Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Robert Duvall made many successful movies, but sadly couldn’t make a family, which he spoke about 10 years before his death.
The Oscar-winning actor’s wife, Luciana Pedraza, announced to the world on Tuesday that Duvall had peacefully died aged 95 on Sunday.
He made lasting impressions in starring and supporting roles in films such as Apocalypse Now, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Godfather.
Almost 10 years before his death, Duvall spoke about the reason he never welcomed any children.
“I guess I’m shooting blanks,” he told a 2007 issue of Details magazine.
“(I’ve tried) with a lot of different women, in and out of marriage. I thought of adoption, but (my wife and I) haven’t yet.”
Before meeting Pedraza, 54, in a bakery in Argentina, Duvall was married three other times throughout his life.
He wed Barbara Benjamin in 1964, and they split in 1975.
From 1982 to 1985, he was married to Gail Youngs and he was married to Sharon Brophy from 1991 to 1995.
A source told the Daily Mail: “Bobby didn’t talk about not having children often because he invested his time in his craft, his marriages, and just living life.
“He has spoken about how it wasn’t in the cards in the past, but he didn’t ever think about it as a regret. It may have caused strife in some of his marriages, but not having kids was never a game-changer for him.
“He lived an incredible life. 95 years were well spent. And also, it wasn’t for a lack of trying, because he was a ladies’ man. Just life had different plans.”
Pedraza tied the knot with Duvall in 2005, and in a social media post, she emphasised he was “surrounded by love and comfort” at the time of his death at home.
“Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time,” she wrote on Facebook.
“To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything.
“His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court.
“For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented. In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all. Thank you for the years of support you showed Bob and for giving us this time and privacy to celebrate the memories he leaves behind.”
Tributes out of Hollywood have flowed with stars such as Adam Sandler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alec Baldwin and Jane Seymour paying tribute to the acting great.
Duvall decided to pursue acting after serving in the US Army for two years.
“I was terrible at everything but acting — I could barely get through school,” he told People in 1977.
After graduating from Principia College in Illinois and his army stint, he moved to New York, where he roomed with Dustin Hoffman and befriended Gene Hackman when the three were struggling acting students.
Duvall made his big-screen debut as Boo Radley in 1960’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
