Robert Duvall is best known for his portrayal of Tom Hagen in The Godfather. He is regarded as one of the most respected and versatile actors of American cinema, with a career spanning film, television, theater, directing, and producing.

Robert Duvall was born on January 5, 1931, in San Diego, California, United States. His full name is Robert Selden Duvall. He is the son of William Howard Duvall and Mildred Virginia Hart. When he was ten years old, he moved with his family to the East Coast of the United States and spent his childhood in Annapolis, Maryland.

Duvall attended high school at Principia High School in Illinois and graduated from Principia College in 1953, where he specialized in history and political science. After completing his education, he served in the United States Army between August 19, 1953, and August 20, 1954. Following his military service, he moved to New York and studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, graduating in 1955.

Under the mentorship of Sanford Meisner, Duvall appeared on stage multiple times and performed in plays such as Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real and Horton Foote’s The Midnight Caller. While waiting for acting opportunities, he worked for six months as a manager at the Manhattan Post Office. During this period, he shared living space with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman.

Duvall made his film debut in 1962 with To Kill a Mockingbird. In 1965, he performed in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge and appeared in the television series Naked City. That same year, he acted in the Broadway hit play Wait Until Dark.

His breakthrough came in 1970 with Robert Altman’s acclaimed comedy film M*A*S*H. In 1972, he appeared in The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, alongside Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Diane Keaton, and James Caan. His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Duvall reprised his role as Tom Hagen in The Godfather Part II in 1974 and later appeared in The Killer Elite, directed by Sam Peckinpah. Over the years, he became a highly sought-after actor, collaborating with many of the most prominent directors in the industry.

In 1977, Duvall both directed and produced the documentary We’re Not the Jet Set, which focused on rodeo families in Nebraska and was invited to the London Film Festival. He later returned to the stage, performing in David Mamet’s play American Buffalo in New York.

In 1979, Duvall earned his second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now, again directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando.

Duvall directed his second feature film, Angelo My Love, in 1983, depicting the lives of gypsies in New York. He appeared in films such as The Stone Boy, The Natural, and Colors. His portrayal of Gus McCrae in the miniseries Lonesome Dove earned him an Emmy nomination, a role he described as one of the best of his career.

In 1992, Duvall portrayed Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in the HBO production Stalin, winning a Golden Globe Award. That same year, he founded his own production company, Butchers Run Films, and increasingly focused on producing. He produced A Family Thing, written by Billy Bob Thornton, which won the Humanitas Prize, and starred as Nazi bureaucrat Adolf Eichmann in The Man Who Captured Eichmann.

In 2000, Duvall appeared alongside Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie in Gone in 60 Seconds. In 2016, he appeared in In Dubious Battle, starring Selena Gomez and James Franco.

Robert Duvall has been married four times. He married Barbara Benjamin in 1964 and divorced in 1975; Gail Youngs in 1982 and divorced in 1986; Sharon Brophy in 1991 and divorced in 1996; and Luciana Pedraza in 2004.

Throughout his career, Duvall has received numerous prestigious awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actor for Tender Mercies, multiple Golden Globe Awards, and critical acclaim for his contributions as an actor, director, producer, and screenwriter.

Awards
1993 – Golden Globe Awards – Best Television Actor for Stalin
1990 – Golden Globe Awards – Best Television Actor for Lonesome Dove
1984 – Golden Globe Awards – Best Actor for Tender Mercies
1984 – Academy Awards – Best Actor for Tender Mercies
1980 – Golden Globe Awards – Best Supporting Actor for Apocalypse Now

Filmography

Director
Wild Horses (Feature Film, 2015)
Assassination Tango (Feature Film, 2002)
The Apostle (Feature Film, 1997)
Angelo My Love (Feature Film, 1983)

Screenwriter
Wild Horses (Feature Film, 2015)
Assassination Tango (Feature Film, 2002)
The Apostle (Feature Film, 1997)
Angelo My Love (Feature Film, 1983)

Producer
A Night in Old Mexico (Feature Film, 2013)
Get Low (Feature Film, 2009)
Angelo My Love (Feature Film, 1983)

Actor
In Dubious Battle (Bolton) (Feature Film, 2016)
Wild Horses (Scott Briggs) (Feature Film, 2015)
The Judge (Judge Joseph Palmer) (Feature Film, 2014)
Jayne Mansfield's Car (Jim Caldwell) (Feature Film, 2013)
A Night in Old Mexico (Red) (Feature Film, 2013)
Jack Reacher (Cash) (Feature Film, 2012)
Hemingway and Gellhorn (Russian General) (TV Film, 2012)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (Don Quixote) (Feature Film, 2011)
Crazy Heart (Wayne Kramer) (Feature Film, 2009)
The Road (Old Man) (Feature Film, 2009)
Get Low (Felix Bush) (Feature Film, 2009)
Four Christmases (Howard) (Feature Film, 2008)
We Own the Night (Burt Grusinsky) (Feature Film, 2007)
Thank You for Smoking (L. C. Cheever) (Feature Film, 2006)
Kicking & Screaming (Buck Weston) (Feature Film, 2005)
Open Range (Boss Spearman) (Feature Film, 2003)
Gods and Generals (General Robert E. Lee) (Feature Film, 2003)
Secondhand Lions (Hub) (Feature Film, 2003)
John Q (Frank Grimes) (Feature Film, 2002)
Gone in 60 Seconds (Otto Halliwell) (Feature Film, 2000)
A Civil Action (Jerome Facher) (Feature Film, 1998)
Deep Impact (Sturgeon Tanner) (Feature Film, 1998)
The Apostle (Euliss Dewey) (Feature Film, 1997)
Lonesome Dove (Augustus McCrae) (TV Series, 1989)
Tender Mercies (Mac Sledge) (Feature Film, 1983)
Apocalypse Now (Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore) (Feature Film, 1979)
The Godfather Part II (Tom Hagen) (Feature Film, 1974)
The Godfather (Tom Hagen) (Feature Film, 1972)
M*A*S*H (Major Frank Burns) (Feature Film, 1970)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Boo Radley) (Feature Film, 1962)

Source: Biyografiler.com