Shelley Duvall

Shelley Duvall
Duvall in 1975
Background information
Born as:	Shelley Alexis Duvall
Born	Jul 7, 1949 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Died	Jul 11, 2024 - age  75 Blanco, Texas, U.S. Diabetic complications
Partner(s):	Paul Simon (1976–1978) Dan Gilroy (1989–2024)
Spouse(s):	Bernard Sampson (1970 - 1974) divorced
Occupation:	Actress, producer
Years active:	1970–2001; 2022–2023

Shelley Alexis Duvall (✦July 7, 1949 – †July 11, 2024) was an American actress known for her portrayal of distinctive, often eccentric, characters. She received several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peabody Award, as well as 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 hesitating to become 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 and Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's horror film The Shining (both 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, Duvall returned to acting in the 2022 horror film The Forest Hills, her final role, and died at the age of 75 in July 2024.

Early life

Shelley Alexis Duvall was born on July 7, 1949, in Fort Worth, Texas, the first child of Bobbie Ruth Crawford (née Massengale, 1929–2020), a real estate broker, and Robert Richardson "Bobby" Duvall (1919–1994), a cattle auctioneer-turned-lawyer (not to be confused with actor Robert Duvall, to whom Shelley was not related). Duvall has three younger brothers: Scott, Shane, and Stewart.

Duvall spent her first years living in various locations throughout Texas due to her father's work before the family settled in Houston when she was five years old. Duvall was an artistic and energetic young child, eventually earning the nickname "Manic Mouse" from her mother. She also became interested in science at a young age and, as a teenager, aspired to become a scientist. After graduating from Waltrip High School in 1967, Duvall sold cosmetics at Foley's and attended South Texas Junior College, where she majored in nutrition and diet therapy.

Personal life and death

Duvall married artist Bernard Sampson in 1970, but their marriage disintegrated as Duvall's acting career accelerated, leading to their divorce in 1974. While she was shooting Annie Hall in New York in 1976, Duvall met singer/songwriter Paul Simon. The couple began a relationship and lived together for two years. Their relationship ended when Duvall introduced Simon to her friend, actress Carrie Fisher; Fisher took up with Simon. Duvall was in a relationship with musician and former Breakfast Club lead vocalist Dan Gilroy from 1989 through the remainder of her life. The pair began their relationship while co-starring in the Disney Channel show Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme, which was also produced by Duvall. She had no children.

After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Duvall relocated from Benedict Canyon (Los Angeles) to Blanco, Texas. Duvall said that she made the decision to move back to Texas when she returned to the state in 1994 to shoot the Steven Soderbergh film The Underneath. Eight years later, in 2002, she retired from acting after 32 years in the business.

In November 2016, Duvall agreed to be interviewed by Phil McGraw on his daytime talk show Dr. Phil. After the show aired, USA Today reported that Duvall appeared to be suffering from a mental illness. The segment received significant criticism from the public, with many suggesting that Duvall was being exploited. Vivian Kubrick, daughter of director Stanley Kubrick, posted an open letter to Dr. Phil on Twitter, while actress Mia Farrow tweeted that it was "upsetting and unethical to exploit Shelley Duvall at this vulnerable time in her life." Director Lee Unkrich also saw the episode and was able to locate her in 2018. The two became friends, and Unkrich said that Duvall remained very proud of her career.

In February 2021, Seth Abramovitch, writer for 'The Hollywood Reporter', located Duvall for an interview, stating, "I only knew that it didn't feel right for McGraw's insensitive sideshow to be the final word on her legacy." The article noted that her memory was "sharp and full of engrossing stories." Concerning The Shining, Duvall spoke of the emotional toll of performing the role of Wendy Torrance and the challenges of long days on the set but said that Kubrick was "very warm and friendly" to her. Anjelica Huston, who was dating Jack Nicholson at the time, believed that Duvall was fully committed to the role and had even rented a small apartment in order to be close to the set.

On July 11, 2024, Duvall died in her sleep at home in Blanco, Texas, due to complications of diabetes, at the age of 75.

Filmography

Wikipedia article: Shelley Duvall Filmography

More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Shelley_Duvall ]

External links

• Shelley Duvall at the Internet Movie Database
• Shelley Duvall at All Movie Guide

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