Acting Legend Shelley Duvall, Star Of The Shining & Popeye, Passes Away

Shelley Duvall, the acting legend known for her roles in films like The Shining, Popeye, and Nashville, has passed away. Variety reports that Duvall passed away in Blanco, Texas on Thursday of diabetes complications. She was 75 years old.

Duvall’s acting career spanned 50 years and included 57 roles between film and television. She is best known, of course, for her work in the 1970s through the 1980s, which included her iconic portrayal of Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining in 1980. That role became a point of controversy over the years due to the difficulty of the shoot and Kubrick’s treatment of her, which caused her severe stress that left her physically ill.

Duvall’s career began in 1970 when she was discovered by Robert Altman and cast in Brewster McCloud as Bud Cort’s love interest. She continued to work with Altman in films like McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Thieves Like Us before her breakthrough role in his 1975 ensemble comedy Nashville. She would continue working with Altman in Buffalo Bill and the Indians and the psychological thriller 3 Women, the latter of which earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and a BAFTA nomination.

Duvall went on to play a journalist in Annie Hall in 1977 before starring in The Shining opposite Jack Nicholson. Kubrick, who was famously exacting about his films, was said to have been particularly harsh with Duvall and Nicholson noted that he was “a different director” with her than with him. The performance was unfairly criticized and she was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress, a nomination that was rescinded in 2022 by the Razzies.

Duvall continued acting through the 1980s and starred in the 1981 Terry Gilliam film Time Bandits. She created and produced Faerie Tale Theatre, which she hosted for 27 episodes on Showtime from 1982 until 1987 as well as Tall Tales & Legends and the 1989 series Nightmare Classics. She also starred in 1987’s Roxanne, an adaptation of Cyrano De Bergerac that starred Steve Martin, and 1991’s Suburban Commando opposite Hulk Hogan.

Duvall continued to work until 2002, when she retired from acting. She returned in 2022 and had two final films, the religious comedy Manna from Heaven and the 2023 horror film The Forest Hills.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Mrs. Duvall. She will be missed.