiece about America’s folly in Vietnam.
Here is the trailer for one of the greatest films ever made:
One of the film’s most powerful scenes involves the bombing of a small camp along a river – and Duvall plays the commander who wants to surf the river after the battle is over…here is his most iconic line:
Brilliant.
He also appeared in this terrific film:
“The Paper” is a comedy about the team that puts out a daily newspaper in New York, with Duvall as the gritty Editor-In-Chief…click here for a look at the trailer and more – it’s a terrific movie!
My blogging friend Lisa Marie Bowman did a beautiful tribute, including more of his great films…read it here:
RIP Robert Duvall…
Categories: 70's Cinema, Academy Awards, Action Films, Art, Awards, Comedy Movies, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Hollywood, James Caan, Movies, Pop Culture, Revenge Movies, Talent/Celebrities, Uncategorized
johnrieber 
Thank you for this – early morning here and the first news opened came up with the sad facts. Have seen all of the films you have mentioned and very much respected and enjoyed his work and talent. You used a beautiful photo at the end . . . I guess 95 is a fair span of living . . . but one always wishes for a little more . . . pace . . .
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Duvall was amazing (very briefly) in Slingblade.
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