Shelley Duvall | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Duvall in 1977 | |
| Born | Shelley Alexis Duvall July 7, 1949 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | July 11, 2024 (aged 75) Blanco, Texas, U.S. |
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| Years active |
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| Works | Full list |
| Spouse |
Bernard Sampson
(m. 1970; div. 1974) |
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Shelley Alexis Duvall (July 7, 1949 – July 11, 2024) was an American actress. Known for her collaborations with Robert Altman and for playing eccentric characters, she won a Cannes Film Festival Award and was nominated for a British Academy Film Award and two Emmy Awards. Four of her films are preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Born in Texas, Duvall was discovered by Altman, who was impressed by her upbeat presence and cast her in the black comedy film Brewster McCloud (1970). Though hesitant to become an actress, she continued to work with him, appearing in the Western films McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) and the crime film Thieves Like Us (1974). Her breakthrough came with his musical film Nashville (1975), and she won acclaim for starring in his drama film 3 Women (1977). She followed this with a supporting role in Woody Allen's romantic comedy film Annie Hall (1977).
Duvall gained further prominence for her leading roles as Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's horror film The Shining and Olive Oyl in Altman's adventure film Popeye, both in 1980. She appeared in Terry Gilliam's fantasy film Time Bandits (1981), Tim Burton's short comedy horror film Frankenweenie (1984), and Fred Schepisi's comedy film Roxanne (1987). She ventured into producing television programming aimed at children and youth in the latter half of the 1980s, creating and hosting the programs Faerie Tale Theatre (1982–1987), Tall Tales & Legends (1985–1987), Nightmare Classics (1989) and Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories (1992–1994).
During the 1990s, Duvall acted sporadically, playing supporting roles in Steven Soderbergh's thriller film The Underneath (1995) and Jane Campion's drama film The Portrait of a Lady (1996). After appearing in Gabrielle Burton's comedy film Manna from Heaven (2002), she left acting until returning for her final role in the horror film The Forest Hills (2023). Her mental health in the interim was covered by the media, briefly turning her private life public.