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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • New rules delay wind and solar projects
    A row of wind turbines spins in the Mojave Desert surrouned by Joshua trees.
    Wind turbines lined up off Highway 58 in the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm near Mojave on May 10, 2023.

    Topline

    New federal policy shifts threaten California’s drive towards clean energy goals. Twelve major renewable energy projects in the state face delays due to stricter tax credit deadlines and sourcing restrictions.

    Timelines cut short: Incentives rolled back under the new federal law mean developers must meet a 2027 deadline for tax credits, five years earlier than expected, reducing project feasibility. New rules limit projects using parts from China or other restricted nations, posing a major challenge for California’s clean-energy supply chain.

    Read on... for more on how the restrictions are affecting the state's clean energy outlook.

    California’s drive to run its electric grid entirely on wind, solar and other clean sources of energy just got harder after President Donald Trump signed a sweeping new budget law.

    The changes in federal tax incentives could affect the feasibility of new solar and wind projects as the state is counting on them to provide more electricity for Californians. A state law requires 100% of electricity to be powered by renewable, carbon-free sources by 2045, at the same time it’s moving to electrify cars and trucks.

    Incentives championed by former President Joe Biden were rolled back, shortening the timeline for the industry to obtain tax credits. Developers of wind and solar projects now face a new, shorter deadline for obtaining tax credits — most now expire at the end of 2027 instead of no sooner than 2032.

    In addition, the new federal rules bar companies from accessing tax credits if they rely on major components from China or other “foreign entities of concern.” This restriction could hit California’s solar and wind industry especially hard, experts said.

    The changes to tax credits are estimated to save the federal government approximately $499 billion from 2025–2034.

    “For too long, the Federal Government has forced American taxpayers to subsidize expensive and unreliable energy sources like wind and solar,” Trump wrote in an executive order last week. “The proliferation of these projects displaces affordable, reliable, dispatchable domestic energy sources, compromises our electric grid, and denigrates the beauty of our Nation’s natural landscape.”

    Projects can still be built without tax credits. But it puts more of a financial burden on their investors. In California, 11 solar projects and one onshore wind project now face potential delays or cancellation, according to an analysis of federal data by Atlas Public Policy provided to CalMatters. The projects are spread across the Central Valley, Inland Empire and Northern California.

    Sean Gallagher, senior vice president of policy for the Solar Energy Industries Association, said in a statement that the industry was still “assessing what the federal tax bill means for them.” He warned the changes could jeopardize up to 35,700 solar jobs and 25 solar manufacturing facilities in California — including existing positions and factories as well as future projects that may now never materialize.

    “The reality is, with or without clean energy tax credits, California’s energy demand is growing at a historic rate, and solar and storage are the fastest and most affordable way to meet that demand,” Gallagher said.

    California in recent years has been fast-tracking massive floating offshore wind farms 20 miles off the coasts of Humboldt County and Morro Bay. The federal changes add some uncertainty that could chill investment. But experts say it’s not a death knell for the industry because the projects weren’t set to seek federal permits or generate electricity for at least several years.

    “Offshore wind is what we would call a long-lead project. It does take years and years to develop,” said Assemblymember Dawn Addis, former chair of the Assembly’s Offshore Wind Select Committee. “Solar is a little bit shorter of a time frame…but it's also his incredibly erratic behavior when it comes to market stability overall that is also going to affect these projects in a negative way.”

    Experts say in the long-run, the federal changes could drive up energy costs.

    "Tax credit savings are typically passed onto ratepayers through lower contracting costs. In the long term, the repeal of the tax credits will result in higher future electricity rates for customers," the California Energy Commission told CalMatters.

    Rising utility bills are already a major political headache for state leaders and a challenge for clean energy advocates who want the state to lead the way in making electricity cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable.

    “The whole point of California's climate policy is not just to reduce California's carbon footprint — because we are less than 1% of global emissions — but to set an example and show that this can be done,” Berkeley economist Severin Borenstein told CalMatters. “There are going to be fewer other states following our example because it's going to be more expensive.”

    The new hurdles for solar and wind come as they are scaling up to meet surging electricity demand nationwide, including from energy-hungry data centers fueling the rise of artificial intelligence.

    California Energy Commissioner Nancy Skinner, in an interview with CalMatters, said the federal law is a national “job killer” and was short-sighted. “The economics of renewable energy generation speak for themselves....The cost of solar generation now is competitive with natural gas,” she said.

    “We're not going to back away from our commitments and our goals,” she added. “Our commitment — whether it is to zero-emission vehicles, or to renewable energy generation — is about cleaning the air as well as addressing the climate crisis…Nobody wants to live in smoggy communities, where the air you're breathing hurts you.”

    Solar and wind projects have helped California log key renewable energy milestones in recent years. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom said nine out of every 10 days so far in 2025 have been powered by non-fossil fuels for at least a part of the day: “The economics of renewable energy generation speak for themselves....The cost of solar generation now is competitive with natural gas."

    The state’s grid runs on a mix of renewables — solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, biomass and hydropower — an average of seven hours a day, the governor said, citing new data compiled by the California Energy Commission.

    “The fourth largest economy in the world is running on more clean energy than ever before,” Newsom said in a statement. “Trump and Republicans can try all they want to take us back to the days of dirty coal but the future is cheap, abundant clean energy.”

    But industry officials say the state isn’t doing enough. They say the state has too many hurdles for building wind and solar projects and needs to offer more funding.

    “For years now, too many California leaders have retreated from true clean energy leadership — hopefully the tax bill serves as a wakeup call that their leadership on clean energy is more important now than ever,” Gallagher said.

    Trump and Congress did not shorten the tax credit deadlines for nuclear power plants, hydroelectric facilities, battery storage and geothermal plants. Congress also dropped a provision that would have added a new excise tax on wind and solar.

    For wind and solar, there's still a possible path to claim tax credits if construction starts within a year or they come online by the end of 2027. Senators added that provision to soften the blow. In theory, those projects could be finished and connected to the grid as late as 2031 and still qualify, but that depends on how the Treasury Department defines what it means to “start construction,” said Kevin Book, an energy analyst based in Washington, D.C.

    “In the short-term, it might actually increase or shift earlier expenditure on these kinds of clean energy projects and all else equal,” said David Victor, a professor of public policy at UC San Diego. “California is in a pretty good position to profit from that acceleration.”

    But Victor warned that the long-term costs could become “a political nightmare.”

    “The long-term incentive, clearly, is to try to slow down investment in solar and wind and electric vehicles,” Victor said.

    Rows of solar panels on a solar farm.
    Solar panels at the Kettleman City Power solar farm on July 25, 2022.
    (
    Larry Valenzuela
    /
    CalMatters/CatchLight Local
    )

    Borenstein took a more measured view about the impact on costs: California’s high electricity prices aren’t mainly about power production — they’re driven by wildfire costs, including past damage payouts and upgrades to prevent future fires. Other drivers include subsidies for low-income customers and the cost shift from rooftop solar, he said.

    Some legislators have advocated for the state budget to cover more of these costs, but Borenstein said it’s politically easier to keep charging customers through their electric bills.

    Alex Jackson, who leads the industry group American Clean Power California, said the state should use money from its cap-and-trade program to lower bills. Cap and trade is a market system that charges California companies for the greenhouse gas emissions they produce. Jackson said those funds could help pay for grid upgrades so ratepayers don’t have to.

    He said the state also could lower clean energy costs by speeding up permitting, easing environmental rules for upgrades to existing projects and reducing costs for turning farmland into solar farms. He also called for expanding regional electricity markets to help California trade power more efficiently — a controversial idea being debated in the Legislature this year. 

    “We’ve really aggressively invested in clean energy, and we need to ramp up that investment, and we need to make it easier and faster to get clean energy deployed.”STATE SENATOR SCOTT WIENERThe state Legislature has debated for years exempting some clean energy projects from the state’s landmark environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act, which is often blamed for delays. State Sen. Scott Wiener, of San Francisco, has advocated for such changes.

    “California has always been a leader, and we need to step that up significantly,” Wiener told CalMatters. “We’ve really aggressively invested in clean energy, and we need to ramp up that investment, and we need to make it easier and faster to get clean energy deployed.”

    In addition to the wind and solar credits, the budget signed by Trump also ends tax credits for purchase of electric cars, rooftop solar panels, home batteries, heat pumps, insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, and other upgrades. Rooftop solar tax credits end this year. Federal tax credits for hydrogen production end after 2027 — a blow for California, which had positioned itself as a national hydrogen hub. Those changes are estimated to save about $543 billion from 2025–2034.

    The state Energy Commission said the elimination of the EV credits beginning on Sept. 30 will mean "lower adoption of electric vehicles" and a "potential short-term spike in ZEV sales" before that date. Rooftop solar projects and heat pump sales also are likely to decrease, the agency said.

    This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

  • New CA bill would clamp down on collaboration
    A man in a light T-shirt and jeans is handcuffed in a parking lot while surrounded by a group of agents.
    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents transfer an immigrant after an early morning raid in Duarte.

    Topline:

    Following reports of local police assisting federal immigration agents with raids and detentions of citizen observers across Southern California, state lawmakers have introduced a bill seeking to outlaw such collaboration.

    The details: State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) announced Monday that she has introduced SB 1105, dubbed the Protect California Rights Act. The bill would ban local law enforcement from helping federal agents with operations based on racial profiling, efforts to stop First Amendment speech or actions involving unauthorized military weapons.

    Why proponents say it’s needed: At a news conference, Pérez said: “Californians deserve to feel safe. They deserve to trust that the officers sworn to protect them will not be used to intimidate them. And they deserve a state government that stands firmly on the side of civil rights and constitutional protections.”

    How enforcement would work: The bill is co-sponsored by ACLU California Action. Executive Director David Trujillo said if the bill passes, Californians who’ve been subject to illegal activity by local law enforcement could take their case to court. “The courts will be able to then step in and order local law enforcement to comply with our laws here in California,” Trujillo said.

    Community voices: The news conference featured speakers who have been detained by local police in incidents related to federal immigration actions. Jose Madera, director of the Pasadena Community Job Center, said he was arrested last month by Pasadena police while tracking the movements of an alleged ICE agent. “The perception of the community,” Madera said, “is that local police were protecting ICE agents and not protecting us, the residents, legal observers.”

    White House position: The Trump Administration and top officials at the Department of Homeland Security have consistently pushed back on efforts to curtail their aggressive enforcement of immigration policies. White House border czar Tom Homan on Sunday, for example, rejected Democrats calls for ICE officers to stop wearing masks, saying that while he didn't "like the masks either" officers said they were needed to protect from doxxing.

  • Prolific, pioneering filmmaker was 96

    Topline:

    Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman has died. The celebrated documentarian started making documentaries that captured the weirdness and wonder of everyday life in the mid 1960s and did not stop until 2023.

    About his career: The prolific, pioneering filmmaker made dozens of documentaries and chronicled the inner workings of institutions. His 1967 film, Titicut Follies, revealed appalling conditions at a prison facility.

    Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman has died. The celebrated documentarian started making documentaries that captured the weirdness and wonder of everyday life in the mid 1960s and did not stop until 2023.

    Wiseman died Monday. His family issued a joint statement with Zipporah Films. He was 96.

    Making movies was always an adventure, Wiseman said in 2016, during a speech at the Academy Awards when he won an honorary Oscar.

    "I usually know nothing about the subject before I start," he said at the black-tie ceremony. "And I know there are those that feel I know nothing about it when it's finished!"

    Wiseman was extremely prolific. He made roughly 50 documentaries, many of which chronicled the inner workings of institutions as diverse as the Idaho state legislature (State Legislature, 2007), the New York Public Library (Ex Libris, 2017), and a high school in Philadelphia (High School, 1968).

    "I wish I could be more like him," said Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris in an interview with NPR about Wiseman before the elder filmmaker died.

    Morris said Wiseman's super-charged yet subtle way of interpreting everyday life had more in common with the Theater of the Absurd than documentary filmmaking. (Indeed, Wiseman also had a career as a theater director in the U.S. and Europe, helming plays by the likes of Samuel Beckett and Luigi Pirandello.)

    "He has a way of finding in reality some of the most surreal, absurd moments that I've ever seen anywhere," Morris said.

    By way of example, Morris points to a scene in Wiseman's 1993 documentary Zoo, in which an all-women surgical team at Miami zoo castrates a wolf.

    "And it seems like the entire scene is populated by women except for the janitor standing by the exit door, looking nervously on with his hands folded over his crotch," Morris said. "To me, this is really almost as good as it gets."

    Morris added Wiseman was a mentor to him and a close friend. After Morris lost both his father and brother to heart disease, and was worried about his own fate, the filmmaker said Wiseman organized medical help for him. "I can even credit Fred with saving my life," Morris said.

    Frederick Wiseman was born in Boston in 1930. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and living in Paris during the 1950s, he taught law at Boston University.

    An older white man holds an award.
    Frederick Wiseman poses with his Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival in August 2014.
    (
    Pascal Le Segretain
    /
    Getty Images
    )

    It was taking his students on field trips to Bridgewater State Hospital, a Massachusetts prison facility for the criminally insane, that compelled the then law professor to direct his first, and most famous, film. Made in 1967, Titicut Follies gets its title from a stage show put on by the inmates at the institution.

    After its seemingly benign opening, the movie captures the appalling conditions under which the inmates are kept, with unblinking scenes of bullying, force feeding, strip searches and squalor.

    Titicut Follies was so shocking, the state of Massachusetts managed to get it banned from public screenings for more than two decades.

    "In order for anyone to see that film, for years you had to sign a declaration saying that you were a professional in one of the following fields, like criminology, law or film studies," said film scholar Barry Keith Grant, author of Voyages of Discovery: The Cinema of Frederick Wiseman.

    Still, Grant said the movie sealed Wiseman's future.

    "It gave him a lot of notoriety and it helped establish his career," Grant said.

    Over the years, Wiseman became known for his meticulous, hands-on process. He directed, produced and edited his movies. In a 2014 interview with NPR, the filmmaker described making National Gallery, his documentary about the famed London art museum.

    "I was there for three months, every day for twelve weeks, probably twelve, fourteen hours a day," Wiseman said of the shoot, adding he amassed 170 hours of footage. "So the ratio between film shot and film used is about 60 to one."

    Wiseman's films were also known for their prodigious length, running for as long as six hours. "I don't tailor the length to meet any commercial needs," Wiseman said. "I assume if people are interested, they'll watch it, whether it's 75 minutes or three hours."
    Copyright 2026 NPR

  • Concern is high for areas hit hard by recent fires
    An outline of California has intense cloud cover in an aerial shot.
    Conditions in Southern California Monday, Feb. 15, as heavy storms hit the state.

    Topline:

    A series of severe weather advisories ranging from extreme marine conditions to severe thunderstorms and the possibility of hail and weather spouts have peppered Southern California on Monday.

    Where things stand: The wet start to the week is expected to continue, with concerns high about possible mudslides and debris flows in areas hard hit by recent fires.

    Keep reading... for details on current conditions and the forecast.

    This story will be updated. Check back for details.

    A series of severe weather advisories — ranging from extreme marine conditions to severe thunderstorms and the possibility of hail and water spouts — have peppered Southern California on Monday. The wet start to the week is expected to continue, with concerns about possible mudslides and debris flows in areas hard hit by recent fires.

    L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued an evacuation warning for the Palisades, Sunset and Hurst burn scar areas ahead of the rain Monday. That warning went into effect at 9 p.m. on Sunday and will be in place until 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

    Most of L.A. County is under a flood watch as a powerful rainstorm hits the region, that's in effect until midnight Monday. Areas that include much of Central and Southern L.A. County are additionally under a flash flood warning until 2 p.m. Monday. That's due to an observed rainfall rate that's between 0.5 to 0.75 inches in 15 minutes.

    Some mountain communities are also under a winter storm warning through Thursday where up to a foot or two of snow is possible for elevations above 6,000 feet.

    Forecasters are also warning that it's going to be windy along mountain passes where gusts could reach up to 70 mph Monday afternoon.

    Rainfall totals

    Chart indicates when rainfall is expected.
    Weather forecast this week for Southern California.
    (
    Courtesy NWS
    )

    Widespread rain began to fall on Southern California overnight, as of 11 a.m. Monday here are preliminary rainfall totals over the last 24 hours, reported by the National Weather Service:

    • Agoura: 1.66 inches
    • Bel Air: .78 inches
    • Canoga Park: 1.25 inches
    • Downtown L.A. .11 inches
    • Eaton Dam: .50 inches

    Evacuations and closures

    We will update as needed.

    According to the National Weather Service, locations that will experience flash flooding include Monday afternoon: Long Beach, West Covina, Glendora, San Dimas, Pomona, Whittier, La Verne, Covina, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights, Monrovia, Claremont, Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk, Cerritos, Artesia, Bellflower and Walnut.

    Traffic conditions

    Rancho Palos Verdes

    • As of Monday afternoon: Rancho Palos Verdes Drive South is closed in both directions from Wayfarers Chapel to Peppertree Drive due to flooding. Please use an alternate route if you must drive at this time. It is unknown when the road will reopen.

    San Fernando Valley

    • As of Monday afternoon: The 5 Freeway north is closed in Sun Valley from Tuxford Street and Lankershim Boulevard because of flooding.

    Orange County

    Forecast

    Meteorologists for the National Weather Service have warned that a powerful storm system will move through the region Monday "bringing the potential for severe thunderstorms, burn-scar debris flows, flash flooding with rock and mud slides, damaging winds, heavy mountain snow, and high surf with coastal flooding."

    They say Southern Californians should expect "cold and blustery conditions with periodic rain" through "at least the middle of the week."

    The expected rainfall is significant enough that they're warning people near vulnerable areas, which include recent burn scars from last January's fires and other recent fires, to take precautions immediately and be ready to leave if evacuation orders are issued.

    Severe weather could include:

    • Small tornadoes
    • 60 mph or higher winds
    • Rainfall rates that hit 1 inch per hour or more

    Understanding National Weather Service warnings

    Here’s an excerpt from our guide to understanding flood warnings, if any are issued:

    • Flood advisories are how the NWS begins to raise the alarm. The goal is to give people enough time to take action.
    • Flood watches are your indicators to get prepared to move.
    • A flood warning is issued when a hazardous weather event is imminent or already happening. When one is issued for your area, you need to get to higher ground immediately.
    • A flash flood warning is issued when a flash flood is coming or in progress. Flash floods are sudden and violent floods that can start within minutes.

    Read more: Flash Flood warnings? Watches? Here’s what you need to know

    Tips for driving in the rain

    Advice on driving in the rain:

    • Check weather and road conditions all along your planned route.
    • Slow down.
    • Keep a wider-than-usual distance between your vehicle and the one in front.
    • Don't drive through standing water — as little as 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars, and two feet can carry away SUVs and trucks.
    • Make sure tires are fully inflated.
    • Check windshield wiper blades and replace if necessary.

    Read more: What you should do if you end up driving in a flooded area

    Downed tree, power line or flooded road?

    Dial 911 in an emergency.

    However, if you need to report a flooded road or a downed tree, you can call the following non-emergency numbers:

    • L.A. city: Dial 311 for a flooded road or downed tree. Call (800) DIAL-DWP if you see a downed power line.
    • L.A. County: (800) 675-HELP
    • Ventura County: (805) 384-1500
    • Orange County: (714) 955-0200 or visit here.

    If you're in L.A. County and need sand bags, you can find some at local fire houses.

    Staying safe when the winds are high

    • Watch for traffic signals that may be out. Approach those intersections as four-way stops.
    • Make sure you have a battery-operated radio and flashlights. Check the batteries to make sure they are fresh. Use flashlights for lighting during a power outage; do not use candles because they may pose a fire hazard.
    • If you’re in a vehicle with a fallen power line on it, stay in the vehicle and remain calm until help arrives. It is OK to use your cellphone to call 911. If you must leave the vehicle, exit away from downed power lines and jump from the vehicle, landing with both feet together. You must not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Then proceed away from the vehicle by shuffling and not picking up your feet until you are several yards away. 
    • Water and electricity don’t mix. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Do not step in or enter any water that a downed power line may be touching.
    • Do not use any equipment indoors that is designed for outdoor heating or cooking. Such equipment can emit carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.
    • If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into it, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “backfeed,” which is dangerous to repair crews.
    • Leave the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed to keep food as fresh as possible. Place blocks of ice inside to help keep food cold. Check food carefully for signs of spoilage. 
    • Check on your neighbors to make sure everyone is safe.

    Tips on staying warm

    • State law requires residential units to have heating systems that can keep indoor temperatures at a minimum of 70 degrees. That means every dwelling unit and guest room offered for rent or lease should offer heating equipment.
    • Use heat smartly to save money: Cranking heaters can be expensive. If money is tight, be judicious about how and when you use your utilities. For example, only use heaters at night or only set the thermostat to around 70 degrees.
    • Open and close those vents: If you have central A/C, look at where the vents are around your home. Are any open in places where you don’t stay long? Practice opening and closing those so warm air only goes where you need it (most vents should have a small toggle lever). Humidifiers can also help you warm things up — and it’s useful to add moisture into our dry air.
    • Adjust your wall heaters: If you have a wall heater, you can change the output by adjusting the knob (usually at the bottom). Since wall heaters can only warm the areas where they’re placed, it’s essential to close doors to rooms you won’t be in so hot air doesn’t get wasted.
    • Turn on your ceiling fan (really): If you have a ceiling fan, try turning it on. This sounds counterintuitive, but there’s science behind it. Since hot air floats up, your fan can help move it around. For warming, your fan should spin clockwise to create an updraft. Not all fans will have this option.

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    How we're reporting on this

    This is a developing story. We fact check everything and rely only on information from credible sources (think fire, police, government officials and reporters on the ground). Sometimes, however, we make mistakes or initial reports turn out to be wrong. In all cases, we strive to bring you the most accurate information in real time and will update this story as new information becomes available.

  • Actor was known the 'Godfather,' 'Apocalypse Now'

    Topline:

    Robert Duvall, who brought a wide range of characters to life, from tough Marines to wistful, tender-hearted cowboys over a long career, has died at 95.

    His career: Duvall appeared in over 90 films over the course of his career, imbuing stock Hollywood types — cowboys, cops, soldiers — with a nuanced sense of vulnerability.

    What we know about his death: Duvall died on Sunday. His wife Luciana posted on Facebook on Monday, "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."

    Over his long career, Robert Duvall brought a wide range of characters to life, from tough Marines to wistful, tender-hearted cowboys.

    Duvall died on Sunday. His wife Luciana posted on Facebook on Monday, "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."

    He was 95 years old.

    In his first major movie role, in 1962, Robert Duvall appeared in only a handful of scenes. He didn't have a single word of dialogue. Yet the actor managed to make an indelible, star-making impression. The film was To Kill a Mockingbird. The role was Boo Radley.

    Boo is the small town's recluse; he spends the movie as little more than a mysterious shape, cloaked in shadows. But in the film's final moments, he steps out nervously, into the light.

    Duvall's features soften, he smiles slightly — and the menacing presence of Boo Radley transforms before our eyes into a figure radiating kindness and concern. The pure, elegantly nuanced physicality of that moment launched his career.

    Robert Duvall came from a military family. He told NPR's All Things Considered in 2010 that he didn't so much discover acting as have it thrust upon him by his parents.

    "I was at a small college in the Midwest," he said. "It was the end of the Korean war. I did go in the army eventually but [only] to get through college, to find something that would give me a sense of worth, where I got my first 'A'. It was my parents I had to thank for that."


    As a young actor, he ended up in New York City, where he palled around with Gene Hackman, James Caan and his roommate Dustin Hoffman. It was over many coffees and conversations with them at Cromwell's Drug Store on 50th and 6th Avenue that he struck upon his personal philosophy of acting. His approach was direct and unpretentious, as he explained to the TV series Oprah's Masterclass in 2015: "Basically just talk and listen, and keep it simple. And however it goes, it goes."

    After Mockingbird, his parts grew bigger: Films like Bullitt, True Grit, and M*A*S*H, in which he originated the role of the uptight Major Frank Burns.

    But it was his role in 1972's The Godfather, as Tom Hagen, the Corleone family lawyer, that changed everything. Amid the film's operatic swirl of emotion, Tom Hagen was an island of calmness and restraint, so it might seem odd that Duvall often said it was one of his favorite roles of his career.

    But his strength as an actor was always how unforced he seemed, how true. Others around him emoted, showily and outwardly — he always directed his energy inward, to find a character's heart. This was true even when he played roles with a harder edge.

    In two films that came out in 1979 — The Great Santini and Apocalypse Now, both of which earned him Oscar nominations — Duvall played military men. In Santini, he was a bluff, belligerent Marine who bullied his sensitive son in an attempt to harden him into a man.

    In Francis Ford Coppola's epically trippy Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now, Duvall was all charismatic swagger as Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore, who calls down an airstrike and delivers one of the most quotable lines in film history: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. ... It smells like ... victory."

    As he told Terry Gross on Fresh Air in 1996, the words followed him for the rest of his life.

    "Yeah, that was a wonderful line," he said. "People come up to me and quote it to me like it's this in thing between me and them. Like they're the only ones who ever thought of it, but it happens with everyone in the same way."

    He finally won the Oscar for 1983's Tender Mercies. He played a recovering alcoholic country singer trying to start his life over. Duvall did his own singing in that film.

    He directed 1997's The Apostle, which he also wrote, produced and starred in, as an evangelical preacher on the outs with God. It earned him his fifth Oscar nomination for acting.

    Over the course of an acting career that spanned decades, Duvall appeared in over 90 films. He took traditional, old Hollywood archetypes of masculinity — soldiers, cops and cowboys — and imbued them with notes of melancholy, a vulnerability that made them come alive onscreen.

    Copyright 2026 NPR