Lonesome Dove might be the best limited series ever made. Robert Duvall & Tommy Lee Jones are historically great in this series. This aired in 1989 but still holds up so well- it’s a timeless Western epic. Duvall is right in the middle of his prime here. One of the best ever. pic.twitter.com/7Ofvygyd6p

— Cinema Tweets (@CinemaTweets1) February 16, 2026

Duvall's scene in Four Christmases makes me howl every time.

Buck Turgidson said:

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Great Santini might be my favorite role of his.

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"We are Marines. Marine Corps fighter pilots. We have no other function. That is your mission, and you are going to hack it or pack it." What a movie.

Tender Mercies is my favorite movie. by a ways.

I call that bold talk for a one eyed fat man!

aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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Well - it's a movie, not a documentary.

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Further it is a Francis Ford Coppola script based off of an 1899 novel by Joseph Conrad which itself was based in the Congo.

So yeah, a lot of poetic license was taken.

ETA: I read this in HS. Conrad book was Heart of Darkness

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Ad Astra was also based upon Heart of Darkness

Blitz88 said:

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Duvall's scene in Four Christmases makes me howl every time.

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Tender Mercies was to me and incredible acting performance. After a career of fabulous performances in incredible roles, TM was his Academy Award winner. I think because others saw like I did it was raw, real and compelling. I believed he WAS Mack Sledge.

Straight Talk said:

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Tender Mercies was to me and incredible acting performance. After a career of fabulous performances in incredible roles, TM was his Academy Award winner. I think because others saw like I did it was raw, real and compelling. I believed he WAS Mack Sledge.

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Robert Duvall, 'Godfather' and 'Apocalypse Now' Actor, Dies at 95 - The New York Times

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Mr. Duvall's singular trait was to immerse himself in roles so deeply that he seemed to almost disappear into them an ability that was "uncanny, even creepy the first time" it was witnessed, said Bruce Beresford, the Australian who directed him in the 1983 film "Tender Mercies."

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If the last scene of Tender Mercies doesn't hit you right in the heart, i don't know what to tell you,


Duvall played a lot sniveling characters, like in Mash. Network, Breakout. before he started getting leading roles.

had great range.

Straight Talk said:

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Tender Mercies was to me and incredible acting performance. After a career of fabulous performances in incredible roles, TM was his Academy Award winner. I think because others saw like I did it was raw, real and compelling. I believed he WAS Mack Sledge.

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Two movies that I remember my grandpa going to the theater to see were "The Towering Inferno" and "Tender Mercies". Grandpa fell asleep during "The Towering Inferno" but was impressed with "Tender Mercies". He was a fire chief at an NAS and had a country band on the weekends. Makes sense!

JB!98 said:

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Straight Talk said:

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Tender Mercies was to me and incredible acting performance. After a career of fabulous performances in incredible roles, TM was his Academy Award winner. I think because others saw like I did it was raw, real and compelling. I believed he WAS Mack Sledge.

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Two movies that I remember my grandpa going to the theater to see were "The Towering Inferno" and "Tender Mercies". Grandpa fell asleep during "The Towering Inferno" but was impressed with "Tender Mercies". He was a fire chief at an NAS and had a country band on the weekends. Makes sense!

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I applaud Grandpa's ability to sleep like that. Towering inferno was shown in Sensurround.

I also recall seeing Midway in Sensurround at a theater in Corpus with my dad.

Just watched Godfather 2 this weekend. My dad's favorite actor.

Never forget the comedy. His role in Four Christmases was priceless

Sid Farkas said:

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Jesus. I just read his NYT obit. It might be easier to list the great movies he wasn't in. Totally forgot about the original True Grit and To Kill a Mockingbird

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Best non speaking role ever in a film

Texas velvet maestro said:

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Tender Mercies is my favorite movie. by a ways.

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The motel set from TM is still visible on Google Maps, Street View. It's northeast of Waxahachie somewhere. The out cabins are gone but the house/store is still standing.

"Mack are you alright?"

" I was almost killed once in an automobile accident I was drunk and ran off the side of the road and rolled over four times and they took me from that car for dead but I lived. I prayed last night to know why I lived and she died. I got no answer to my prayer I don't know the answer to nothing not a blessed thing. still don't know why I lived and she died.

I don't know why I wondered out to this part of Texas drunk and you took me in and helped me sober up and married me, why did that happen and Sonny's Daddy died in a war.

You see, I never trusted happiness, I never did and I never will."

not word for word but I memorized that speech back then and could repeat it word for word, now it's just kinda…

RIP Robert.

I have seen most all of his movies. Great talent. However, I had never watched Lonesome Dove as it was a Network Series in the late 80's and I just never tuned in.

Since he passed today I started streaming LD. Kind'a cheesy but thought I could handle it.........UNTIL.....Sean gets pulled off his horse crossing the Nueces river by a massive roving band of Moccasins. So far, Duvall is the only good thing about this series. Great actor. I might try one more episode before giving up.

Sid Farkas said:

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JB!98 said:

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Straight Talk said:

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Tender Mercies was to me and incredible acting performance. After a career of fabulous performances in incredible roles, TM was his Academy Award winner. I think because others saw like I did it was raw, real and compelling. I believed he WAS Mack Sledge.

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Two movies that I remember my grandpa going to the theater to see were "The Towering Inferno" and "Tender Mercies". Grandpa fell asleep during "The Towering Inferno" but was impressed with "Tender Mercies". He was a fire chief at an NAS and had a country band on the weekends. Makes sense!

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I applaud Grandpa's ability to sleep like that. Towering inferno was shown in Sensurround.

I also recall seeing Midway in Sensurround at a theater in Corpus with my dad.

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This was at the Rialto in Beeville, Texas. Not sure we had such newfangled stuff back then. Grandpa was 44 when that movie came out. Now that I think about it he may have only been the assistant chief at NAS Chase Field at the time. Still amazes me how young my grandparents were when I was a little boy.

torrid said:

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This one certainly does hurt, one of my all-time favorites. This may be a bit obscure, but probably my favorite roll of his is "Open Range".

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I absolutely love Open Range.

The end scene in Days of Thunder when Duvall and Tom Cruise race each other on foot will always perplex me. He was 59 at the time of filming and he appeared older to me, like mid 60s at least. I could never envision my grandfather sprinting like that. Duvall seemed to lock in that appearance thru 95. Pretty impressive longevity.

That is a quote to live by. You become like the company you keep. Always felt like that was an Easter egg McMurtry stuck in there.

aggiehawg said:

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Oh no! What a helluva an actor. I'd watch anything with Robert Duvall in it. This one hurts.

Condolences to family and friends.

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Have you ever seen the twilight zone he did? He played a guy who was infatuated with a doll in a doll house at a museum who only came to life for him.

It's actually a good one. Although he has so many good roles.
One of my favorites is from the Western Open Range.

Kentucky Jeff said:

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torrid said:

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This one certainly does hurt, one of my all-time favorites. This may be a bit obscure, but probably my favorite roll of his is "Open Range".

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I absolutely love Open Range.

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It is truly such an amazingly good movie.

FinalCylon said:

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That is a quote to live by. You become like the company you keep. Always felt like that was an Easter egg McMurtry stuck in there.

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Greatest single character ever created and nobody but Robert Duvall could have brought that character to life. I highly recommend everyone read the book Lonesome Dove because it's even better that the show. Larry McMurtry was a mentor to Taylor Sheridan, and you can see the same style in the characters Sheridan creates.

Sid Farkas said:

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THX 1138 or gtfo...

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Never even heard of it, but wow!

Filmed around Abilene, Texas, "The Stars Fell on Henrietta" is one of the least known movies featuring Duvall. I know some of the locals that had small parts.

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The Stars Fell on Henrietta' is a little known movie which is a shame because it is a really great one.

Produced by Clint Eastwood, starring Robert Duvall and featuring a great cast that includes Brian Dennehy, Aidan Quinn, Frances Fisher, and Billy Bob Thornton among others, the movie surprisingly was a complete commercial failure, earning less than $99,000 at the box office in the U.S. with an estimated budget of $13,000,000.

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Kentucky Jeff said:

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torrid said:

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This one certainly does hurt, one of my all-time favorites. This may be a bit obscure, but probably my favorite roll of his is "Open Range".

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I absolutely love Open Range.

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Ditto. This is one that I will most certainly miss.

Since baseball season has kicked off, anyone remember his role as the reporter in The Natural?

Davanji84 said:

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Kentucky Jeff said:

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torrid said:

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This one certainly does hurt, one of my all-time favorites. This may be a bit obscure, but probably my favorite roll of his is "Open Range".

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I absolutely love Open Range.

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Ditto. This is one that I will most certainly miss.

Since baseball season has kicked off, anyone remember his role as the reporter in The Natural?

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Yes sir! He played the swarmy newspaper reporter as well as he did his other roles.

Straight Talk said:

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Texas velvet maestro said:

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Tender Mercies is my favorite movie. by a ways.

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The motel set from TM is still visible on Google Maps, Street View. It's northeast of Waxahachie somewhere. The out cabins are gone but the house/store is still standing.

"Mack are you alright?"

" I was almost killed once in an automobile accident I was drunk and ran off the side of the road and rolled over four times and they took me from that car for dead but I lived. I prayed last night to know why I lived and she died. I got no answer to my prayer I don't know the answer to nothing not a blessed thing. still don't know why I lived and she died.

I don't know why I wondered out to this part of Texas drunk and you took me in and helped me sober up and married me, why did that happen and Sonny's Daddy died in a war.

You see, I never trusted happiness, I never did and I never will."

not word for word but I memorized that speech back then and could repeat it word for word, now it's just kinda…

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https://texashighways.com/culture/revisiting-tender-mercies-the-film-that-put-waxahachie-on-the-map/

JB!98 said:

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Davanji84 said:

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Kentucky Jeff said:

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torrid said:

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This one certainly does hurt, one of my all-time favorites. This may be a bit obscure, but probably my favorite roll of his is "Open Range".

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I absolutely love Open Range.

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Ditto. This is one that I will most certainly miss.

Since baseball season has kicked off, anyone remember his role as the reporter in The Natural?

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Yes sir! He played the swarmy newspaper reporter as well as he did his other roles.

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Max Mercy.

TikiBarrel said:

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It won't matter how many times I watch it…I'll cry every time Gus dies in Lonesome Dove!

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Bill Wittliff was wise to spread the deaths of Deets and Gus across two episodes. Both in one night would have been unbearable for large portions of the American public.

Hogties said:

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One of my favorite acting performances of his. This movie was his labor of love and not well known but it is a masterpiece. Great roles from Farrah Fawcett and Billy Bob Thornton as well.

Celebrate Robert Duvall's acting career by watching him in a role you've likely never seen. It got him a best actor in a leading role nomination.

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I agree. Duvall even wrote the script for it.

The scene at the end of the movie, when the law arrives at his small Louisiana church to arrest him for the murder he committed back in Texas, but finds him in the middle of an impassioned sermon, and permits him to finish the service before taking him away, is my favorite.

Lots of people probably know this one…

Check out Milner's coupe in American Graffiti.

VaultingChemist said:

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Filmed around Abilene, Texas, "The Stars Fell on Henrietta" is one of the least known movies featuring Duvall. I know some of the locals that had small parts.

Quote:

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The Stars Fell on Henrietta' is a little known movie which is a shame because it is a really great one.

Produced by Clint Eastwood, starring Robert Duvall and featuring a great cast that includes Brian Dennehy, Aidan Quinn, Frances Fisher, and Billy Bob Thornton among others, the movie surprisingly was a complete commercial failure, earning less than $99,000 at the box office in the U.S. with an estimated budget of $13,000,000.

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Another movie with Billy Bob Thornton and Robert Duval:

Sling Blade

Sharpshooter said:

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RIP Robert.

I have seen most all of his movies. Great talent. However, I had never watched Lonesome Dove as it was a Network Series in the late 80's and I just never tuned in.

Since he passed today I started streaming LD. Kind'a cheesy but thought I could handle it.........UNTIL.....Sean gets pulled off his horse crossing the Nueces river by a massive roving band of Moccasins. So far, Duvall is the only good thing about this series. Great actor. I might try one more episode before giving up.

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It was hard to recreate that scene from the book for TV and the rubber snakes may be the only blemish in that whole series. Watch it thru to see Duvall's Captain Augustus McCrae heartfelt interactions with Woodrow, Newt, Lori darlin', Deets, Jake Spoon and Pea-Eye. Duvall was Gus. And so fun to watch.
Then go read the book. Fantastic! and see how Duvall brought Gus to life.

ts5641 said:

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Damn, 95?! He was doing something right.

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Argentinian woman


/my man