Celebrating the Illustrious Screen Career of Robert Duvall (1931–2026)

On Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, an incredible actor and titan of American pop culture passed away at the age of 95. Robert Duvall was versatile, delivering compelling performances that ranged from a belligerent military father (“The Great Santini”) to a soft-spoken recluse (“To Kill a Mockingbird”). Duvall’s career never stalled; across his illustrious 60-year career, he delivered iconic performances in supporting and leading roles, even directing, writing, and starring in the acclaimed 1997 film “The Apostle.” There’s no doubt Duvall is one of the greatest on-screen actors of all time, with a legacy matched by few. In memory of his life and work, here’s a list of Duvall’s top five movies. 

5. Frank Hackett, “Network” (1976)

Written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet, this prescient black dramedy/satire follows the terrifying machinations of a failing news network desperate for good ratings. Following a merger, the network moves to axe its staid anchor, Howard Beale (played by the great Peter Finch in his final role before he died in 1977). He goes on a mad tirade on air, which, ironically, brings them their best ratings yet. The network finds renewed success with the crazed Beale, who delivers preachy populist diatribes about the dangers of television that galvanize his viewers, becoming the highest-rated program on television.

Duvall’s character, a studio executive named Frank Hackett, plays a crucial role in this series of escapades, becoming a fanatic devotee of the Beale show. He often resorts to fits of rage toward anyone who denies its potential or believes it is a gross exploitation of Beale’s real insanity.

In a tense standoff during the early stages of Beale’s success, former news anchor and Beale’s best friend, Max Schumacher (played by William Holden), cries to Hackett: “He needs care and treatment. And all you graverobbers think about is that he’s a hit.”  Beale means nothing to Hackett except for the excellent ratings he brings. In fact, like many of the other sociopathic executives at the company, numbers are the only thing that Hackett really cares about; not relationships, not happiness, and certainly not equity.  

4. Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore, “Apocalypse Now” (1979)

Possibly Duvall’s most iconic and acclaimed role, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore serves as the comic relief in Francis Ford Coppola’s deep and surreal Vietnam saga, “Apocalypse Now.” His role birthed a very famous line that has since entered the pop-culture pantheon. “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” Duvall’s Kilgore says in the film.

In this incendiary performance, Duvall plays a deranged war hawk who loves to surf: someone willing to destroy a whole village if it gives him and his soldiers the chance to ride some waves. “Someday this war is going to end,” Kilgore laments, after he orders a massive napalm strike of an entire tree line. 

3. Lt. Colonel Wilbur “Bull” P. Meechum, “The Great Santini” (1979)

Interestingly, “The Great Santini” is the second 1979-released film in which Duvall plays a belligerent, narcissistic, and self-proclaimed war hero, this time playing Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur “Bull” P. Meechum, known to his fellow soldiers as “The Great Santini.” The only difference between the character of Santini and that of Kilgore is that he doesn’t have a war to normalize his violent tendencies.

The only thing that Duvall has is his family, which he loves dearly, but treats like his fellow soldiers—with tough love and an ultra-competitive spirit—especially his eldest son Ben, who both idolizes and disdains his father. It’s no secret that Santini is an abrasive, often abusive father and husband; still, we sympathize with him. This is due to Duvall’s harsh and realistic portrayal of a “warrior without a war,” inflicted by the battle scars of PTSD that seldom heal and inevitably damage one’s relationships. 

2. Tom Hagen, “The Godfather,” Pts. I and II (1972, 1974)

If the previous films showed Duvall at his most incandescent, his role of Tom Hagen in Francis Ford Coppola’s first two Godfather films is his most calm, subtle, and malicious. In the franchise, Duvall plays Hagen, who serves as both the lawyer and consigliere of the Corleone family. In a way, Duvall’s role in the Corleone family is analogous to J.D. Vance’s role in our current White House, that is, of normalizing the violent, cruel, and immoral acts of his cult. Importantly, Duvall’s Hagen is not Italian, but rather of Irish-German descent. In this way, he often served as the spokesperson of the family to outside agencies, who carried hostile perceptions of Italian-Americans, often denying their business proposals simply due to their heritage and not their Mafia affiliation. 

1. Augustus “Gus” McCrae, “Lonesome Dove” (1989)

Duvall said his favorite role was Augustus “Gus” McCrae, a former Texas Ranger who you could call the sentimental type.  He journeys to Montana with a group of his fellow Texas Rangers with the dream of rearing cattle on its pristine land. It’s an ambitious plan, but it’s akin to the daring and adventurous exploits Gus had left behind years prior. Duvall plays Gus as an aging vagabond, infatuated both with hedonism (women, whiskey, gambling) and the prospects of returning to his ambitious Texas Ranger days. Overall, Duvall’s complex and provocative performance helps make “Lonesome Dove” one of the most celebrated mini-series of all time. 

Brendan Kelso can be reached at bkelso@wesleyan.edu.