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. She died due to complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, southwest of Austin, Texas.

Known For

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live

Frasier

L.A. Law

Cannon

The Twilight Zone

Spécial cinéma

All Movies (84)

• Dreams in the Attic2025 · as Aunt Nellie
• Kubrick by Kubrick2020 · as Self (archive footage)
• Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd2005 · as Bad Ballet Dancer (archive footage)
• Manna from Heaven2002 · as Detective Dubrinski
• Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures2001 · as Self
• The 4th Floor1999 · as Martha Stewart
• Home Fries1998 · as Mrs. Jackson
• Casper Meets Wendy1998 · as Gabby
• Russell Mulcahy’s Tale of the Mummy1998 · as Edith Butros
• Big Monster on Campus1998 · as Mrs. Stein
• Alone1997 · as Estelle
• RocketMan1997 · as Mrs. Randall (uncredited)
• Twilight of the Ice Nymphs1997 · as Amelia Glahn
• Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight1997 · as Self
• Changing Habits1997 · as Sister Agatha
• Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework1997 · as Mrs. Fink
• The Portrait of a Lady1996 · as Countess Gemini
• Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In1996 · as Self
• The Underneath1995 · as Nurse
• Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories: The Christmas Witch1994 · as Host
• Aliens for Breakfast1994 · as Teacher
• Suburban Commando1991 · as Jenny Wilcox
• Frogs!1991 · as Annie
• The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades1990 · as Self
• Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme1990 · as Little Bo Peep
• Earthquake Survival1988 · as Self
• The Dancing Princesses1987 · as Self - Host
• Roxanne1987 · as Dixie
• The Little Mermaid1987 · as Self - Host
• Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle1987 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• Frog1987 · as Mrs. Anderson
• Davy Crockett1986 · as Self / Host
• John Henry1986 · as Self / Host
• Ponce de Leon1986 · as Self / Host
• Johnny Appleseed1986 · as Self / Host
• Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures1986 · as Self
• The Princess Who Had Never Laughed1986 · as Self - Host
• Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp1986 · as Self - Host
• Lily1986 · as Lily Miniver
• Darlin' Clementine1986 · as Self / Host / Clementine
• Casey at the Bat1986 · as Host
• Pecos Bill1986 · as Self / Host
• Annie Oakley1985 · as The Host
• The Emperor's New Clothes1985 · as Self - Host
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow1985 · as Self / Host
• Puss in Boots1985 · as Self - Host / Narrator
• Cinderella1985 · as Self - Host
• The Pied Piper of Hamelin1985 · as Self - Host
• The Snow Queen1985 · as Host / Narrator (voice)
• Frankenweenie1984 · as Susan Frankenstein
• Booker1984 · as Laura
• The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers1984 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• The Secret World of the Very Young1984
• Beauty and the Beast1984 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs1984 · as Snow White's Mother / Self - Host
• Thumbelina1984 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• Pinocchio1984 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• The Princess and the Pea1984 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears1984 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• Hansel and Gretel1983 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• Little Red Riding Hood1983 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• Jack and the Beanstalk1983 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• Sleeping Beauty1983 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• The Fairest of Them All1983 · as Self
• The Nightingale1983 · as Nightingale (voice) / Narrator (voice) / Self - Host
• Rapunzel1983 · as Rapunzel / Marie, Rapunzel's Mother / Self - Host
• Rumpelstiltskin1982 · as The Miller's Daughter / Self - Host
• The Tale of the Frog Prince1982 · as Self - Host (uncredited)
• Twilight Theatre1982
• Time Bandits1981 · as Dame Pansy / Pansy
• Popeye1980 · as Olive Oyl
• Making 'The Shining'1980 · as Self
• The Shining1980 · as Wendy Torrance
• The Paul Simon Special1977 · as Joan of Arc
• 3 Women1977 · as Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux
• Annie Hall1977 · as Pam
• Bernice Bobs Her Hair1976 · as Bernice
• Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson1976 · as The First Lady (Mrs. Cleveland)
• Nashville1975 · as L.A. Joan
• Thieves Like Us1974 · as Keechie
• Brewster McCloud1971 · as Suzanne
• McCabe & Mrs. Miller1971 · as Ida Coyle
• Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall— · as Self
• Howl: Inside the Forest Hills— · as Self

All TV Shows (27)

• Maggie Winters1998 · as Muriel
• The Hughleys1998 · as Mrs. Crump
• The Adventures of Shirley Holmes1997 · as Alice Flitt
• Wishbone1995 · as Renee Lassiter
• Aaahh!!! Real Monsters1994 · as Ocka (voice)
• Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle1994 · as Potsi
• Frasier1993 · as Caroline (voice)
• Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories1992 · as Shelley Duvall
• L.A. Law1986 · as Margo Stanton
• The Twilight Zone1985 · as Margaret (segment "A Saucer of Loneliness")
• Tall Tales & Legends1985 · as Self - Host
• Tall Tales & Legends1985 · as Clementine
• The Ray Bradbury Theater1985 · as Leota Bean
• WonderWorks1984 · as Laura Burroughs
• Faerie Tale Theatre1982 · as The Miller's Daughter
• Faerie Tale Theatre1982 · as Marie / Rapunzel
• Faerie Tale Theatre1982 · as Narrator / Nightingale (voice)
• Faerie Tale Theatre1982 · as Snow White's Mother
• Faerie Tale Theatre1982 · as Narrator (voice)
• Faerie Tale Theatre1982 · as Self - Host
• Fridays1980 · as Self
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Host
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Patron (uncredited)
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self (uncredited)
• Spécial cinéma1974 · as Self
• Film '721971 · as Self
• Cannon1971 · as Liz Christie