Robert Duvall died at the age of 95 without fulfilling the dream of having children with his much-younger wife, Luciana Pedraza, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The acting legend began dating the Argentinian beauty in 1996, and they wed in 2005. However, they were unable to have a baby despite Duvall’s desperate desire to become a dad.
Robert Duvall ‘Tried’ to Become a Dad Throughout His Life
Duvall said he tried having children with ‘a lot of different women.’
Duvall feared that he might be infertile after describing in 2007 how he tried to have a baby with “a lot” of partners, including his four wives.
“I guess I’m shooting blanks,” he shared, referring to not having kids despite so many attempts.
“(I’ve tried) with a lot of different women, in and out of marriage. I thought of adoption, but (my wife and I) haven’t yet,” he revealed about him and Pedraza, 54, two years into their wedded bliss.
An insider noted Duvall “always assumed he was the one with the problem” after his ex-wives, Barbara Benjamin, Gail Youngs, and Sharon Brophy, failed to get pregnant during their respective marriages to the Apocalypse Now star.
Robert Duvall Was ‘Determined’ to Have a Baby With Wife Luciana
Duvall and wife Luciana Pedraza were married for 20 years.
Pedraza was 41 years younger than Duvall, and she was just 24 when they first met and started dating.
Sadly, her youth wasn’t enough to result in a pregnancy with The Godfather star.
“Luciana understood that, but he’s determined to make it happen,” an insider revealed in 2021, noting that Duvall still held out hope they would have a child despite his apparent inability to reproduce. “He’d like to do this for her, and of course, he adores kids.”
The source claimed that despite Duvall being 90 years old at the time, they were still planning to “try IVF and are also not against using a donor and surrogate.”
Robert Duvall ‘Wanted to See His Legacy Carried On’
The actor was hoping ‘medical breakthroughs’ would help him become a dad.
Despite being a nonagenarian, Duvall was “still active” and regularly worked out.
“He could put 40-year-olds to shame in the gym,” the insider stated.
“He’s a dynamo, so naturally he believes there’s no reason why he can’t be a great dad at his age and chase after a little one,” the spy said about how Duvall still dreamed of fatherhood despite his advanced age. “Bob would like to see his name and legacy carried on, and it’s a fact that whenever he sees a baby, he’s all mush and wants one too.”
The source added, “With all the medical breakthroughs out there, he thinks he’s got a chance.”
‘To Me, He Was Simply Everything’
Pedraza made the first move by introducing herself to Duvall when he was visiting Argentina.
When asked what he loved the “most” about turning 90, Duvall joked he wasn’t that fond of aging but enjoyed being able to spend time with Pedraza.
“She takes care of me, and I have good friends, and I try to work out and keep in some kind of shape,” he gushed in a July 2021 interview.
The two first met in Buenos Aires in March 1996 when Pedraza approached Duvall to invite him to her friend’s party.
“My friends said, ‘Go invite him to our party. He loves the tango.’ So we walked around the block and talked. I said, ‘Mr. Duvall, here’s my card. If you wanna come to this party, my friends would love to have you,’ with no expectations. And he came,” she recalled in a March 2003 interview.
Pedraza announced her husband’s death in a February 16 Facebook post.
“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 wrote. “To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything.”
