2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 201
Celebrating the life of Robert Selden Duvall.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 12, 2026
WHEREAS, Robert Selden Duvall, a longtime resident of the Commonwealth and an iconic actor, director, and producer, whose 70-year career spanned memorable roles in theatre, film, and television, died on February 15, 2026; and
WHEREAS, born in San Diego, California, Robert Duvall grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, where his father was stationed at the United States Naval Academy; he developed a passion for acting at a young age and earned a bachelor's degree in drama from Principia College in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, in 1952, Robert Duvall began his professional acting career on the stage at the Gateway Playhouse in Long Island, New York, playing the Pilot in an adaptation of The Little Prince known as Laughter in the Stars ; and
WHEREAS, after serving in the United States Army for one year in 1953–1954, Robert Duvall attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City, where he developed lifelong friendships with his fellow students, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman; and
WHEREAS, Robert Duvall starred in theatre roles in New York, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia throughout the 1950s, then made his television debut in an episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre , an anthology drama series on CBS in 1959, and continued to appear as a guest actor on various television programs in the 1960s; and