Reflections on Authoring a Book about Robert Duvall

In the outpouring of obituaries and appreciations following Robert Duvall’s death, I am recalling how in 1983 I saw “Tender Mercies” shortly after its release and was memorably moved by the strength and nuance of Duvall’s depiction of the broken-down middle-aged man whose country-music career was shattered by alcoholism. Matt Sledge is a man of few words and tightly controlled emotions, yet Duvall’s eyes and facial expressions make the character’s feelings palpable and powerfully sympathetic.

In 1984, Duvall won an Oscar for his role in “Tender Mercies,” and I wrote a short biography of the celebrated actor in the middle of his life and career at the moment he received the credit so richly deserved for such diverse roles as the frenetic bully in “The Great Santini,” the shy heroic recluse in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and the maniacal army officer who “loved the smell of napalm in the morning” in “Apocalypse Now.”

This unauthorized biography is not sensational; it is a sincere and admiring account of the youth and early career of a great performer, a tribute to Robert Duvall’s talent, tenacity, and artistic integrity,