Shelley Duvall, the versatile actress best known for her role in “The Shining” and her collaborations with director Robert Altman, died Thursday at age 75.
Citing her partner Dan Gilroy, The Hollywood Reporter said Duvall died in her sleep at her home in Blanco, Texas, from complications of diabetes.
Born July 7, 1949, in Fort Worth, Texas, Duvall was discovered by Altman — the eccentric filmmaker known for his rich characters, sharp social criticism and biting satire — who cast her in the 1970 dark comedy “Brewster McCloud.”
The saucer-eyed actress developed an extensive acting repertoire and captivated audiences, portraying memorable and eccentric characters through her performance in 1975’s “Nashville,” for which she received numerous awards, including a Cannes prize for her role in the acclaimed 1977 drama “3 Women.”
Her career was defined by her work with Altman, to whom she said she kept coming back because “he gave me great roles.”
“None of them are the same,” he told The New York Times in 1977.
“They have a lot of confidence in me, and they trust and respect me, and they don’t restrict me or intimidate me, and I love them.”
In a 1977 interview, Altman praised Duvall, saying she was “capable of swinging all sides of the pendulum: charming, silly, sophisticated, pathetic – even beautiful.”
‘He is free’
But it was her work in the 1980 film adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Shining,” in which she starred opposite Jack Nicholson, that became her most significant role.
Director Stanley Kubrick went to great lengths to cast her as Wendy Torrance in this horror classic, in which a writer husband goes on a killing spree and terrorizes his wife and young son.
Duvall has praised Kubrick, but she has also publicly spoken about how difficult the role was, telling People in 1981 that the 13-month job was excruciating and that Kubrick made her “cry 12 hours a day for several weeks.”
“I will never give so much again. If you want to suffer pain and call it art, go ahead, but not with me.”
One famous scene involves Nicholson’s character beating Duvall with a baseball bat, which reportedly took 127 takes to satisfy Kubrick.
Duvall also had a small role in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” in 1977, and starred opposite Robin Williams in Altman’s live-action version of “Popeye” in 1980.
Later in the 1980s, he made his mark in children’s programs.
His last film was 2023’s “The Forest Hills,” an independent horror-thriller in which he starred after a two-decade hiatus from professional acting.
Duvall’s disappearance from Hollywood led to much speculation about her mental health and her aging image. In a 2024 interview with The New York Times, she and Gilroy expressed their disgust at such treatment.
He indicated that he felt cheated in the industry he had mastered, although his work was gaining him new fans.
“I was a star; I played lead roles,” she said in this rare interview. “People think it’s just the effects of aging, but it’s not. It’s violence.”
“How would you feel if people were really nice, and then all of a sudden, all of a sudden… they turn against you?”
Gilroy — a musician who was part of the Breakfast Club band and has dated Madonna — was Duvall’s long-term partner since the two met on the set of the 1990 Disney Channel movie “Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme.”
“My sweet, loving, wonderful life partner and friend has left us. She has suffered terribly for some time, now she is free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,” Gilroy said in a widely published statement.
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