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Oscars Nominations 2025
Predictions
Best Picture
- Anora15/2
- Emilia Perez17/2
- Conclave17/2
Best Actress
- Mikey Madison 4/1
- Karla Sofia Gascon 9/2
- Angelina Jolie 5/1
Best Actor
- Ralph Fiennes 4/1
- Colman Domingo 9/2
- Adrien Brody 9/2
Best Supporting Actress
- Zoe Saldana 39/10
- Danielle Deadwyler 4/1
- Felicity Jones 13/2
Best Supporting Actor
- Kieran Culkin 9/2
- Clarence Maclin 5/1
- Guy Pearce 11/2
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Sing Sing39/10
- Conclave4/1
- Nickel Boys13/2
Best Original Screenplay
- Anora71/20
- The Brutalist5/1
- A Real Pain11/2
Best Director
- Sean Baker 9/2
- Brady Corbet 5/1
- Jacques Audiard 6/1
Best Animated Feature
- The Wild Robot17/5
- Inside Out 24/1
- Memoir of a Snail9/2
- Zach Laws, Chris Beachum
- Film
Nick Ut/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Oscar-winner Robert Duvall has starred in dozens of films spanning a 60+ year career, racking up six additional nominations in the process, but how many of those titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Duvall made his big screen debut with the small but memorable role of Boo Radley in “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962), released when he was 31-years-old. His first Oscar nomination came just 10 years later: Best Supporting Actor for Francis Ford Coppola‘s mob classic “The Godfather” (1972).
It would take 11 years before Duvall finally clinched that elusive Best Actor Oscar for “Tender Mercies” (1983), a small-scale drama about a drunken country-western singer working towards redemption. He would compete five additional times: lead for “The Great Santini” (1980) and “The Apostle” (1997); supporting for “Apocalypse Now” (1979), “A Civil Action” (1998), and “The Judge” (2014).
Duvall has found success on the small screen as well, snagging Emmys for producing and starring in the western limited series “Broken Trail” in 2007. He received additional bids in Best Movie/Mini Actor for “Lonesome Dove” in 1989, “Stalin” in 1993, and “The Man Who Captured Eichmann” in 1997.
His awards hardware isn’t limited to the Motion Picture and Television Academy: he also won Golden Globes for “Apocalypse Now,” “Tender Mercies,” “Lonesome Dove,” and “Stalin”; a BAFTA prize for “Apocalypse Now”; and a SAG trophy for “A Civil Action.”
Tour our photo gallery of Robert Duvall’s 20 greatest films, including a few for which he didn’t receive Oscar nominations.
20. THE JUDGE (2014)
Directed by David Dobkin. Screenplay by Nick Schenk and Bill Dubuque, story by Schenk and Dobkin. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Vera Farmiga, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Dax Shepard, Leighton Meester, Billy Bob Thornton.
Duvall earned his seventh Oscar nomination (his fourth in supporting) for David Dobkin’s Grisham-esque courtroom mystery. He plays Joseph Palmer, the ornery magistrate of an Indiana hamlet who employees his estranged son (Robert Downey Jr.), a hot-shot Chicago lawyer, to defend him in a murder trial. “The Judge” tries to be all things to all people: legal thriller, family drama, Capra-corn Americana, ending with a literal tornado raging outside as the trial commences. Unfortunately, in biting off so much, it never fully succeeds with any of those story arcs. Duvall lost his bid to J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”).
19. TRUE GRIT (1969)
Directed by Henry Hathaway. Screenplay by Marguerite Roberts, based on the novel by Charles Portis. Starring John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Jeff Corey, Dennis Hopper, Strother Martin, John Fiedler.
Not to be confused with the 2010 Coen Brothers remake, this 1969 western yarn is best remembered for John Wayne’s Oscar-winning turn as “Rooster” Cogburn, a craggy U.S. Marshall hired by a 14-year-old girl (Kim Darby) to track down the malicious Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey) for killing her father. They soon find him holed up with a posse of violent baddies, including Duvall and Dennis Hopper. Though they’re a tough bunch, it’s nothing that the Duke — even with an eye patch and a pot belly — can’t handle.
18. THE ROAD (2009)
Directed by John Hillcoat. Screenplay by Joe Penhall, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce.
Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel comes to the big screen in all its brooding, unrelenting glory. Set in a post-apocalyptic wilderness, the film stars Viggo Mortensen as a father desperately trying to protect his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they travel slowly to the sea. Along the way they encounter violent thugs and a near-blind old man (Duvall). Director John Hillcoat perfectly evokes the harsh, cold landscape of a frighteningly not-too-distant future, aided by sensitive, perfectly realized performances.
17. CRAZY HEART (2009)
Written and directed by Scott Cooper, based on the novel by Thomas Cobb. Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Paul Herman, Jack Nation.
In recent years, Duvall has gotten a lot of mileage out of playing the crotchety yet helpful friend to a home-spun protagonist. Perhaps the best example of this is “Crazy Heart,” which casts Jeff Bridges in a role strikingly similar to the one his co-star played in “Tender Mercies” (both of which brought their leading men Best Actor Oscars). Bridges plays “Bad” Blake, a hard-bitten, hard-drinking country music star who sees a chance at redemption with a beautiful young journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and her son (Jack Nation). “Bad” gets sober thanks to his pal Wayne (Duvall), but can’t stay on the wagon for too long.
16. THE CONVERSATION (1974)
Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, Teri Garr.
Duvall’s role in “The Conversation” is little more than an uncredited “thank you” to Francis Ford Coppola for all those juicy roles he’d been giving him (including Tom Hagen in “The Godfather”), but that doesn’t make his appearance any less effective. A high watermark for ‘70s paranoia thrillers, the film centers on a secretive surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) hired by a mysterious man known only as “The Director” (Duvall) to spy on a young couple. Hackman soon suspects, however, that their lives might be in danger, as well as his own.
15. SLING BLADE (1996)
Written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, based on the short film ‘Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade.’ Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J. T. Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday.
It just wouldn’t be a slice-of-Southern-gothic-life without Duvall, so it’s a good thing he shows up in “Sling Blade.” Billy Bob Thornton writes, directs, and stars in the film as Karl, a mentally-disabled man locked away in an asylum after killing his mother and her lover. He tries to start life anew in a small town after his release, but finds that increasingly difficult. Duvall plays his father, an angry, bitter old man who forced his son to perform a heinous act as a child. The film brought Thornton an Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay, plus a nomination as Best Actor.
14. THX 1138 (1971)
Directed by George Lucas. Screenplay by George Lucas and Walter Murch, story by Lucas. Starring Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro Colley, Maggie McOmie, Ian Wolfe.
Before there was “Star Wars,” there was “THX 1138,” George Lucas’s confounding sci-fi thriller about a man (Duvall) and a woman (Maggie McOmie) rebelling against a tyrannical government. This cold, dystopian society is a far cry from that exciting galaxy far, far away, and 1971 audiences stayed away in droves. Time has rendered a different verdict, however, and the film has found a second life with fans of futuristic thrillers. Lucas and company create a surprisingly convincing world on a shoestring budget, while Duvall provides an emotional resonance lacking in the script.
13. FALLING DOWN (1993)
Directed by Joel Schumacher. Written by Ebbe Roe Smith. Starring Michael Douglas, Barbara Hershey, Rachel Ticotin, Frederic Forrest, Tuesday Weld, Lois Smith.
On the surface, there’s not much that sets Joel Schumacher’s “Falling Down” apart from any other white-man-gone-mad movie. The film finds a police detective (Duvall) with one day left before retirement tracking down a fed-up outcast (Michael Douglas) on a violent rampage. What’s unique here is the great amount of empathy afforded its central psychopath, known only as D-Fens (a reference to his former job as a defense worker). Rather than making him just another angry loner raging against society, Douglas infuses him with sadness and heartbreak, matched by Duvall’s tender rendering of a dedicated professional who hopes to avoid tragedy.
12. RAMBLING ROSE (1991)
Directed by Martha Coolidge. Screenplay by Calder Willingham, based on his novel. Starring Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Lukas Haas, John Heard.
“Rambling Rose” is the kind of film that’s so delicate and lightweight it could almost float away with a slight breeze. Set in the South during the Great Depression, it centers on a 19-year-old housekeeper (Laura Dern) who oozes carnality. She goes to work for the Hillyer family, where she falls in love with the patriarch (Duvall), wins the admiration of the matriarch (Diane Ladd), and catches the eye of their 13-year-old son (Lukas Haas). Rather than making a raunchy sex farce, director Martha Coolidge creates a surprisingly funny and poignant examination of burgeoning adolescence. Dern and Ladd earned lead and supporting Oscar nominations, though Duvall was overlooked despite an Independent Spirits bid.
11. TRUE CONFESSIONS (1981)
Directed by Ulu Grosbard. Screenplay by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, based on Dunne’s novel. Starring Robert De Niro, Burgess Meredith, Charles Durning, Ed Flanders, Cyril Cusack, Kenneth McMillan.
Ulu Grosbard’s “True Confessions” benefits from a nifty bit of cast-swapping. Duvall and Robert De Niro play brothers in 1948 Los Angeles, one a cop, the other a priest. You’d expect Duvall as the monsignor and De Niro as the detective, so it’s a nice surprise to see these two playing against type. Taking its inspiration from the notorious “Black Dahlia” case, the plot revolves around the sibling feud that ensues over an investigation into the brutal murder of a prostitute. At times a bit too slow and methodical for its own good, the film benefits from strong performances and exquisite period detail.
10. GET LOW (2010)
Directed by Aaron Schneider. Screenplay by Chris Provenzano, C. Gaby Mitchell, story by Provenzano and Scott Seeke. Starring Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray, Lucas Black, Bill Cobbs.
“Get Low” provides Duvall with one of his best late career roles as Felix Bush, a Depression-era hermit who throws his own funeral while he’s still very much alive. We soon learn Felix’s solitary, cantankerous lifestyle stems from a great tragedy in his past. Director Aaron Schneider does an expert job recreating 1930s Tennessee on a tight budget, while an able supporting cast — including Bill Murray as the town undertaker and Sissy Spacek as a lovely widow — provide Duvall with some fantastic sparring partners. The actor seemed prime to make a return to the Oscar race after citations at SAG and the Critics Choice, yet he was ultimately snubbed.
9. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
Directed by Robert Mulligan. Screenplay by Horton Foote, based on the novel by Harper Lee. Starring Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, John Megna, Ruth White, Paul Fix, Brock Peters, Frank Overton.
Duvall made his movie debut with a small but memorable role in Robert Mulligan’s landmark Civil Rights drama. Based on the novel by Harper Lee, “To Kill a Mockingbird” centers on Atticus Finch (Best Actor winner Gregory Peck), a Depression-era Southern lawyer defending a black man (Brock Peters) wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. At the same time, he tries to teach his children to live without prejudice. Duvall plays Arthur “Boo” Radley, a shut-in suspected of being a bad man who proves himself a hero. The actor makes the most of his limited screen time, portraying a sad, sensitive man of few words.
8. A CIVIL ACTION (1998)
Written and directed by Steven Zaillian, based on the novel by Jonathan Harr. Starring John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Dan Hedaya, John Lithgow, William H. Macy, Kathleen Quinlan, Tony Shalhoub.
Duvall earned yet another Oscar nomination for his supporting turn in Steven Zaillian’s smart and absorbing courtroom drama. Based on a true story, “A Civil Action” revolves around a small-time injury lawyer (John Travolta) who takes on a case against two major companies accused of polluting a town’s water supply, leading to the deaths of several children. Duvall costars as the corporation’s slick and able attorney, whose eccentricities mask a brilliant legal mind. The role brought him a victory at the SAG Awards, yet he lost at the Academy to James Coburn (“Affliction”).
7. M*A*S*H (1970)
Directed by Robert Altman. Screenplay by Ring Lardner Jr., based on the novel by Richard Hooker. Starring Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Roger Bowen, Rene Auberjonois.
Before there was the long-running television series, there was Robert Altman’s raucous, scatological medical comedy. Set during the Korean War (with echoes of Vietnam), the film centers on the staff at a field hospital who use humor and high jinks to get through the day. Duvall plays Frank Burns, an arrogant, deeply-religious surgeon who’s often tormented by the martini-swilling Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland) and his pals Trapper John (Elliott Gould) and Duke (Tom Skerritt). An Oscar-winner for its script, the film launched the careers of its ensemble cast and established Altman as one of the most important filmmakers of the 1970s.
6. THE GREAT SANTINI (1980)
Written and directed by Lewis John Carlino, based on the novel by Pat Conroy. Starring Blythe Danner, Michael O’Keefe, Lisa Jane Persky, Stan Shaw, Theresa Merritt.
Duvall gives one of his most commanding performances as the domineering patriarch of a military family in “The Great Santini.” He plays Lt. Col. “Bull” Meechum, an alpha male Marine pilot who takes his frustrations out on his children, particularly his eldest son, Ben (Michael O’Keefe), who struggles to come of age under his father’s iron fist. It’s a testament to Duvall’s skills as an actor that he’s able to bring nuance to such a didactic character, a self-proclaimed “warrior without a war.” The film brought him a third Oscar nomination (his first in lead), which he lost to Robert De Niro (“Raging Bull”).
5. NETWORK (1976)
Directed by Sidney Lumet. Written by Paddy Chayefsky. Starring Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Wesley Addy, Ned Beatty, Beatrice Straight.
More than 40 years later, anchorman Howard Beale’s (Peter Finch) tirade about being mad as hell and not taking it anymore feels more relevant than ever. Written by Paddy Chayefsky as if looking through a crystal ball, “Network” imagines what would happen if a television channel exploited its newsman’s mental breakdown for ratings. Duvall is the ratings-hungry executive, Faye Dunaway the craven programming executive, and William Holden the world-weary news producer. Director Sidney Lumet handles this absurd premise with a subtlety that makes it all the more nightmarishly realistic. The film won 4 Oscars (Chayefsky, Finch, Dunaway, and Beatrice Straight as Holden’s wife) and reaped six more nominations, including acting bids for Holden and Ned Beatty as a loquacious corporate chairman. Surprisingly, Duvall was snubbed in Supporting Actor despite reaping a BAFTA bid.
4. THE GODFATHER: PART I AND II (1972, 1974)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, based on the book by Puzo. Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton; Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, Morgana King, John Cazale, Marianna Hill, Lee Strasberg, Michael V. Gazzo.
It’s an interesting comment on American culture that our most fondly remembered illustration of family values comes from a film about the Mafia, yet that’s the ultimate takeaway from Francis Ford Coppola’s epic crime drama and its even-greater sequel. In “The Godfather,” Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the aging patriarch of a crime syndicate, must transfer power to his reluctant son, Michael (Pacino). In “Part II,” Michael’s wide-eyed idealism has tragically morphed into a shark-like gaze. Duvall plays Tom Hagen, Michael’s adopted brother and family consigliere, who does his best to help cold-blooded sibling. The first installment brought him an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor, which he lost to Joel Grey (“Cabaret”). (One could probably blame vote splitting: Duvall contended against co-stars Pacino and James Caan as the hot-blooded brother Sonny.)
3. TENDER MERCIES (1983)
Directed by Bruce Beresford. Written by Horton Foote. Starring Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley, Ellen Barkin, Allan Hubbard.
Duvall won the Oscar as Best Actor for one of his understated performances in Bruce Beresford’s haunting, minimalist tone poem. He plays Mac Sledge, a former country-western singer whose love of drink has cost him his marriage, his career, and his relationship with his daughter (Ellen Barkin). He marries a young widow (Tess Harper) and tries his best to piece his life back together. Horton Foote’s Oscar-winning script is made up of small moments instead of big ones, avoiding cliches by following its characters into unexpected places. Yet what makes it truly sing is Duvall’s mesmerizing transformation into a broken man hopeful for a brighter future.
2. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Screenplay by John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola, narration by Michael Herr, based on ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad. Starring Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Larry Fishburne, Dennis Hopper.
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” proclaims Colonel Kilgore (Duvall), a crazed Vietnam war lieutenant who blasts “Ride of the Valkyries” during helicopter attacks before surfing in the decimated villages. Duvall steals the show in Francis Ford Coppola’s episodic Vietnam saga, based in part on Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.” Martin Sheen stars as Captain Willard, who’s sent on a perilous mission through Cambodia to assassinate the renegade Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Along the way he and his team have several harrowing, hallucinatory occurrences, including their encounter with Kilgore. The role brought Duvall a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, which he lost to Melvin Douglas (“Being There”); he did, however, win the BAFTA prize and tied Douglas at the Globes.
1. THE APOSTLE (1997)
Written and directed by Robert Duvall. Starring Farrah Fawcett, Billy Bob Thornton, Miranda Richardson, June Carter Cash, Walton Goggins.
Duvall gives the performance of a lifetime in “The Apostle,” a passion project that he wrote, directed, and financed with his own money. He plays Sonny Dewey, an impassioned Texas minister whose life spins out of control when his wife (Farrah Fawcett) runs off with a youth minister, taking his church with her. When he accidentally kills her lover in a fit of rage, he skips town and starts anew in Louisiana as a radio preacher. Rather than play another Elmer Gantry, Duvall gives us a man with a passion for the gospel whose temper sometimes gets the best of him, creating a compellingly flawed character on a path to redemption. The role brought him a much-deserved Oscar bid as Best Actor, which he lost to Jack Nicholson (“As Good as It Gets”).
How could this list have ignored his performance in “Something to Talk About” !!!! He did an “Excellent” job there !
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This is my favorite actor he is great in all that he acts in i would love to meet him i know he is a great person off screen too!From an admirer with love a va womn
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I am in 💘 with Robert i would like to meet him
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Please forward to him l
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