The 25 best Robert Duvall roles

Since the early 1960s, Robert Duvall was one of Hollywood's most versatile and dependable actors. Whether in a lead role, supporting act, on the big screen or television, Duvall always delivered. And like any legend, he always got better with age. So with that in mind, here's our rankings of his 25 best roles. 

At some point during Duvall's legendary acting career, he would be asked to help save the world. That came with this 1998 end-of-the-world thriller. Spurgeon Tanner is a decorated astronaut tasked with trying to land a spacecraft on a massive comet that's racing toward Earth, and then blow it up. Amid an all-star cast, including Morgan Freeman and Vanessa Redgrave, Tanner proves to be a rather calming, professional influence, who proves more worthy for the job than his team members may have thought.

The successful professional relationship between Duvall and famed director Francis Ford Coppola can be traced back to this 1969 provocative drama. However, Gordon is one of Duvall's most disturbing characters. He's a highway patrolman, but also a volatile widower who is abusive toward his young daughter, as well as the film's protagonist Natalie (Shirley Knight), a pregnant and confused young woman who appears to be running away from the reality of her life.

Another rather unlikable Duvall character — on the screen, that is. The overbearing Buck owns a successful sporting goods chain, and he's the coach of the mighty youth soccer Gladiators. A team his grandson sits on the bench for, much like the boy's father and Buck's son, Phil (Will Ferrell), did as a boy. It's a rather tenuous relationship between Buck and the more middling Phil, who eventually coaches the team, setting up a championship between the two squads. The plot is predictable, and the laughs seemed forced at times, but Duvall is still devilishly good as a father who needs a wake-up call after all these years.

While this Tom Cruise vehicle from 1990 is often chided for being too much like Top Gun, albeit with an obviously different storyline, Duvall's Harry Hogge is a worthy highlight of the movie. A former crew chief, Harry is still haunted by the death of one of his stock car drivers, but comes out of retirement to lead the team of hot-shot Cole Trickle (Cruise). Cruise is no stranger to the mentor-protégé storylines, but Duvall is one of his better co-stars from those types of films.

The haggard editor-in-chief of the fictional New York Sun tabloid, Bernie, is the epitome of the grizzled, newspaper veteran. However, his dedication to the business ultimately led to the demise of his marriage and estrangement from his daughter. If that isn't enough, Bernie is also dealing with his recent prostate cancer diagnosis — one he doesn't help by continuing to smoke at a rather alarming rate. Still, amid his personal issues, Bernie finds time to share some valuable wisdom with his staff.

Sportswriter Max Mercy could be credited as the first person to publicly discover the greatness that is Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford), if he actually remembered him. Hobbs, then a 19-year-old, shared a train ride with Mercy en route to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs. Mercy will do anything for a story, perhaps even conjure one up. The shady Mercy is also responsible for introducing Hobbs to bookie Gus Sands, who has taken bets against the legendary fictional ballplayer. Of course, Mercy proves no match for Hobbs.

While Larry Linville's television effort might be the more recognizable — and light-hearted — version of the high-strung and self-absorbed Frank Burns, Duvall was the first actor to bring the visual image of this character to life in the 1970 film. Frank is tolerated by those in the 4077th. But he's often ridiculed, to the point where he attacks Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland) after being egged on about the details of his affair with the attractive Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Sally Kellerman). Duvall's Burns is darker and really one character we love to hate.

Yes, this was truly Billy Bob Thornton's breakout role, drew attention to a young Lucas Black, and proved that Dwight Yoakam was more than just a successful country singer. But Duvall is still riveting as Karl's father, Thornton's intellectually disabled son. Even in old age, and amid his hermit-like state while in failing health, he's still abusive to his son. Duvall doesn't garner much screen time, but it's disturbingly powerful. 

Putting Duvall and fellow legend Robert De Niro opposite each other can only be special. Duvall plays a veteran detective to his popular priest brother (De Niro). The two are brought together more intimately following the deaths of a sex worker and a Catholic priest. Tom Spellacy is trying to play things by the book, but it's increasingly tough considering his brother might be involved, on some level, with the crimes.

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 serious issues during his latest cattle drive.

Directed by Dennis Hopper, Colors (1988) was one of the most acclaimed films of the 1980s. That has much to do with Duvall's veteran LAPD officer Bob Hodges and eager rookie Danny McGavin (Sean Penn), as they deal with Los Angeles' problematic gang violence. While McGavin is ready to crack skulls, Hodges is more diplomatic, trying to get through to the gang members before taking them to the mat. The effort is noble, and Hodges is relatively respected on the streets — something that could actually work against him.

We're going back to the Duvall's film debut. The 1962 movie version of Harper Lee's famed novel from two years earlier won three Academy Awards. Duvall wasn't honored for his role as the infamous, reclusive Boo Radley. Duvall lends a fresh and promising face to one of the literary world's most mysterious characters. With this role, Duvall's foundation for sustained Hollywood success was laid.

From 1976, Network is rightfully remembered for Peter Finch's outraged Howard Beale, but Duvall is more than serviceable as Union Broadcasting System (UBS) bigwig Frank Hackett. He's also highly dislikable. He cares mostly about television ratings, and rarely about the human aspect of broadcast news — and those who deliver it. Meaning Hackett, among others in charge, is willing to do anything, and we mean anything, for a successful story and profitable company.

When Duvall took his act to television, he didn't skip a beat when it came to successful roles. He earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his part in this TNT historical drama from 1996. Duvall is enthralling as Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, who fled Germany and took up residence as Ricardo Klement, and is trying to dodge the Israeli Secret Service.

Before Duvall shone as a fugitive Nazi war criminal, he starred as a loathsome historical tyrant in Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, from this 1992 HBO television movie. One of Duvall's four Golden Globe Award victories came for his portrayal of the power-hungry dictator, who turned the Soviet Union into a dangerous world power at the expense of his family and the lives of millions of his Russian Revolutionary partners. Duvall is stellar at digging into the dysfunctional personal life of this destructive world leader.

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 much attention, but is dramatically powerful and certainly memorable, alongside other strong performances from John Travolta and Tony Shalhoub.

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 many critics dismissed the plot as formulaic, Duvall earned his seventh Oscar nomination for his poignant portrayal of an aging father who realizes he must make up for lost time with his son.

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. 

Duvall picked up a Screen Actors Guild nomination for one of his more unique roles in this 2009 drama. Felix Bush is a hermit in a wooded area of Tennessee. Up in age, Felix decides to throw his own funeral while still alive. He invites the townsfolk, mostly because he wants to know what they think of him and share any stories they might have heard. Thus, see if they are actually true. Of course, Felix and others get more than they bargained for once the event begins, and the drama ensues.

Lonesome Dove, which aired on CBS in February 1989, still remains one of the most popular network television miniseries of all time — roughly 26 million 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.

In addition to starring in a movie that earned Duvall his third Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, he wrote, directed, and served as executive producer. When we talk about the pride of ownership, this is the film that checks all the boxes for Duvall. Arguably Duvall's best film role of the 1990s, "Sonny" is a charismatic Pentecostal minister who is forced out of the congregation he built by his cheating wife (Farrah Fawcett). After Sonny's drunken state leads to the death of his wife's lover, he flees town, assumes a new identity, and starts another church that's even more inspiring and successful. 

Duvall earned a worthy Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor (The Godfather). Hagan was unofficially adopted by the Corleone family, and long been the voice of reason as the organization's lawyer and consigliere. He's loyal, but not flawless. As we learn from The Godfather Part II that he has a mistress, who turns out to be the widow of late brother Sonny. Eventually, Tom's professional role within the Corleone family is more of an attorney and dealing with its legitimate businesses. 

Duvall's lone Academy Award victory came with this 1983 drama. Though the film didn't stand out at the box office, it was universally lauded for Duvall's performance as a country singer seeking to revitalize his life after kicking the bottle and finding Jesus. It's a struggle at times for Mac Sledge, and Duvall brings that out with relative ease.

It would be an understatement to say that 1979 was a great year — professionally — for Duvall. One of his most recognizable and celebrated characters came from The Great Santini. Bull Meechum is a highly respected former U.S. Marine Corps officer who is unable to succeed in his family life as he did with his soldiers. Meechum has difficulty separating the two parts of his life. While thoroughly entertaining, Duvall's character is tough to watch, especially when it comes to granting unconditional love to those in need.

If Bill Kilgore were in charge of the United States' involvement in Vietnam, the war might have been over in a couple of weeks. Regardless, this is arguably Duvall's coolest role, from the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola movie. And it just might be his best. It earned him another Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe victory. Kilgore, who wasn't on the screen very long, exudes confidence and tries to make the living hell of war at least somewhat tolerable for his soldiers. He loves surfing, his steak rare and, of course, "the smell of napalm in the morning."