LEGENDARY actor Robert Duvall has died aged 95.

The Hollywood icon, best known for his roles in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, died at his home on Sunday, his heartbroken wife Luciana confirmed.

She said on Facebook: “Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time.

“Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort.”

She added: “To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller.

“To me, he was simply everything. His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court.

The beloved star, known for his towering screen presence and wide-ranging versatility, received seven Oscar nominations over his stunning six-decades-long career.

He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in the 1983 classic Tender Mercies, where he played an alcoholic singer.

But Robert was best known for featuring in a range of classic films such as The Godfather franchise, Apocalypse Now, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Natural.

Despite being in Apocalypse Now for just 11 minutes – his performance as the unforgettably sadistic Colonel Kilgore stood out as one of the most memorable parts of the film.

He is also often quoted for his iconic line: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”

And in the first two The Godfather movies, his portrayal of charming consigliere Tom Hagen won the hearts of many fans – as well as his first Oscar nomination.

The actor also won four Golden Globes, including one for playing the philosophical cattle-drive boss in the 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” a role he often called his favourite.

His wife also said: “For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented.

“In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all.

“Thank you for the years of support you showed Bob and for giving us this time and privacy to celebrate the memories he leaves behind.”

He died peacefully at his home on his Virginia ranch in Middleburg, she added.

Robert also directed, wrote and starred in The Apostle – which he described as “the most complete thing I have ever done”.

It took him 12 years and $5million to create the beloved movie.

He played a deeply flawed preacher from Texas who flees crime to find a new life in the gripping drama.

Duvall was also a keen and talented singer and composer – as well as a competent tango dancer.

The icon was once described by critic Leonard Maltin as “one of the most gifted actors to grace the screen”.

The Guinness Book of World Records once named him “the most versatile actor in the world”.

Despite his undisputed talent, he was also known for various on-set clashes with directors with some leading to intense arguments.

The star justified these disagreements, saying they were necessary to achieving authentic performances of his characters.

He most notably butted heads with Henry Hathaway during the shooting of True Grit in 1969, but also locked horns with Bruce Beresford on Tender Mercies – the first he won an Academy Award for.

Robert was born in 1931 in San Diego, California, to an amateur actress and a US Navy rear-admiral.

He previously called himself a navy brat – and admitted that education was not his strong suit.

But Robert attended Severn School, Maryland, and The Principia, Saint Louis, Missouri, before graduating in 1953, from Principia College, Illinois, with a liberal arts degree.

He also served in the army before leaving in 1954 as a private first-class.

In 1955, he moved to New York to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre alongside other budding stars such as Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman and James Caan.

Robert became lifelong friends with Hackman, at one point saying: ““A friend is someone who many years ago offered you his last $300 when you broke your pelvis. A friend is Gene Hackman.”

He worked on various television shows before hitting the big screen most notably in 1962 as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Robert also featured in popular films The Eagle Has Landed and The Great Santini during the late 1970s.

The icon was Oscar nominated again for his role in The Judge, where he played Robert Downey Jr’s character’s dad.

He met his fourth wife Luciana in 1996 outside a bakery in Buenos Aires and married her in 2005.