Francis Ford Coppola took to Instagram on Monday afternoon to honor his longtime collaborator and friend Robert Duvall, who died on Sunday at the age of 95.
“What a blow to learn of the loss of Robert Duvall,” Coppola wrote. “Such a great actor and such an essential part of American Zoetrope from its beginning: ‘The Rain People,’ ‘The Conversation,’ ‘The Godfather,’ ‘The Godfather Part II,’ ‘Apocalypse Now,’ ‘THX 1138,’ ‘Assassination Tango.’”
As noted by Coppola, he collaborated with Duvall on seven films throughout his career: “The Rain People” (1969), “THX 1138” (1971), “The Godfather” (1972), “The Conversation” (1974), “The Godfather Part II” (1974), “Apocalypse Now” (1979) and “Assassination Tango” (2002).
Fellow “Godfather Part II” stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino also paid tribute to Duvall on Monday. Pacino wrote in a statement shared with Variety, “It was an honor to have worked with Robert Duvall. He was a born actor as they say, his connection with it, his understanding and his phenomenal gift will always be remembered. I will miss him.”
De Niro wrote in his own remembrance, “God bless Bobby. I hope I can live till I’m 95. May he rest in peace.”
Tributes from Hollywood’s biggest stars flooded social media following the news of Duvall’s death. Viola Davis wrote on Instagram that it was an “honor” to act alongside Duvall in the 2018 thriller “Widows.”
“I was in awe,” Davis added, “I’ve always been in awe of your towering portrayals of men who were both quiet and dominating in their humanness. You were a giant… an icon… ‘Apocalypse Now,’ ‘The Godfather,’ ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ ‘Tender Mercies,’ ‘The Apostle,’ ‘Lonesome Dove’… etc… Greatness never dies. It stays… as a gift. Rest well, sir. Your name will be spoken… May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
Michael Keaton, who starred with Duvall in Ron Howard’s 1994 workplace comedy “The Paper,” wrote in his own Instagram tribute, “Another friend goes down. Acted with and became friends. Shared a great afternoon on my front porch talking about horses. He was greatness personified as an actor. RIP RD.”
