Since the early 1960s, Robert Duvall has been one of Hollywood’s most versatile and depending actors. Whether in a lead role, supporting act, on the big screen or television, Duvall has delivered. And like any legend, he seems to get better with age. Here’s our rankings of his 25 best roles.
Boss Spearman (“Open Range”)
Teaming with Kevin Costner, who produced, directed and starred in this acclaimed 2003 Western, Duvall brilliantly depicts a Civil War veteran, who becomes a devoted cattleman. However, Boss is still haunted by memories of the war, but must overcome it all while facing some series issues during his latest cattle drive.
Prentice “Prent” Ritter (“Broken Trail”)
Duval won his first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Television Movie for this 2006 miniseries from AMC. Prent Ritter is an aging but dependable cowboy, who runs into some serious trouble while transporting hundreds of horses from Oregon to Wyoming, along with his nephew Tom Harte (Thomas Haden Church). Prent is stoic, stern, but caring, and poised to do the right thing — no matter how much danger stands in his way.
Captain Augustus “Gus” McCrae, (Lonesome Dove)
Lonesome Dove, which aired on CBS in February 1989, still remains one of the most popular network television miniseries of all time — roughly 26 millions homes were watching at the time. Maybe because Duvall was just so good as Gus McCrae, an outgoing former Texas Ranger and womanizer who runs a livery with Captain Woodrow F. Call (Tommy Lee Jones) during the 1870s in a small Texas town. While Gus certainly has his flaws, he’s a fun character to watch. Cracking wise, living free, and commanding respect.
Jerry Facher (” A Civil Action”)
Included in the list of Duvall’s Academy Award-nominated roles. The 1998 legal drama is based on the true story of an environmental pollution court case in Massachusetts from the 1980s. Jerry Facher is an attorney from Beatrice Foods. He’s a smart lawyer, but likes to play his opponents, believing he is simply better than everyone else. Duvall is subtly superb in a role that doesn’t draw a lot of attention to itself, but is dramatically powerful and certainly memorable among other strong performances from John Travolta and Tony Shalhoub.
Judge Joseph Palmer (“The Judge”)
In this 2014 legal drama, the “Judge,” a highly respected man of the bench who presides over a small-town Indiana criminal court, is indicted for a fatal hit-and-run incident that he does not recollect due to his deteriorating health. In town following the death of his mother, Judge’s estranged son, Hank (Robert Downey Jr.), ends up defending him in court. The two are ultimately forced to bond, whether they like it or not. While a fair amount of critics dismissed the plot as formulaic, Duvall earned his seventh Oscar nomination for his poignant portrayal of an aging father, inadvertently realizing he must make up for lost time with his son.