Academy Award winner and iconic actor Robert Duvall was honored in Hollywood with a hand and footprint ceremony in front of the legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Jan. 5, which was also the actor’s 80th birthday.
Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Duvall, James Caan and Andy Garcia at Duvall's hand and footprint ceremony in Hollywood.
Robert Duvall’s Hollywood Legacy
Duvall started his extensive career in the theater world in plays like “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” “Call Me by My Rightful Name” and “A View From the Bridge.” His television gigs began in the late ‘50s where he guest starred in several shows, including “The Twilight Zone,” “The Fugitive” and “The Mod Squad.”
His career took a drastic turn when cast opposite Gregory Peck in the critically acclaimed adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” in 1962. Duvall portrayed the memorable Boo Radley, and the film went on to win several Oscars, including Best Actor for Peck.
Duvall as the iconic Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Duvall continued expanding his resume, now with film roles, in ‘60s classics like “The Rain People” and the original “True Grit” starring John Wayne. The film was recently remade by the Coen brothers, starring Jeff Bridges and earning rave reviews this awards season.
His personal accolades came with film roles in the ‘70s and ‘80s, making him a household name. After appearing in “MASH,” “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” where he earned a Golden Globe award, Duvall was the latest and greatest thing to hit the silver screen. The 1983 film “Tender Mercies” earned the actor his first and only Oscar for playing a recovering alcoholic country singer.
Duvall and Al Pacino in "The Godfather."
Even in the ‘90s to the present, Duvall’s career has not slowed down, and a new generation knows him from “Newsies,” “Falling Down,” “Sling Blade” and “A Civil Action.” In 2010, he has garnered excellent reviews and rumors of an Oscar nomination for his leading role in “Get Low,” which debuts on DVD on Feb. 22. Duvall stars opposite Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek in a heartwarming tale of an elderly man throwing a party before his death.
Duvall as Felix Bush in the acclaimed "Get Low."
Duvall’s Hollywood Hand and Footprint Ceremony
On site to honor Duvall in Hollywood was James Caan who served as an emcee for the event, introducing the speakers and leading the ceremony, while speaking highly of his friend and co-star. Caan appeared with Duvall in “The Godfather” and “The Godfather: Part 2.”
James Caan honoring his colleague and friend at Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
“Every time I work with him, I’ve never had more fun or felt more creatively satisfied,” Caan told the crowd of onlookers. “Never met anybody with anymore passion or energy.”
He went on to explain how deep his admiration for Duvall’s acting runs: “As far as his craft is concerned, I have never seen anybody who is more giving and unselfish than Bobby, and he basically really taught me how to give and to be proud, just by doing it.”
Caan introduced other speakers to the event: Billy Bob Thornton, who appeared with Duvall in “Sling Blade,” and Andy Garcia, a co-star in “A Show of Full Force.”
Thornton on working with Duvall in “The Stars Fell on Henrietta” with Aidan Quinn: “Bobby was supposed to be kneeling over his cat that was dying and talking to his cat… Aidan Quinn and I at some point are supposed to come in and get him…After a while, Bobby’s sitting there petting this cat, and he keeps talking and talking and James Keach (director) cuts and says, ‘Hey guys, where are you? You’re supposed to come in and get Bobby.’ We had gotten so mesmerized listening to Bobby’s monologue, we forgot we were in a scene with him and never went to get him out of the thing. He went on, so he did like a 10-minute monologue. We went outside, Aidan and I, and we looked at each other, and I said, ‘Did the same thing happen to you that happened to me?’ He said, ‘Were you thinking I’m in a scene with Robert Duvall?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I was…the whole time.’ So that’s the kind of power this guy has and has had for me, and I’ve appreciated everything he’s ever done for me, and just when somebody wants to stick a knife in you every now and then in the press, Bobby comes right behind them and says something good about you, and I’ve always loved him.”
Billy Bob Thornton and Andy Garcia recall anecdotes from their time with Duvall.
Garcia spoke about Duvall’s impact on the act that is performing:
“Acting starts as a craft, but there are few people that you can really call artists, and when there’s inspiration and when there’s this genial sort of talent, the craft of acting gets elevated to a sublime art form, and Robert Duvall, in a way, has never even been a craftsman because he was always a sublime artist. And the kind of work that he has inspired me and all of us that are here together has been a barometer for every actor to aspire to. When you watch his work, you don’t see the camera, you don’t see the craft, all you see is life…all you see is life.”
Duvall signing his name in the cement and wiping his hands after the print was made.
Duvall accepted the honor graciously and with a sense of humor, thanking his friends, the crowd and his wife, Luciana. Duvall recalled his friend Wilfred Brimley’s advice when marrying a younger woman: “Let me tell you something my friend, there’s nothing worse in the world for an old man than an old woman.” He also revealed that he and Thornton (whom he affectionately called the Hillbilly Orson Wells) are working on a new film together that Thornton has written, “for me, puts Tennessee Williams in the back seat,” he said.
The finished product with Duvall's signature, hand and footprints.
Before putting his hands and feet in the cement and signing his name to the plaque, Duvall said, “I’m looking forward to getting down in the cement and putting my foot in it once more.”
As he worked on his cement piece, the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to Robert Duvall who on that very day turned 80 years old.
