By Robert Bellissimo
It’s TIFF 2014.
I am working as an usher at Roy Thomson Hall and the opening film of the festival is The Judge, starring Robert Downey Jr. & Robert Duvall. All I wanted was to catch a glimpse of Duvall in person. He was an actor I’ve long admired and someone who inspired me to become an actor. I got to see him on stage as the film was being presented, as well as up close, as he made his way out of the theatre and into the elevator.
Robert Duvall studied acting with Sanford Meisner who created the Meisner Technique, a realistic way of teaching acting. (I also studied this approach for three years and have taught it as well.) The name Robert Duvall constantly came up when I was in school as someone to study. One of my teachers told me that people told Sanford Meisner to throw Duvall out of the class because they felt he wasn’t any good. However, Meisner found him to at least always be truthful. He certainly got better and he remained always 100 percent truthful in his performances. Not only was his acting realistic, he could also transform himself to play so many different types of roles.
There are too many iconic performances given by Duvall to list here, but if you’re looking to explore his filmography or revisit his work, I highly recommend To Kill A Mockingbird, Bullitt, The Chase, The Rain People, The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Network, The Great Santini, Apocalypse Now, Tender Mercies, & The Apostle.
These are some of the greatest film performances of all time and every actor in the world should study them. Duvall was also no stranger to theatre. One of my teachers saw him on Broadway in American Buffalo and he said that he was incredible on stage. I wish I had seen that, but we are fortunate to have so much of his work on film.
RIP to the legend, Robert Duvall. Your work with always be remembered.
You can find more of Robert’s work at Robert Bellissimo at the Movies on YouTube.
