Shelley Duvall
Acting
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.
Born: July 7, 1949
Place of Birth: Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Known For
Filmography
as Aunt Nellie
as Rico's Mother
as Bad Ballet Dancer (archive footage)
as Detective Dubrinski
as Martha Stewart
as Mrs. Jackson
as Gabby
as Edith Butros
as Mrs. Stein
as Estelle
as Mrs. Randall (uncredited)
as Amelia Glahn
as Sister Agatha
as Alice Flitt
as Mrs. Fink
as Countess Gemini
as Renee Lassiter
as Nurse
as Ocka (voice)
as Teacher
as Caroline (voice)
as Shelley Duvall
as Jenny Wilcox
as Annie
as Little Bo Peep
as Self
as Self - Host
as Dixie
as Self - Host
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Mrs. Anderson
as Self / Host
as Self / Host
as Self / Host
as Self / Host
as Margo Stanton
as Self - Host
as Self - Host
as Lily Miniver
as Self / Host / Clementine
as Host
as Self / Host
as The Host
as Self - Host
as Margaret (segment "A Saucer of Loneliness")
as Self - Host
as Clementine
as Self / Host
as Self - Host / Narrator
as Self - Host
as Leota Bean
as Self - Host
as Host / Narrator (voice)
as Susan Frankenstein
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Snow White's Mother / Self - Host
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Self
as Nightingale (voice) / Narrator (voice) / Self - Host
as Rapunzel / Marie, Rapunzel's Mother / Self - Host
as The Miller's Daughter / Self - Host
as The Miller's Daughter
as Marie / Rapunzel
as Narrator / Nightingale (voice)
as Snow White's Mother
as Narrator (voice)
as Self - Host
as Self - Host (uncredited)
as Dame Pansy / Pansy
as Olive Oyl
as Self
as Wendy Torrance
as Self
as Joan of Arc
as Pam
as Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux
as Bernice
as The First Lady (Mrs. Cleveland)
as Self - Host
as L.A. Joan
as Self
as Keechie
as Liz Christie
as Ida Coyle
as Suzanne
as Self