Goodbye to Robert Duvall: the songs he sang in his films

Robert Duvall, a well-known face in Hollywood and actor of some iconic cinema titles, has passed away at the age of 95. Over the course of his long career he has won numerous awards, including the Oscar for best actor for his performance in “Tender Mercies” (1983). In addition to receiving six additional Academy Award nominations for “The Godfather” (1972), “Apocalypse Now” (1979), “The Great Santini” (1980), “The Apostle” (1997), “A Civil Action” (1998) and “The Judge” (2014), he also won four Golden Globes, two Emmys, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA.

Precisely for the film that earned him the statuette at the Oscars, in which he played singer-songwriter Mac Sledge, a former country music star whose career and relationship with his ex-wife and daughter were destroyed by alcoholism, Duvall sang his parts himself, insisting that the clause be included in the contract that stipulated that he should perform the songs himself. For the soundtrack of “Tender Mercies”, Robert Duvall wrote the songs “Fool’s Waltz” and “I’ve Decided to Leave Here Forever” and performed “It Hurts to Face Reality”, “Fool’s Waltz”, “I’ve Decided to Leave Here Forever”, “Wings of a Dove” and “If You’ll Hold the Ladder (I’ll Climb to the Top)”.

Among the other films of Duvall’s career, the 1997 film “The Apostle” – which he wrote, directed and starred in, and which also included June Carter Cash in the cast – saw him perform the song “I Love To Tell The Story” with singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris. The film’s soundtrack won the 1998 Grammy in the “Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album” category.

While for the film “Crazy heart” he contributed by performing a short song, “Live forever”.