Trivia

Was roommates and good friends with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman while all were struggling stage actors in New York before any of them succeeded. Among the three, Hoffman and Duvall were known for their ways with the women, and Duvall and Hackman were known for their short fuses, which led to numerous bar fights. The three often bonded over elaborate practical jokes.

Owns a large estate in rural Virginia, where some skirmishes of the Civil War were fought (he has found shells and other artifacts on the property). Some scenes in Gods and Generals (2003) were filmed on his land.

He says the work he is most proud of by far is his role as the former Texas Ranger Augustus McCrae in the miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989).

Fractured several ribs after falling off a horse while rehearsing for a role in Open Range (2003). (April 2002)

Speaks Spanish fluently.

With the death of Rosemary Murphy on July 5, 2014, he is the last surviving credited adult cast member of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).

Joined the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and studied under Sanford Meisner for two years. Dustin Hoffman, James Caan and Gene Hackman were classmates.

Watched Broken Trail (2006) with President George W. Bush in a special screening at the White House on June 11, 2006.

Put up $5 million of his own money to finance The Apostle (1997) after this was rejected by numerous studios.

His performance as Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies (1983) is ranked #14 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 18, 2003.

Being descended from Robert E. Lee, he can actually trace his family back to President George Washington. Washington himself had no biological children, but his wife, Martha Custis, did, and he adopted them after the death of Martha's first husband. Her son, John Custis, had a son of his own, Washington Custis, whose daughter, Mary Custis, was Robert E. Lee's wife. Interestingly, Duvall played Lee in Gods and Generals (2003), opposite Jeff Daniels, who had played Washington in The Crossing (1990). Duvall starred in the adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).

Resided with Luciana Pedraza for seven years before marrying her on October 6, 2004. She is 41 years younger than him.

He publicly criticized director Steven Spielberg for flying to Cuba in October 2002, and vowed never to work for Dreamworks studio again.

Received his honorary degree (Doctor of Arts) from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia (1998).

As of 2014, has appeared in eight films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), M*A*S*H (1970), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), The Conversation (1974), Network (1976), Apocalypse Now (1979) and Tender Mercies (1983). Of those, The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974) are winners in the category. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, and won Best Actor for Tender Mercies.

His favorite city is Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an avid Tango dancer.

Has directed one Oscar nominated performance: his own in The Apostle (1997).

Travels to Argentina at least five times a year and has a home there.

Has appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and Tender Mercies (1983), both of which were written for the screen by Horton Foote, and both of which earned him an Oscar for "Best Screenplay".

Was considered for the role of Police Chief Martin Brody in the horror film Jaws (1975), which went to Roy Scheider.

Was considered for the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which went to Anthony Hopkins.

Being a huge soccer fan, he supports the Argentinian national side.

A staunch, lifelong supporter of the Republican party, Duvall was personally invited to George W. Bush's inauguration as President in 2001. Duvall attended the ceremony.

Has played ancestor Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals (2003), when Martin Sheen was unable to reprise the role (due to his commitment to The West Wing (1999)).

Duvall attended Principia College in Illinois and received his degree in Liberal Arts. While there he participated in campus theatrical productions and enjoyed the experience.

Has a family connection to two 2008 Presidential hopefuls. One of his ancestors, Mareen Duvall, is also an ancestor of Barack Obama. John McCain's family has been involved in the military for several generations, including an ancestor who worked with George Washington, to whom Duvall is related (by adoption).

While a struggling actor, he worked at a post office as a clerk but quit after six months. He says he did not want to be there 20 years later, still working in a post office.

Hosted a fundraiser for Rudy Giuliani at his Hollywood home. He later endorsed Senator John McCain after Guiliani dropped out. (January 2008)

Has English, with smaller amounts of German, Swiss-German, French, Welsh and Scottish, ancestry. His French Hugenot ancestors immigrated to the United States in the 1700s.

Born to William Howard Duvall, a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, and his wife Mildred Virginia Hart, an amateur actress.

Narrated a video supporting John McCain for the Republican National Convention in 2008.

Served in the United States Army (serial #52-346-646) from August 19, 1953 to August 20, 1954, achieving rank of Private First Class and awarded the National Defense Service Medal.

Was director Robert Altman's first choice for a country singer in Nashville (1975), but he used Henry Gibson instead when Duvall could not do this because of the scheduling.

Named My Life as a Dog (1985) as one of his favorite movies.

His performance as Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979) is ranked #59 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

He has appeared in eight films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Bullitt (1968), M*A*S*H (1970), The Godfather (1972), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), Network (1976) and Apocalypse Now (1979).

The middle of three brothers, his elder brother William Duvall and younger brother John Duvall both appeared as singers in his film Angelo My Love (1983).

In Gods and Generals (2003), played ancestor Robert E. Lee. The role was originally played by Martin Sheen in Gettysburg (1993). Duvall and Sheen starred together in the popular Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now (1979).

Although he played Laurence Olivier's grandson in The Betsy (1978), he is only 23 years his junior in real life.

Is response to Duvall's criticism of his trip to Cuba, Steven Spielberg defended himself by explaining that he actually went with permission from the American government as a cultural ambassador.

Was considered for the role of Mitch Leary in In the Line of Fire (1993), which went to John Malkovich.

Ex-brother-in-law of John Savage and Jim Youngs.

He was the subject of a false death report on 19 August 2019.

Studied acting with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York.then appeared in 'A View From the Bridge' and 'Tomorrow' at St Marks Playhouse.

As of 2018, has been a co-star to eight Oscar winning acting performances: Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962); John Wayne for True Grit (1969); Marlon Brando for The Godfather (1972); Robert De Niro for The Godfather Part II (1974); Beatrice Straight, Faye Dunaway, and Peter Finch for Network (1976); and Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009).

He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2005.

He made his film debut in To Kill a Mocking Bird and gradually worked his way up to star character roles and direction of films.

No relation to Shelley Duvall, despite a popular misconception.

Kirsty Mitchell's initial break-through performance came as Robert Duvall's daughter in film A Shot at Glory (2000).