Augustus "Gus" McCrae
Robert Duvall's retired Texas Ranger wears a silver walrus that is as talkative as he is — which is saying something.
- Actor
- Robert Duvall
- Series
- Lonesome Dove
- Year
- 1989
- Medium
- TV
- Style
- Walrus
- Fan Votes
- 0 legendary · 0 meh
Why Augustus "Gus" McCrae's Mustache Matters
Lonesome Dove, the 1989 CBS miniseries adapted from Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, is the most beloved television western ever made, and Robert Duvall's Gus McCrae is its heart. Gus is a philosopher, a flirt, a biscuit enthusiast and a deadly shot, and his thick, silvery mustache is the first thing you notice and the last thing you forget.
Duvall's lip is pure frontier: untrimmed at the edges, heavy over the mouth, with a hint of curl where it meets the cheek. It pairs with Tommy Lee Jones's tighter, grimmer mustache as Woodrow Call to create one of the great odd-couple facial hair pairings on screen.
Duvall has called Gus his favorite role, and it is easy to see why — the mustache lets him play wisdom and mischief at the same time.
- *Lonesome Dove* aired on CBS in February 1989 and won seven Emmy Awards.
- Larry McMurtry's novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1986.
- Robert Duvall (born 1931) has said Gus McCrae is the role he is proudest of.
- Tommy Lee Jones's Woodrow Call wears a tighter, darker mustache — a deliberate visual contrast.
How to Grow the Walrus
Big, bushy, and draped over the mouth like a velvet curtain. The mustache of wise men and Sam Elliott.
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