Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor known for roles in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, died on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at the age of 95. His wife, Luciana Duvall, announced the news on Facebook, stating he passed peacefully at home surrounded by love. Tributes from fellow actors highlight his profound impact on cinema and personal mentorship.
Robert Duvall's death prompted an outpouring of remembrances from Hollywood peers, emphasizing his versatility and influence across decades of film and television.
Al Pacino, who starred with Duvall as Michael Corleone opposite Duvall's Tom Hagen in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, said, “It was an honor to have worked with Robert Duvall. He was a born actor as they say, his connection with it, his understanding and his phenomenal gift will always be remembered. I will miss him.” Robert De Niro, who played young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, added, “God bless Bobby. I hope I can live till I’m 95. May he rest in peace.”
Viola Davis, Duvall's co-star in the 2018 thriller Widows, shared on Instagram Threads, “I was in awe. I’ve always been in awe of your towering portrayals of men who were both quiet and dominating in their humanness. You were a giant… an icon… ‘Apocalypse Now,’ ‘The Godfather,’ ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ ‘Tender Mercies,’ ‘The Apostle,’ ‘Lonesome Dove’… etc… Greatness never dies.” Adam Sandler, from their 2022 film Hustle, wrote on Instagram, “Such a great man to talk to and laugh with. Loved him so much. We all did. So many movies to choose from that were legendary. Watch them when you can. Sending his wife Luciana and all his family and friends our condolences.”
Director Walter Hill, who worked with Duvall on Broken Trail—a 2006 miniseries that earned Duvall two Emmys—and Geronimo: An American Legend, described him as a “marvelous actor” whose performances “raised everybody else.” Hill noted Duvall's quirks, including interests in horses, tango and Italian food, and his professionalism on set.
Scott Cooper, whom Duvall mentored and who directed him in Crazy Heart and Duvall's final film, The Pale Blue Eye, called him “the most important artistic mentor I had,” praising his “generosity, his humility, and the example he set of a life devoted entirely to truth.” Other tributes came from Michael Keaton, Walton Goggins, Jamie Lee Curtis and more, underscoring Duvall's legacy as a character actor who captured human duality in roles like Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird and Lt. Col. Kilgore in Apocalypse Now.
Duvall, born in San Diego and raised partly in Maryland, won an Oscar for Tender Mercies in 1983 and received six more nominations, including for The Godfather Part II and Apocalypse Now.
