Robert Duvall, Oscar-winning actor known for "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" roles, dies at age 95

Robert Duvall, who starred in such classics as "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II," "M*A*S*H," "Apocalypse Now" and "Tender Mercies," for which he won the Academy Award, has died, his wife announced in a social media post Monday.He was 95.Luciana Duvall said in a statement that her husband died Sunday at their home "surrounded by love and comfort.""To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller.

To me, he was simply everything," she wrote."His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court.

For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented.In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all."One of the best actors of his generation with a career spanning nearly seven decades, Duvall was noted for his understated performances, subsuming himself into characters that manifested moral conflicts or ethical struggles.Some of his most indelible portrayals included Tom Hagen, the Corleone family's consigliere, in the first two "Godfather" films; Mac Sledge, a country singer seeking to redeem himself, in "Tender Mercies"; and his debut film appearance, as Boo Radley, a shy man who befriends young Scout, in the 1962 adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird."But Duvall could also go large, as shown by his full-throttle performances as Lt.

Col.Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now," who leads a helicopter attack on a Vietnamese village in order to secure a safe zone for surfing; Bull Meechum, the overbearing Marine pilot and father in "The Great Santini"; and Frank Hackett, a corporate TV executive who runs roughshod over a news division in "Network."Working with such directors as Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet, George Lucas, Philip Kaufman and Dennis Hopper, Duvall was one of the most visible and dependable actors in the 1970s and '80s.

He brought gravitas and a touch of subversion to su...