Duvall was born in San Diego, California. His father, William Howard Duvall, was a former US Navy admiral with French Huguenot roots; his mother was an amateur actress and a descendant of American Civil War General Robert E. Lee. His father was a Methodist and his mother was a Christian Scientist; he was raised in the Christian Science religion, which he claims to follow today despite many years living a decidedly un-Christian lifestyle (as he states in a 2006 article in Vanity Fair).

Duvall grew up in a military family, living for a time in Annapolis, Maryland near the United States Naval Academy. He served in the United States Army (service number 52 346 646) from 19 August 1953 to 20 August 1954, achieving the rank of Private First Class and awarded the National Defense Service Medal.

Duvall studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York under Sanford Meisner. While struggling as an actor, he worked at a Manhattan post office as a clerk but quit after six months. Duvall said he didn't want to be working at the same place twenty years from now.

Duvall starred in two of Francis Ford Coppola's acclaimed works: The Godfather series and Apocalypse Now. Here is a screen capture from Apocalypse Now when he recites his most famous line, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like...victory." This quote was rated the most popular in cinema by a poll conducted by the BBC (see external links).
Duvall starred in two of Francis Ford Coppola's acclaimed works: The Godfather series and Apocalypse Now. Here is a screen capture from Apocalypse Now when he recites his most famous line, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like...victory." This quote was rated the most popular in cinema by a poll conducted by the BBC (see external links).

His screen debut was as Boo Radley in the critically acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) he later played the notorious malefactor Ned Pepper in True Grit (1969) but his breakout role was a decade later as Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974). He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in A Civil Action and for his role as Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979).

He directed the critically acclaimed The Apostle, about a preacher on the run from the law, and Assassination Tango (2002), a thriller about one of his favorite hobbies, tango. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2005. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 18, 2003.

Duvall portrayed General Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals in 2003 and is actually a distant relative of the historical figure.

Wins:

    * 1983 - Best Actor in Tender Mercies

Nominations:

    * 1972 - Best Supporting Actor in The Godfather
    * 1979 - Best Supporting Actor in Apocalypse Now
    * 1980 - Best Actor in The Great Santini
    * 1997 - Best Actor in The Apostle
    * 1998 - Best Supporting Actor in A Civil Action

Duvall is close friends with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman, both of whom he's known since their struggling actor days.

Duvall has been married four times:

    * Barbara Benjamin (1964 - 1975)
    * Gail Youngs (1982 - 1986)
    * Sharon Brophy (1991 - 1996)
    * Luciana Pedraza (2005 - present)

He met Pedraza on a street in Buenos Aires. They were both born on January 5, but Duvall is 40 years older. They have been together since 1997.

Duvall speaks fluent Spanish and maintains a home in Virginia. He has the same birthday as Godfather co-star Diane Keaton. His favorite city is Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an avid Tango dancer and soccer fan.