
Shelley Duvall
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.
Acting (80 movies)

The Shining
1980

Annie Hall
1977

Nashville
1975

Big Monster on Campus
1998

Popeye
1980

Roxanne
1987

Suburban Commando
1991

Thieves Like Us
1974

Home Fries
1998

Brewster McCloud
1970

Frankenweenie
1984

The Underneath
1995

McCabe & Mrs. Miller
1971

The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades
1990

3 Women
1977

Time Bandits
1981

Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
1990

Tale of the Mummy
1998

Casper Meets Wendy
1998

Making 'The Shining'
1980

The 4th Floor
1999

Pinocchio
1984

Thumbelina
1984

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
1976

Johnny Appleseed
1986

Ponce de Leon
1986

John Henry
1986

Davy Crockett
1986

Pecos Bill
1986

Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework
1997

Frog
1987

Changing Habits
1997

Twilight Theatre
1982

Bernice Bobs Her Hair
1976

The Pied Piper of Hamelin
1985

Annie Oakley
1985

Darlin' Clementine
1986

Casey at the Bat
1986

The Portrait of a Lady
1996

Twilight of the Ice Nymphs
1997

The Paul Simon Special
1977

Alone
1997

Frogs!
1991

The Forest Hills
2024

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd
2005

Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
1987

Manna from Heaven
2002

Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In
1996

RocketMan
1997

Cinderella
1985

The Emperor's New Clothes
1985

The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
1986

Puss in Boots
1985

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
1986

The Little Mermaid
1987

The Dancing Princesses
1987

The Fairest of Them All
1983

Rumpelstiltskin
1982

The Nightingale
1983

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1984

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
2001

Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures
1986

Jack and the Beanstalk
1983

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
1985

Aliens for Breakfast
1994

Rapunzel
1983

The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
1984

Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight
1997

Earthquake Survival
1988

The Tale of the Frog Prince
1982

Sleeping Beauty
1983

Little Red Riding Hood
1983

The Princess and the Pea
1984

Hansel and Gretel
1983

Goldilocks and the Three Bears
1984

Beauty and the Beast
1984

Lily
1986

Dreams in the Attic
2025

The Snow Queen
1985

Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories: The Christmas Witch
1994