Robert Selden Duvall was born on January 5, 1931, in San Diego, California. He grew up in a military family, with his father, William Howard Duvall, being a career military officer who later became an admiral.

His mother, Mildred Virginia (Hart), was an amateur actress, which perhaps influenced his early interest in acting. Duvall attended Principia College in Illinois, where he majored in drama. After graduating in 1953, he served a two-year stint in the U.