American actor, director, and producer Robert Duvall had an extensive career in film and television, first appearing on an episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre in 1959. His television work during the 1960s includes Route 66 (1961), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962), The Twilight Zone (1963), The Outer Limits (1964), The F.B.I. (1965–1969), and The Mod Squad (1969). He was then cast as General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1979 miniseries Ike. In 1989, he played Augustus "Gus" McCrae alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the epic Western adventure television miniseries Lonesome Dove. The role earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. Three years later, he portrayed Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader Joseph Stalin in the television film Stalin (1992), which earned him another Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Film.
Duvall's first film role was as Boo Radley in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird with Gregory Peck. His other roles in the 1960s included Bullitt with Steve McQueen (1968) and True Grit with John Wayne (1969). In the 1970s, he played Major Frank Burns in M*A*S*H (1970), the title role in THX 1138 (1971), Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), Jesse James in The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972), Dr. Watson in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), Bull Meechum in The Great Santini (1979) and as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979).
In 1983, Duvall was cast as Mac Sledge in the drama film Tender Mercies, which earned him an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actor. He went on to co-star in the films The Natural with Robert Redford (1984), Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise (1990), as Joseph Pulitzer in Newsies with Christian Bale (1992), Falling Down with Michael Douglas (1993), Something to Talk About with Julia Roberts (1995), Sling Blade with Billy Bob Thornton (1996), A Family Thing with James Earl Jones (1996), Phenomenon with John Travolta (1996), and Deep Impact with Téa Leoni (1998). For his role in the 1998 film A Civil Action again with Travolta, he won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.
In the 2000s, Duvall had notable roles in the films Gone in 60 Seconds opposite Nicolas Cage (2000), Secondhand Lions co-starring with Michael Caine (2003), Open Range co-starring with Kevin Costner (2003) and in the comedy film Four Christmases opposite Vince Vaughn (2008). He starred in and executive produced the 2006 Western television miniseries, Broken Trail. For that, he won two Emmy Awards, one for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie and the other for Outstanding Miniseries which he shared with the other producers. In 2012, he reunited with Tom Cruise after 22 years in the action thriller film Jack Reacher where he played the character Cash. In 2014, he co-starred with Robert Downey Jr. in the legal drama film The Judge where he played Judge Joseph Palmer, the father of Downey's character.
Acting credits Film
+ Year Title Role Notes 1962 To Kill a Mockingbird Captain Newman, M.D. 1965 Nightmare in the Sun Motorcyclist 1966 1967 Countdown Charles "Chiz" Stewart 1968 Nestor Bullitt Weissberg 1969 True Grit Gordon 1970 M*A*S*H Despard 1971 THX 1138 THX Lawman 1972 Tomorrow Joe Kidd 1973 Badge 373 Lady Ice 1974 Uncredited 1975 Breakout 1976 Network 1977 We're Not the Jet Set Director only; documentary 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers Priest on Swing Uncredited 1979 Apocalypse Now 1981 True Confessions Gruen 1983 Tender Mercies Mac Sledge Also co-producer Angelo My Love Director, writer, and producer only 1984 1986 Let's Get Harry Belizaire the Cajun 1987 Hotel Colonial 1988 Colors 1990 Howard Days of Thunder Commander 1991 Rambling Rose Daddy Convicts 1992 Newsies 1993 Falling Down Prendergast Wrestling Ernest Hemingway Walter Geronimo: An American Legend 1994 1995 Something to Talk About Mr. Cox 1996 Sling Blade Karl's Father Also producer Phenomenon Doc 1997 Also executive producer, writer and director 1998 Deep Impact 2000 Gone in 60 Seconds Also producer 2002 John Q. Assassination Tango John J. Also producer, writer and director 2003 Gods and Generals Secondhand Lions Hub Open Range 2005 Kicking & Screaming Thank You for Smoking Captain 2007 Lucky You We Own the Night 2008 Four Christmases Howard 2009 Crazy Heart Wayne Also producer Old Man Get Low Also executive producer 2011 Seven Days in Utopia 2012 Jayne Mansfield's Car Casting ByHimselfDocumentary Jack Reacher Cash 2014 Red 2015 Wild Horses Also writer and director 2016 In Dubious Battle Bolton 2018 Widows 2021 12 Mighty Orphans 2022 Hustle Rex Merrick The Pale Blue Eye Jean-Pepe
Television + Year Title Role Notes 1959 Armstrong Circle Theatre Berks Season 10 Episode 2: "Jailbreak" 1960 Tony Newman Season 10 Episode 16: "Positive Identification" 1961 Al Rogart Season 1 Episode 12: "Perjury" Shannon Season 1 Episode 10: "Big Fish" Cain's Hundred Season 1 Episode 6: "King of the Mountain" Route 66 Roman Season 1 Episode 25: "The Newborn" Arnie Season 2 Episode 4: "Birdcage on My Foot" Naked City Season 2 Episode 13: "A Hole in the City" 1962 Season 3 Episode 23: "The One Marked Hot Gives Cold" Season 4 Episode 6: "Five Cranks for Winter... Ten Cranks for Spring" Season 4 Episode 8: "Torment Him Much and Hold Him Long" Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 7 Episode 14: "Bad Actor" 1963 Luke Jackson Season 2 Episode 24: "Metamorphosis" Route 66 Lee Winters Season 3 Episode 18: "Suppose I Said I Was the Queen of Spain" Season 4 Episode 17: "Blues for a Gone Goose" Season 4 Episode 8: "Miniature" Season 1 Episode 24: "Golden Door" Stoney Burke Season 1 Episode 23: "Joby" Arrest and Trial Season 1 Episode 10: "Quality of Justice" Eric Christian Season 1 Episode 4: "Never Wave Goodbye: Part 1" Season 1 Episode 5: "Never Wave Goodbye: Part 2" 1964 Kraft Suspense Theatre Season 1 Episode 22: "Portrait of an Unknown Man" Louis Mace Season 1 Episode 31: "The Chameleon" Adam Ballard Season 2 Episode 10: "The Inheritors: Part I" Season 2 Episode 11: "The Inheritors: Part II" 1965 Bill Andrews Season 4 Episode 30: "Only a Child" Leslie Sessions Season 2 Episode 16: "Brass Ring" Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Zar Season 1 Episode 20: "The Invaders" Combat! Karl Season 3 Episode 16: "The Enemy" Joseph Maurice Walker Season 1 Episode 10: "The Giant Killer" 1966 Johnny Albin Season 2 Episode 5: "The Scourge" Combat! Peter Halsman Season 5 Episode 14: "Cry for Help" Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Season 3 Episode 15: "Guilty or Not Guilty" Hawk Season 1 Episode 6: "Theory of the Innocent Bystander" Felony Squad Season 1 Episode 8: "Death of a Dream" Shane Season 1 Episode 9: "Poor Tom's A-Cold" T.H.E. Cat Scorpio Season 1 Episode 9: "Crossing at Destino Bay" Fame Is the Name of the Game Television film 1967 Combat! Michel Season 5 Episode 25: "The Partisan" T.H.E. Cat Laurent Season 1 Episode 24: "The Long Chase" Ernie Milden Season 2 Episode 25: "The Executioners: Part 1" Season 1 Episode 24: "Chase Through Time" Cimarron Strip Season 1 Episode 8: "The Roarer" Season 3 Episode 10: "The Night of the Falcon" 1968 Joseph Troy Season 4 Episode 9: "The Harvest" CBS Playhouse Season 2 Episode 1: "The People Next Door" Run for Your Life Season 3 Episode 19: "Killing Scene" Judd, for the Defense Season 1 Episode 24: "Square House" Flesh and Blood Howard Television film 1969 Gerald Wilson Season 5 Episode 2: "Nightmare Road" Season 1 Episode 23: "Keep the Faith, Baby" 1979 Ike Miniseries 1983 Television film 1989 Lonesome Dove Miniseries 1992 Stalin Joseph Stalin Television film 1996 1998 Saturday Night Live Various Season 23 Episode 14: "Garth Brooks" 2005 American Experience Narrator Season 17 Episode 11: "Carter Family: Will the Circle Be Unbroken" 2006 Broken Trail Miniseries; also executive producer 2012 Hemingway & Gellhorn Russian General Television film; uncredited cameo
Theatre + Year Title Role Playwright Venue 1966 Wait Until Dark Harry Roat Jr. Frederick Knott Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway 1977 American Buffalo Walter Cole David Mamet Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway
Video games The Godfather (2006) – voice role of Tom Hagen The Godfather II (2009) – voice role of Tom Hagen
See also List of awards and nominations received by Robert Duvall
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