The actor Robert Duvall, who died on Sunday at 95 years old, was known for his chameleon-like ability to intensely embody wide-ranging characters across a career that spanned many decades. His defining performances included a business-focused Mafia lawyer, a military man who loved napalm and a worn-out cowboy.
His movie career began in the 1960s, and he’d go on to make a habit of scouting for inspiration. In East Texas, he hunted for accents; in East Harlem, he hung out with hoodlums. Before playing an investigator, Duvall palled with police detectives.
In an interview with The New York Times in 1989, he rebuffed the praise for his precision. “What do you mean?” he said. “I don’t become the character! It’s still me — doing myself, altered.”
Here is a look back at his career.
Michaela Towfighi is a Times arts and culture reporter and a member of the 2025-26 Times Fellowship class, a program for early career journalists.
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