We lost one of the all-time Hollywood greats this week. Robert Duvall, known for much more than his Oscar-winning turn as a former country star battling demons in 1983’s Tender Mercies, died Sunday (Feb. 15) at age 95. Duvall’s other notables roles included The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini, and To Kill a Mockingbird. In 2008, he played real-life country singer Tim McGraw’s father in the holiday comedy-drama Four Christmases, also starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. A day after the film icon’s death, the “Don’t Take the Girl” crooner, 58, remembered his co-star in a heartfelt social media post.
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Tim McGraw Mourns Robert Duvall, “One of the All-Time Greats”
Sharing a photo of a resplendent Robert Duvall in a cowboy hat and boots, Tim McGraw reflected on his friendship with the Lonesome Dove star.
“One of the all-time greats in my opinion has passed on,” wrote the three-time Grammy winner. “I will never forget my time with him on set and our text messages over the last few years about movies, ‘1883’ and every time “Tender Mercies“ was on on tv, I would text him and say ‘I’m watching it again!’”
McGraw then shared that one of his “prized possessions” is a book of Horton Foote screenplays that the actor mailed him about six months ago, complete “with a beautiful sentiment and autograph that I will keep to myself.”
“An incredible talent, one that doesn’t come along that often,” the country star concluded. “We will miss him and celebrate his life by watching all the great films he made through the years, go rest high my friend.”
[RELATED: 3 Country Music Films To Take Home an Oscar]
McGraw’s filmography isn’t too shabby either, appearing in movies such as 2004’s Friday Night Lights, Flicka (2006), and The Blind Side (2009.) He also starred as Confederate Army captain James Dutton in 1883, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone spin-off on Paramount+.
Robert Duvall’s ‘Tender Mercies’ Role Earned High Praise From This Country Legend
Decades before he played Tim McGraw’s on-screen father, Robert Duvall portrayed Mac Sledge, a washed-up former country star whose alcohol use ruined both his relationships and his musical career, in the 1983 drama Tender Mercies.
To prepare for the role—which included singing his own songs—Duvall studied the real-life country singers he admired. That included Willie Nelson, who viewed the film during a special advance screening set up by Duvall.
“But when it was over twice he said to me, ‘You know, you really reminded me an awful lot of Merle up there,’” Duvall said in a 1983 interview. “So that was a big compliment to me. I love Merle Haggard and his work.”
Featured image by Jim Spellman/WireImage
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