Robert Duvall, Star of The Godfather and The Great Santini, Dies at 95
Variety5 days
Oscar Winner Robert Duvall Dies at 95 in Virginia
Was Robert Duvall's legacy defined by artistic excellence or by his conservative values and principles?
Above: Actor Robert Duvall at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Mortons in West Hollywood on Feb. 27, 2005. Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The Spin
Conservative narrative
Robert Duvall embodied principled conservatism in Hollywood's most hostile environment, courageously supporting Republican candidates from Bush to Giuliani to Romney when doing so risked his career. A believer in personal freedom and limited government, Duvall championed individual liberty over collectivism and stood firm against an industry that punishes dissent. His refusal to bend to Hollywood's suffocating political conformity, walking away from major roles rather than compromise his worth, proved that true American values of self-reliance, dignity, and independence still matter more than fame or acceptance.
Narrative B
Robert Duvall was no simple partisan. He was a fiercely independent artist who rejected the rigid boundaries of both political parties and Hollywood groupthink. After years supporting Republicans, he grew disgusted with the GOP's chaos, calling it "a mess" and declaring himself an independent and "political atheist" who refused to play the game. His brutal honesty about Hollywood's climate of fear, where "dissent is punished" and actors are "forced to adopt certain views simply to remain accepted," revealed an industry rotted by conformity. Duvall chose craft over politics, walking away from Spielberg, Kubrick, and even The Godfather Part III when principles demanded it, proving that integrity matters more than any party or paycheck.