The Passing of Robert Duvall By: G.C. Stevens

Robert Duvall as Al Sieber and Gene Hackman as Brig. General George Crook

       From the Movie Geronimo: An American Legend 1993 Photo

 from IMDB

     Robert Duvall 1931-2026

 I'm sad to report that famed Actor Robert Duvall has passed away. Duvall was an actor of immense talent who played in many roles, portraying many characters. I had first come to know Duvall through his role as Tom Hagen in the Godfather series of movies. But my favorite of Duvall's characters were, Lt. Col Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979), The Apostle E.F. in The Apostle (1997) and Al Sieber in Geronimo; An American Legend (1993). But out of these three roles I mention, his recreation of Al Sieber is my favorite.

Al Sieber Photo ref https://www.historiascripta.org/

Al Sieber was a German-American immigrant who served in the civil war.He enlisted on March 4, 1862, in Company B, 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Sieber was severely wounded on July 2, 1863 in the Battle of Gettysburg, on the battlefield's westside heights of Cemetery Ridge. He fought in several key engagements, including the earlier Battle of Antietam, (September 1862 in the Maryland campaign, then following Battle of Fredericksburg during the winter of 1862-1863, and Battle of Chancellorsville, (1863), Battle of Gettysburg, (June-July 1863), then the post-war conflicts in the American Indian Wars later phase in the American Southwest territories of the Apache Wars, (1849 to 1886), with the Battle of Cibecue Creek (August 1881), and Battle of Big Dry Wash (July 1882). After the wars, he became a mineral prospector in California, Nevada, and in the old Arizona Territory, where he also managed a cattle ranch from 1868 to 1871. But Al did not die as portrayed in the movie Germino, he died on the Apache Trail as a result of a construction accident.

Robert Duvall played Al just as he played other western characters, such as Gus in Lonesome Dove, Boss in Open Range and Prentice in Broken Trail, with a deep southern accent and many “yessir” and “nossir, as he also did with his portrayal of Robert. E. Lee in Gods and Generals. He uses no German accent as the real Al had. But on the other hand, Al Seiber did not take part in the Gatewood expedition to capture Geronimo. And he was not shot and wounded by Geronimo and he was most certainly not killed in a Mexican cantina in a fight with bounty hunters. But Hollywood most certainly took creative license, and I believe it worked in this case.  Duvall will be remembered as one of the best screen actors of his time.