Shelley Duvall, the acclaimed actress known for her roles in “3 Women” and “The Shining,” passed away at 75 from complications related to diabetes in Blanco, Texas, as confirmed by her partner, Dan Gilroy.
“My dear, sweet, wonderful life, partner, and friend left us last night. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away beautiful Shelley,” said Gilroy.
Duvall first gained prominence working with director Robert Altman, who cast her in “Brewster McCloud” for her first screen role. She continued to collaborate with Altman in films like “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” and “Thieves Like Us” before her standout performance in the ensemble cast of “Nashville” in 1975. Her role in “3 Women” won her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and a BAFTA nomination.
In 1977, Duvall appeared as a Rolling Stone journalist in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” and met Paul Simon, with whom she had a two-year relationship.
Duvall portrayed Olive Oyl in Altman’s “Popeye” in 1980, a role that highlighted her distinctive look. Her intense performance as Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” was a result of Kubrick’s demanding directing style, which required her to perform some scenes over 100 times.
Reflecting on the challenging experience, Duvall told the Hollywood Reporter, “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. I don’t know how I did it. Jack said that to me, too. He said, ‘I don’t know how you do it.’”
Duvall also appeared in films such as Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits” and the comedy “Roxanne” with Steve Martin. In the 1980s, she produced children’s anthology shows based on classic stories, including “Faerie Tale Theatre,” “Tall Tales & Legends,” “Nightmare Classics,” and “Bedtime Stories,” featuring notable directors and guest stars.
Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, Duvall met Altman at a party while he was filming “Brewster McCloud.” After returning to Texas, she appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s “The Underneath” in 1995 and starred in Jane Campion’s “The Portrait of a Lady” the following year before retiring from acting in 2002.
Despite leading a reclusive life, Duvall’s appearance on “Dr. Phil” in 2016 brought negative publicity for its portrayal of her mental health struggles. However, a 2021 interview with the Hollywood Reporter revealed her happy to reminisce about her career and well-regarded in her Texas Hill Country community.
In 2023, she made a return to acting in the indie horror movie “The Forest Hills.”
She is survived by her partner, musician Dan Gilroy, and her brothers, Scott, Stewart, and Shane.