Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall has died at the age of 95. He had a long and illustrious career as one of the greatest actors to come out of the New Hollywood era. He's best known for his supporting roles, particularly in the Godfather movies in which he played consigliere Tom Hagen. The fact that consigliere became a term with some currency in the U.S. is due in some part to Duvall's performance. When watching the movies, certainly for the first time, it's tough to see him as anything other than Tom Hagen. He was an actor who disappeared into a character. There were times when his characters didn't stand out and that was always in service to the broader purpose of the film.

His first film role, after working some time in television, was in the famous 1962 adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird in which he plays the mysterious recluse named Boo Radley. It's not a speaking role nor does it occupy a lot of screentime but it's a crucial role and required an actor who could communicate a lot with subtle body language and expressions. He was more than equal to the task.

He did have lead roles, though, most significantly in George Lucas' first film, THX 1138, a grim, dystopian film about an emotionally oppressed culture dominated by an artificial police force. Duvall's natural humanity contrasts well with the sterile surveillance state.

I also recently saw him in a lead role in The Outfit, a film highly praised by Quentin Tarantino for its dynamics between Duvall and Joe Don Baker.

Duvall's last film came out in 2022 and he passed away at his ranch in Virginia.