Army veteran Robert Duvall dies, aged 95
Robert Duvall as Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now
Sad news as legendary actor Robert Duvall has passed. He was one of my favorite actors, and was versatile in every type of role, whether that was comedy or drama. As a struggling young actor he had been close friends (and off and on roommates) with Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, and James Caan. I always thought it so incredible that such magnificent actors all came from the same place at the same time.
Someone said after Gene Hackman died that he never once had a bad role, and I think the same could be said of Duvall. There wasn’t any character he couldn’t play. He was a true chameleon of an actor, who blended into myriad roles.
Before Duvall was nominated for seven Academy Awards (winning only once), won two BAFTAs, two Emmys, four Golden Globes, and a SAG award he was born a military brat. His father was a US Navy rear admiral. Duvall too spent time in uniform, he spent a year in the Army just after the Korean War. He left service as a private first class. This probably helped when it came time for him to play two unforgettable roles (both in 1979):
- Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now! (pictured above), a brash cavalry officer in Vietnam, who rode his Huey steed into battle to the blast of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries being played through loudspeakers and loved the smell of napalm in the morning.
- Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur “Bull” Meechum in The Great Santini, a Marine aviator whose military successes come at the expense of his relationship with his family, particularly his young son.
While looking at Duvall’s dad’s service, I followed the trail of his ancestors. They have deep roots in Maryland. His fourth-Great Grandfather was a private in the 2nd Maryland Regiment during the Revolutionary War. They all descend from Mareen Duvall, a French Huguenot, who fled France for the New World in 1659. He eventually owned more than 3,100 acres in Anne Arundel.
Category: Veterans in the news
Looking through his filmography, there are so many great roles. Some I’ve completely forgotten were even him.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Bullitt
True Grit
M*A*S*H
The Godfather (I and II)
Colors (a movie every young cop should be forced to watch)
Days of Thunder
Gods and Generals (playing General Lee)
He was in one of my favor westerns, Open Range.
No one could have done a better job with LTC Kilgore. The Great Santini was like watching a documentary of the military of that era in real time. Not that this was bad, it was simply that real. He also played a much better Major Frank Burns in the movie that was superior to the series.
But his library is amazing. The Godfather, The Natural, To Kill a Mockingbird, True Grit, Sling Blade, plus any of the above would have made any career. I hope they make movies in heaven.