Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor whose career ran from To Kill a Mockingbird and The Godfather to Apocalypse Now, died on Sunday at 95. His passing has the St. Louis region looking back at a quieter, more local chapter of his life, centered on the schools where he studied and the campus stage that now carries his name. For many here, those modest markers, a college theater and a Walk of Fame star, are how a towering national career feels close to home.
The death was confirmed in a family statement and first reported by the Associated Press. According to AP, his wife said he “passed away peacefully at home,” and major outlets including The Washington Post have run obituaries tracing his career and the tributes that followed.
Principia and the Robert Duvall Theatre
Duvall’s local story begins at The Principia, the Christian Science school in the St. Louis area, and at nearby Principia College, where he graduated in 1953, according to Britannica. The college’s McVay Center for the Performing Arts houses the Robert Duvall Theatre, a 325-seat proscenium stage named for the alumnus, per the school’s materials. Local coverage of the McVay renovation quoted Duvall saying, “My most valuable experience at Principia was being introduced to drama,” a line recorded in a 2019 feature about the center and its renaming.
For a Hollywood legend known for larger than life roles, it is a very St. Louis twist that the part of his story locals talk about most is a college theater where students still hustle through tech rehearsals and memorize lines.
A Star On Delmar
Outside the campus, Duvall is honored on the St. Louis Walk of Fame along Delmar Boulevard, and the Walk’s profile lists him among its inductees. Local outlets including Spectrum News and First Alert 4 have run pieces this week tying national obituaries back to his Principia years and the Loop honor…