Legendary Actor, Avid Tennis Standout Robert Duvall Has Died at Age 95

By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, February 16, 2026
Photo credit of Robert Duvall and Tracy Austin: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

Academy Award winning actor Robert Duvall died at age 95 on Sunday.

Duvall won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the highly acclaimed 1983 film Tender Mercies. Robert Duvall’s wife, Luciana Duvall, announced his passing on social media today.

The actor, who was born on January 5th, 1931, may well be best known for his roles in The Godfather, The Godfather II, The Great Santini, Apocalypse Now, Lonesome Dove, Sling Blade and The Natural that saw him portray acerbic sportswriter Max Mercy, nemesis to Robert Redford’s baseball star Roy Hobbs. Redford, like Duvall, was an excellent tennis player who once hit with Hall of Famer Pancho Gonzalez.

In a distinguished career, Duvall portrayed everyone from Stalin to Eisenhower. Duvall was renowned for bringing the humanity of complex and cantankerous characters to life.

Duvall called his role as Stalin perhaps the finest acting performance of his career.

The San Diego-born Duvall found relaxation away from film sets playing tennis.

An avid and accomplished tennis player, who competed in Southern California for years, Duvall also played against pro athletes in the 1970s ABC TV reality sports show The Superstars.

American actor Robert Duvall hits a return during the World Tennis Championship, August 14, 1984 in Monte Carlo.
The Duvall-Charles Heston team won by a final score of 6-1. Photo by RAPH GATTI/AFP via Getty Images)

In 1976, Duvall, playing some serve-and-volley tennis, reached The Superstars final losing to Kyle Rote, Jr., 6-4 in the title match. Here’s an excerpt from that match followed by Duvall’s comments.

In an interview on The Charlie Rose Show, Duvall, also an accomplished equestrian and tango dancer, explained how got bitten by the tennis bug.

Coming up as a young actor, Duvall dealt with the down time between projects pursuing three things “hobbies, hobbies and more hobbies, it keeps you off of dope,” Duvall said.

As a standout tennis player, Duvall told Charlie Rose he beat most fellow Hollywood actors except for Dabney Coleman.

“I could beat everybody but Dabney Coleman,” Duvall told Charlie Rose. “I couldn’t beat Dabney. He was the best.

“He played in college and everything. I beat him in doubles.”

Rest In Peace, Robert Duvall.