Robert Duvall, who played the eldest brother and legal advisor in "The Godfather," died at his home on Sunday at the age of 95. In the early 1960s, Duvall worked hard in New York with two actor friends who were also exploring the entertainment industry. One of them was married, so Duvall shared a shabby room with another single actor.
The three of them got together to exchange job information and audition notices, borrowed money from each other, worked as dishwashers, delivered letters, ran errands, and moved. During their odd jobs, they talked about their common idol: Marlon Brando. "If we mentioned Brando one day, it would be mentioned 25 times the next. He was an idol that we looked up to," Duvall recalled in an interview in 2010.
Duvall's roommate said in an interview in 2013 that if anyone had said that the three of us would become stars in the future, they would have been laughed at.
The roommate was Dustin Hoffman, and the married friend was Gene Hackman. The two not only became leading stars, but also won the highest achievement of their careers-Oscar statuettes.
Duvall is different from them. Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman are both independent male protagonists, while Duvall's impressive impressions are in supporting roles: Tom in "The Godfather" and Colonel Surfer in "Apocalypse Now".
"Do you smell it? That's the smell of death."
Duvall's career spanned eighty years, spanning film, television, and stage play. He made his screen debut in "To Kill a Mockingbird." He was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as a down-and-out singer in "Tender Mercies" (1983).
Duvall was born in San Diego, California, in 1931. His father was a naval officer, so he spent his childhood mainly at Annapolis (Naval Academy), Maryland. One time his father was too harsh when he came back from the sea. Duval's brother complained to his mother: "Let that man go back to his own home."
His father hoped that Duvall could inherit his father's career, so Duvall joined the army. After being discharged from the army, he studied drama at Principia College in Illinois. After graduation, he went to New York to develop, and made his Broadway debut in 1966.
"I want my work to be authentic and believable," he said in an interview in 1984. "There is no pretense from beginning to end, only sincerity."
The screenwriter of "To Kill a Mockingbird" said of Duvall, "I know many actors. He is the most serious about his homework. He devotes himself to the role. His performance does not come from thinking in the brain, but from the heart."
Duvall finally met his idol Marlon Brando when he starred in "Sergeant Cade", and then he starred in "Army Field Hospital", George Lucas's directorial debut "THX1138", and then Coppola's "The Godfather".
Duvall's brilliant performance as Tom Hagen in "The Godfather" earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and he later starred in "The Godfather Part II", but turned down "The Godfather Part III" on the grounds that Al Pacino's salary was five times his salary, which he could not accept.
"After 15 years, I thought of filming Godfather Part 3, and it wasn't just for money." Duvall pointed out in the interview that if Pacino's salary was two to three times his own, even though it was not satisfactory, it would still be reasonable.
Duvall was forced to make many bad movies and TV series to make a living, and said that making money is one of the secrets to maintaining a long life. "My wife marveled that I can really live. It is incredible," he said in an interview in 2017.
Duval's fourth wife, Luciana, is 41 years younger than him, and his father-in-law is more than 20 years younger than him. "I don't know what to call him, dad or son," Duval said.
Duvall has been to Argentina dozens of times because of his love for tango. He met Luciana in Buenos Aires in 1996, and the couple later co-starred in "Killer Tango" (2002), which Duvall wrote and directed.
At the age of 90, Duvall also starred in the sports drama "The Scout" and the thriller "Pale Blue Eyes" (2022). His performance in "Judge" (2014) earned him the last Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in his career. "The Apostle", which he wrote, directed and starred in, also won a letter of praise from his idol Marlon Brando. He believes that the idol's award is more important than the Oscar.