American actress and producer Shelley Duvall gained recognition for her work with Robert Altman and her portrayal of unconventional roles.
She received a Cannes Film Festival Award and was a nominee for a British Academy Film Award and two Emmy Awards. Additionally, four of her movies are permanently archived in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Shelley Duvall’s Early Life
Shelley Alexis Duvall was the eldest child of Bobbie Ruth Crawford and Robert Richardson Duvall. She was born on July 7, 1949. Her mother was a real estate broker and legal professional, while her father was a former cattle auctioneer who became a lawyer. She had three younger brothers named Scott, Shane, and Stewart. Duvall was born in Fort Worth, Texas.
During her early years, Duvall’s family moved around Texas frequently due to her father’s job, until they finally established a permanent residence in Houston when she turned five. As a child, she was involved in a choir and was known for her creative and active nature, which led her mother to affectionately call her “Manic Mouse”.
At a young age, she developed a passion for science and as a teenager, she dreamed of pursuing a career as a scientist. Following her graduation from Waltrip High School in 1967, she worked as a cosmetics salesperson at Foley’s department store. She then went on to attend South Texas Junior College where she focused on studying nutrition and diet therapy.
Career
Altman was the one who found Shelley Duvall and was struck by her lively demeanor, leading him to give her a role in the darkly humorous movie Brewster McCloud (1970).
Despite her initial reluctance to pursue acting, she stuck with him and appeared in his Western flick McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), the crime drama Thieves Like Us (1974), the musical Nashville (1975), and the drama 3 Women (1977), for which she received the Best Actress award at Cannes Film Festival. In that same year, she also had a supporting part in Woody Allen’s romantic comedy Annie Hall (1977).
In 1980, Duvall’s career reached new heights as she starred as Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s horror flick The Shining and as Olive Oyl in Robert Altman’s adventure movie Popeye.
She continued to solidify her success by appearing in Terry Gilliam’s fantasy film Time Bandits (1981), Tim Burton’s comedic horror short Frankenweenie (1984), and Fred Schepisi’s comedy Roxanne (1987).
Duvall then started making TV shows for kids and teens. These shows included Faerie Tale Theatre (1982–1987), Tall Tales & Legends (1985–1987), Nightmare Classics (1989), and Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories (1992–1994).
Shelley Duvall was not consistently active in acting during the 1990s. She had smaller parts in films such as Steven Soderbergh’s thriller The Underneath (1995) and Jane Campion’s drama The Portrait of a Lady (1996).
She took a break from acting after her appearance in Gabrielle Burton’s comedy Manna from Heaven (2002) until her last role in the horror movie The Forest Hills (2023).
Relationship History
In 1970, Shelley Duvall married artist Bernard Sampson. However, their relationship fell apart as Duvall’s successful acting career took off, resulting in their separation in 1974.
At this time, she crossed paths with 24-year-old tobacco heir Patrick Reynolds at a Hollywood club. The two resided together in a picturesque setting until 1976 when they parted ways just before Duvall departed for London to work on The Shining.
During the filming of Annie Hall in New York in 1976, Duvall crossed paths with singer-songwriter Paul Simon. The two started dating and cohabitated for a couple of years. However, their romance came to an end when Duvall introduced Simon to her acquaintance, actress Carrie Fisher, who then became involved with Simon.
During the late 1970s, Shelley Duvall was romantically involved with musician Ringo Starr. Later on, she began a relationship with Dan Gilroy, the former lead singer of Breakfast Club, in 1989 until her passing. They met while acting together in Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme. Duvall did not have any children.
Cause of Death
On July 11, 2024, Shelley Duvall passed away at her residence in Blanco due to complications related to diabetes. Gilroy announced her death to The Hollywood Reporter four days after she celebrated her 75th birthday. Many tributes were shared in honor of Duvall, including ones from Stephen King and the Stanley Kubrick estate.
