The son of a Rear Admiral and a descendent of Robert E. Lee, Robert Duvall was in a position to achieve great things from the day he was born. He was a self-described Navy brat, and moved whenever his father received a new posting. Despite the lack of stability, his early life was relatively peaceful. After graduating Principia College in 1953, Duvall served in the United States Armyfor a brief period shortly after the Korean War (from August 19, 1953, to August 20, 1954) leaving the Army as Private First Class. "That's led to some confusion in the press," he explained in 1984, "Some stories have me shooting it out with the Commiesfrom a foxhole over in Frozen Chosin. Pork Chop Hill stuff. Hell, I barely qualified with the M-1 rifle in basic training". While stationed at Camp Gordon (later renamed Fort Gordon) in Georgia, Duvall acted in an amateur production of the comedy "Room Service" in nearby Augusta, Georgia. He left the Army after two years of service at the rank of Private First Class. Upon returning to civilian life, Duvall used the G.I. Bill to fuel his passion for acting. He moved to New York and enrolled in the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater in 1955. He was classmates with other future stars such as Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, and James Caan. During his time at school, he supported himself by working the register at Macy's, sorting mail, and driving trucks. His military experience came into play for a number of rolls in his career, including his portrayal of Maj. Frank Burns in "MASH." One of his most famous roles was Lt. Col. Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now," where he delivered the famous line, "Charlie don't surf." Over the course of his career, Duvall has been nominated for six Oscars and won one of them in 1984 for Best Actor in Leading Role for his part in "Tender Mercies." Duvall has accumulated numerous other accolades, and continues to act to this day. #celebritysoldiers #robertduvall #usarmy #theydiditwhycantyou #whycantyou (at Asheville Mall)