RIP Robert Duvall
By Roger Paradiso
ROBERT DUVALL. Photo by David Shankbone, flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Let’s talk about the man that maybe you didn’t know. He hung around these Village and Manhattan streets. His actor-friend pack included Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, and James Caan. Their generation came of age in a Manhattan that was affordable to everyone ─ including actors and others in the show biz trades. Somehow they made it work like so many actors do today. But the costs were far less ─ and New York was still the place to go if you wanted to be somebody. That’s why Robert Duvall came here.
He studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse which started as a turn of the century theater in the Lower East Side. By the time Duvall came to Manhattan, the Playhouse had moved to E. 54th Street. The young man, who grew up in Maryland and whose father was an admiral in the United States Navy, went to acting school. His father expected him to study at Annapolis, but young Bob had another dream.
His talents brought him to the Sheridan Street Playhouse where he won an Obie in a play by Arthur Miller called A View From the Bridge in 1965. He did several shows at the Sheridan which was located at 99 Seventh Avenue in the Village.
“What a blow to learn of the loss of Robert Duvall. Such a great actor and such an essential part of American Zoetrope from its beginning: The Rain People, The Conversation, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, THX 1138, Assassination Tango.”
—Francis Ford Coppola on Instagram
In those days, the town was smaller and there was work was all over Manhattan. New York was the capital of television dramas and comedies. Madison Avenue ruled the commercial world and there were roles for Duvall and his friends. The movie business was known for some great dramas like On the Waterfront, Broadway was flourishing as was Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway so an actor could dream of making it here.
Duvall’s big break came when he starred in American Buffalo on Broadway. He won a Drama Desk nomination in David Mamet’s award-winning play in 1977. His first major critical success came portraying Tom Hagen in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. He won an Academy Award for Tender Mercies in 1983. He is most remembered for Oscar-nominated roles which included The Godfather (1972), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Great Santini (1979), The Apostle (1997), A Civil Action 1998) and The Judge (2014).
“Bob Duvall – mentor, friend, terrific actor, director & producer. Wonderful knowing you, man. Thanks for all you’ve given us.”
Jeff Bridges on Facebook
Rest in peace Robert Duvall.
