Shelly Duvall was an actress known for standing out in the horror classic, “The Shining,” as well as for playing Olive Oyl in “Popeye,” supporting work in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall,” and her role in the Robert Altman favorite, “Nashville.”
- Died: July 11, 2024 (Who else died on July 11?)
- Details of death: Died in Blanco, Texas of complications from diabetes at the age of 75.
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Shelley Duvall’s legacy
Texas native Shelley Duvall did not aim to become an actress. She enjoyed drawing, aspired to be a scientist, and worked in cosmetic sales when she met director Robert Altman (1925–2006), who was shooting a film in her home state. Intrigued by her distinctive looks and memorable personality, he cast her in “Brewster McCloud” (1970). He liked Duvall’s performance so much, she ended up appearing in four straight films for him, most notably in his 1975 classic, “Nashville.”
Over the next several years, Duvall earned acclaim for excelling in her newfound career, earning raves for her work in Woody Allen’s Oscar-winning “Annie Hall,” and taking home awards for her role in Altman’s “3 Women,” released within weeks of each other. Perhaps her best-known work came under yet another directing icon, Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999), when she played abused wife Wendy Torrance in “The Shining.” Playing opposite Jack Nicholson in Kubrick’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name, Duvall’s harrowing performance was delivered under notoriously difficult conditions, with Kubrick often keeping her in a constant state of dismay during filming.
Duvall also won over audiences in 1980 with a very different kind of role: Olive Oyl in Altman’s adaptation of the comic strip “Popeye.” Duvall was reluctant to play the part, having been teased with the name Olive Oyl when a child, but she forged ahead anyway. Though not received well in its time, the movie has since become a nostalgic favorite for many.
After appearing a year later in Terry Gilliam’s fantasy film, “Time Bandits,” Duvall ventured out into production work. She helped create the television series “Faerie Tale Theatre” and narrated and starred in the show. She also created another anthology series, “Tall Tales & Legends,” for Showtime. Her work there earned her an Emmy nomination. It was followed by “Nightmare Classics,” also a Showtime anthology series, this time under her new production company, Think Entertainment.
Duvall largely retired from acting after the 1990s, appearing in 2002’s “Manna from Heaven,” then taking a 21-year break before her final role in 2023’s “The Forest Hills.” Over the course of her career, Duvall was nominated for acting awards for her work in “3 Women,” two Emmys for her television productions, and more than a dozen CableACE Awards for her children’s programming, including eight wins overall for “Faerie Tale Theatre,” “Tall Tales & Legends” and “Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories.”
On her experience filming The Shining
“You just think about something very sad in your life or how much you miss your family or friends. But after a while, your body rebels. It says: ‘Stop doing this to me. I don’t want to cry every day.’ And sometimes just that thought alone would make me cry. To wake up on a Monday morning, so early, and realize that you had to cry all day because it was scheduled — I would just start crying. I’d be like, ‘Oh no, I can’t, I can’t.’ And yet I did it.” — Interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 2021
Tributes to Shelly Duvall
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
