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Shelley Duvall

Acting 75 (deceased) years old Fort Worth, Texas, USA ★ 1.7
Born: July 7, 1949
Died: July 11, 2024

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.

External Links

🌐 Official Website 🎬 IMDb

Known For

The Shining
The Shining Wendy Torrance 1980
Annie Hall
Annie Hall Pam 1977
Popeye
Popeye Olive Oyl 1980
Time Bandits
Time Bandits Dame Pansy / Pansy 1981
The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady Countess Gemini 1996

Filmography

Acting Credits (110)

Dreams in the Attic
Dreams in the Attic Aunt Nellie 2025
Kubrick by Kubrick
Kubrick by Kubrick Self (archive footage) 2020
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd Bad Ballet Dancer (archive footage) 2005
Manna from Heaven
Manna from Heaven Detective Dubrinski 2002
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures Self 2001
The 4th Floor
The 4th Floor Martha Stewart 1999
Home Fries
Home Fries Mrs. Jackson 1998
Maggie Winters
Maggie Winters Muriel 1998
The Hughleys
The Hughleys Mrs. Crump 1998
Casper Meets Wendy
Casper Meets Wendy Gabby 1998
Tale of the Mummy
Tale of the Mummy Edith Butros 1998
Big Monster on Campus
Big Monster on Campus Mrs. Stein 1998
Alone
Alone Estelle 1997
RocketMan
RocketMan Mrs. Randall (uncredited) 1997
Twilight of the Ice Nymphs
Twilight of the Ice Nymphs Amelia Glahn 1997
Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight
Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight Self 1997
Changing Habits
Changing Habits Sister Agatha 1997
The Adventures of Shirley Holmes
The Adventures of Shirley Holmes Alice Flitt 1997
Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework
Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework Mrs. Fink 1997
The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady Countess Gemini 1996
Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In
Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In Self 1996
Wishbone
Wishbone Renee Lassiter 1995
The Underneath
The Underneath Nurse 1995
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories: The Christmas Witch
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories: The Christmas Witch Host 1994
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters Ocka (voice) 1994
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Potsi 1994
Aliens for Breakfast
Aliens for Breakfast Teacher 1994
Frasier
Frasier Caroline (voice) 1993
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories Shelley Duvall 1992
Suburban Commando
Suburban Commando Jenny Wilcox 1991
Frogs!
Frogs! Annie 1991
The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades
The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades Self 1990
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme Little Bo Peep 1990
Earthquake Survival
Earthquake Survival Self 1988
The Dancing Princesses
The Dancing Princesses Self - Host 1987
Roxanne
Roxanne Dixie 1987
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid Self - Host 1987
Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle Self - Host (uncredited) 1987
Frog
Frog Mrs. Anderson 1987
Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett Self / Host 1986
John Henry
John Henry Self / Host 1986
Ponce de Leon
Ponce de Leon Self / Host 1986
Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed Self / Host 1986
L.A. Law
L.A. Law Margo Stanton 1986
Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures
Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures Self 1986
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed Self - Host 1986
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp Self - Host 1986
Lily
Lily Lily Miniver 1986
Darlin' Clementine
Darlin' Clementine Self / Host / Clementine 1986
Casey at the Bat
Casey at the Bat Host 1986
Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill Self / Host 1986
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley The Host 1985
The Emperor's New Clothes
The Emperor's New Clothes Self - Host 1985
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone Margaret (segment "A Saucer of Loneliness") 1985
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Self / Host 1985
Tall Tales & Legends
Tall Tales & Legends Self - Host 1985
Tall Tales & Legends
Tall Tales & Legends Clementine 1985
Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots Self - Host / Narrator 1985
Cinderella
Cinderella Self - Host 1985
The Ray Bradbury Theater
The Ray Bradbury Theater Leota Bean 1985
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin Self - Host 1985
The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen Host / Narrator (voice) 1985
Frankenweenie
Frankenweenie Susan Frankenstein 1984
Booker
Booker Laura 1984
WonderWorks
WonderWorks Laura Burroughs 1984
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers Self - Host (uncredited) 1984
The Secret World of the Very Young
The Secret World of the Very Young 1984
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast Self - Host (uncredited) 1984
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow White's Mother / Self - Host 1984
Thumbelina
Thumbelina Self - Host (uncredited) 1984
Pinocchio
Pinocchio Self - Host (uncredited) 1984
The Princess and the Pea
The Princess and the Pea Self - Host (uncredited) 1984
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Self - Host (uncredited) 1984
Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel Self - Host (uncredited) 1983
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood Self - Host (uncredited) 1983
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk Self - Host (uncredited) 1983
Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty Self - Host (uncredited) 1983
The Fairest of Them All
The Fairest of Them All Self 1983
The Nightingale
The Nightingale Nightingale (voice) / Narrator (voice) / Self - Host 1983
Rapunzel
Rapunzel Rapunzel / Marie, Rapunzel's Mother / Self - Host 1983
Rumpelstiltskin
Rumpelstiltskin The Miller's Daughter / Self - Host 1982
The Tale of the Frog Prince
The Tale of the Frog Prince Self - Host (uncredited) 1982
Faerie Tale Theatre
Faerie Tale Theatre The Miller's Daughter 1982
Faerie Tale Theatre
Faerie Tale Theatre Marie / Rapunzel 1982
Faerie Tale Theatre
Faerie Tale Theatre Narrator / Nightingale (voice) 1982
Faerie Tale Theatre
Faerie Tale Theatre Snow White's Mother 1982
Faerie Tale Theatre
Faerie Tale Theatre Narrator (voice) 1982
Faerie Tale Theatre
Faerie Tale Theatre Self - Host 1982
Twilight Theatre
Twilight Theatre 1982
Time Bandits
Time Bandits Dame Pansy / Pansy 1981
Popeye
Popeye Olive Oyl 1980
Making 'The Shining'
Making 'The Shining' Self 1980
The Shining
The Shining Wendy Torrance 1980
Fridays
Fridays Self 1980
The Paul Simon Special
The Paul Simon Special Joan of Arc 1977
3 Women
3 Women Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux 1977
Annie Hall
Annie Hall Pam 1977
Bernice Bobs Her Hair
Bernice Bobs Her Hair Bernice 1976
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson The First Lady (Mrs. Cleveland) 1976
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live Self - Host 1975
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live Patron (uncredited) 1975
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live Self (uncredited) 1975
Nashville
Nashville L.A. Joan 1975
Spécial cinéma
Spécial cinéma Self 1974
Thieves Like Us
Thieves Like Us Keechie 1974
Cannon
Cannon Liz Christie 1971
Brewster McCloud
Brewster McCloud Suzanne 1971
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
McCabe & Mrs. Miller Ida Coyle 1971
Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall
Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall Self
Howl: Inside the Forest Hills
Howl: Inside the Forest Hills Self

Writing Credits (1)

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