Skip to main content
Shelley Duvall

Shelley Duvall

Actor · 1949 – 2024 · Fort Worth, Texas, USA

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. She died due to complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, southwest of Austin, Texas.

Movies24

  • Movie8.2

    The Shining

    1980 · 19K votes

  • Movie7.7

    Annie Hall

    1977 · 4.3K votes

  • Movie6.6

    Time Bandits

    1981 · 1.2K votes

  • Movie5.6

    Popeye

    1980 · 738 votes

  • Movie7.3

    Nashville

    1975 · 477 votes

  • Movie7.4
  • Movie7.1

    McCabe & Mrs. Miller

    1971 · 470 votes

  • Movie5.9

    The Portrait of a Lady

    1996 · 266 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Roxanne

    1987 · 718 votes

  • Movie5.2

    RocketMan

    1997 · 151 votes

  • Movie4.7

    Suburban Commando

    1991 · 208 votes

  • Movie7.1

    3 Women

    1977 · 356 votes

  • Movie5.5
  • Movie5.7

    The Underneath

    1995 · 93 votes

  • Movie5.9

    Casper Meets Wendy

    1998 · 425 votes

  • Movie5.1

    Home Fries

    1998 · 109 votes

  • Movie4.7

    Tale of the Mummy

    Russell Mulcahy’s Tale of the Mummy

    1998 · 121 votes

  • Movie7.3

    Kubrick by Kubrick

    2020 · 52 votes

  • Movie5.7

    The 4th Floor

    1999 · 133 votes

  • Movie5.2

    Big Monster on Campus

    1998 · 28 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Thieves Like Us

    1974 · 92 votes

  • Movie6.9

    Frankenweenie

    1984 · 460 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Brewster McCloud

    1971 · 101 votes

  • Movie8.1

Series19

  • TV6.9

    Saturday Night Live

    1975 · 527 votes

  • TV7.7

    Frasier

    1993 · 936 votes

  • TV7.0

    L.A. Law

    1986 · 81 votes

  • TV6.7

    Cannon

    1971 · 41 votes

  • TV7.7

    The Twilight Zone

    1985 · 264 votes

  • TV9.5

    Spécial cinéma

    1974 · 2 votes

  • TV5.1

    Film '72

    1971 · 8 votes

  • TV7.8

    Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

    1994 · 434 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Hughleys

    1998 · 14 votes

  • TV8.1

    Faerie Tale Theatre

    1982 · 24 votes

  • TV6.9

    The Ray Bradbury Theater

    1985 · 37 votes

  • TV6.0

    Fridays

    1980 · 9 votes

  • TV7.0
  • TV6.0

    Tall Tales & Legends

    1985 · 8 votes

  • TV8.2

    Wishbone

    1995 · 39 votes

  • TV9.5
  • TV8.5

    Maggie Winters

    1998 · 2 votes

  • TV
  • TV8.0

    Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle

    1994 · 1 votes