Shelley Duvall
Known For
Acting
Born
1949-07-07 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Died
2024-07-11
Biography
Shelley Alexis Duvall (July 7, 1949 – July 11, 2024) was an American actress known for her portrayal of distinctive, often eccentric characters. She was the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peabody Award and nominations for a British Academy Film Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Born in Texas, Duvall began acting after being discovered by director Robert Altman, who was impressed with her upbeat presence and cast her in the black comedy film Brewster McCloud (1970). Despite her hesitance towards becoming an actress, she continued to work with Altman, appearing in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) and Thieves Like Us (1974). Her breakthrough came with Altman's cult film Nashville (1975), and she earned widespread acclaim with the drama 3 Women (1977), also directed by Altman, for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and earned a nomination for the British Academy Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. That same year, she appeared in a supporting role (as a writer for Rolling Stone) in Woody Allen's satirical romantic comedy Annie Hall (1977) and hosted Saturday Night Live. In the 1980s, Duvall became famous for her leading roles, which include Olive Oyl in Altman's live-action feature version of Popeye (1980) and Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's horror film The Shining (1980). She appeared in Terry Gilliam's fantasy film Time Bandits (1981), the short comedy horror film Frankenweenie (1984), and the comedy Roxanne (1987). She ventured into producing television programming aimed at children and youth in the latter half of the 1980s, notably creating and hosting the programs Faerie Tale Theatre (1982–1987), Tall Tales & Legends (1985–1987) (which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1988), and Nightmare Classics (1989). Duvall sporadically worked in acting throughout the 1990s, notably playing supporting roles in Steven Soderbergh's thriller The Underneath (1995) and the Henry James adaptation The Portrait of a Lady (1996), directed by Jane Campion. Her last performance was in Manna from Heaven (2002), after which she retired from acting. Duvall for many years kept out of the public media, keeping her personal life generally private; however, her health issues earned significant media coverage. After a 21-year hiatus from acting, Duvall returned to acting in the horror film The Forest Hills.
Most Known For
Frasier
as Caroline (voice)
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host
Saturday Night Live
as Patron (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live
as Self (uncredited)
The Twilight Zone
as Margaret (segment "A Saucer of Loneliness")
L.A. Law
as Margo Stanton
The Shining
as Wendy Torrance
Cannon
as Liz Christie
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
as Ocka (voice)
Spécial cinéma
as Self
The Ray Bradbury Theater
as Leota Bean
Faerie Tale Theatre
as The Miller's Daughter
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Marie / Rapunzel
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Narrator / Nightingale (voice)
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Snow White's Mother
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Narrator (voice)
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Self - Host
Fridays
as Self
Nashville
as L.A. Joan
The Hughleys
as Mrs. Crump