
Shelley Duvall
Acting • Born 1949-07-07 – Died 2024-07-11
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.
Filmography
110 credits
The Shining
Movie • 1980
Wendy Torrance

Annie Hall
Movie • 1977
Pam

Nashville
Movie • 1975
L.A. Joan

Big Monster on Campus
Movie • 1998
Mrs. Stein

Popeye
Movie • 1980
Olive Oyl

Roxanne
Movie • 1987
Dixie

Suburban Commando
Movie • 1991
Jenny Wilcox

Thieves Like Us
Movie • 1974
Keechie

Home Fries
Movie • 1998
Mrs. Jackson

Brewster McCloud
Movie • 1971
Suzanne

Frankenweenie
Movie • 1984
Susan Frankenstein

The Underneath
Movie • 1995
Nurse

McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Movie • 1971
Ida Coyle

The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades
Movie • 1990
Self

3 Women
Movie • 1977
Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux

Time Bandits
Movie • 1981
Dame Pansy / Pansy

Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
Movie • 1990
Little Bo Peep

Tale of the Mummy
Movie • 1998
Edith Butros

Casper Meets Wendy
Movie • 1998
Gabby

Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall
Movie
Self

Making 'The Shining'
Movie • 1980
Self

The 4th Floor
Movie • 1999
Martha Stewart

Pinocchio
Movie • 1984
Self - Host (uncredited)

Thumbelina
Movie • 1984
Self - Host (uncredited)

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
Movie • 1976
The First Lady (Mrs. Cleveland)

Johnny Appleseed
Movie • 1986
Self / Host

Ponce de Leon
Movie • 1986
Self / Host

John Henry
Movie • 1986
Self / Host

Davy Crockett
Movie • 1986
Self / Host

Pecos Bill
Movie • 1986
Self / Host

Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework
Movie • 1997
Mrs. Fink

Frog
Movie • 1987
Mrs. Anderson

Changing Habits
Movie • 1997
Sister Agatha

Twilight Theatre
Movie • 1982

Bernice Bobs Her Hair
Movie • 1976
Bernice

The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Movie • 1985
Self - Host

Annie Oakley
Movie • 1985
The Host

Darlin' Clementine
Movie • 1986
Self / Host / Clementine

Casey at the Bat
Movie • 1986
Host

The Portrait of a Lady
Movie • 1996
Countess Gemini

Twilight of the Ice Nymphs
Movie • 1997
Amelia Glahn

The Paul Simon Special
Movie • 1977
Joan of Arc

Alone
Movie • 1997
Estelle

Frogs!
Movie • 1991
Annie

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd
Movie • 2005
Bad Ballet Dancer (archive footage)

Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
Movie • 1987
Self - Host (uncredited)

Manna from Heaven
Movie • 2002
Detective Dubrinski

Booker
Movie • 1984
Laura

Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In
Movie • 1996
Self

RocketMan
Movie • 1997
Mrs. Randall (uncredited)

Cinderella
Movie • 1985
Self - Host

The Emperor's New Clothes
Movie • 1985
Self - Host

The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
Movie • 1986
Self - Host

Puss in Boots
Movie • 1985
Self - Host / Narrator

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Movie • 1986
Self - Host

The Little Mermaid
Movie • 1987
Self - Host

The Dancing Princesses
Movie • 1987
Self - Host

The Fairest of Them All
Movie • 1983
Self

Rumpelstiltskin
Movie • 1982
The Miller's Daughter / Self - Host

The Nightingale
Movie • 1983
Nightingale (voice) / Narrator (voice) / Self - Host

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Movie • 1984
Snow White's Mother / Self - Host

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
Movie • 2001
Self

Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures
Movie • 1986
Self

Jack and the Beanstalk
Movie • 1983
Self - Host (uncredited)

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Movie • 1985
Self / Host

Aliens for Breakfast
Movie • 1994
Teacher

Rapunzel
Movie • 1983
Rapunzel / Marie, Rapunzel's Mother / Self - Host

The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
Movie • 1984
Self - Host (uncredited)

Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight
Movie • 1997
Self

Earthquake Survival
Movie • 1988
Self

The Tale of the Frog Prince
Movie • 1982
Self - Host (uncredited)

Sleeping Beauty
Movie • 1983
Self - Host (uncredited)

Little Red Riding Hood
Movie • 1983
Self - Host (uncredited)

The Princess and the Pea
Movie • 1984
Self - Host (uncredited)

Hansel and Gretel
Movie • 1983
Self - Host (uncredited)

Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Movie • 1984
Self - Host (uncredited)

Beauty and the Beast
Movie • 1984
Self - Host (uncredited)

Howl: Inside the Forest Hills
Movie
Self

Lily
Movie • 1986
Lily Miniver

Dreams in the Attic
Movie • 2025
Aunt Nellie

The Snow Queen
Movie • 1985
Host / Narrator (voice)

Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories: The Christmas Witch
Movie • 1994
Host

Kubrick by Kubrick
Movie • 2020
Self (archive footage)

The Secret World of the Very Young
Movie • 1984

L.A. Law
TV • 1986
Margo Stanton

The Adventures of Shirley Holmes
TV • 1997
Alice Flitt

The Twilight Zone
TV • 1985
Margaret (segment "A Saucer of Loneliness")

Wishbone
TV • 1995
Renee Lassiter

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
TV • 1994
Ocka (voice)

Frasier
TV • 1993
Caroline (voice)

Cannon
TV • 1971
Liz Christie

The Ray Bradbury Theater
TV • 1985
Leota Bean

Fridays
TV • 1980
Self

Tall Tales & Legends
TV • 1985
Self - Host

Maggie Winters
TV • 1998
Muriel

Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Host

Faerie Tale Theatre
TV • 1982
The Miller's Daughter

Faerie Tale Theatre
TV • 1982
Marie / Rapunzel

Faerie Tale Theatre
TV • 1982
Narrator / Nightingale (voice)

Faerie Tale Theatre
TV • 1982
Snow White's Mother

Faerie Tale Theatre
TV • 1982
Narrator (voice)

Faerie Tale Theatre
TV • 1982
Self - Host

WonderWorks
TV • 1984
Laura Burroughs

Spécial cinéma
TV • 1974
Self

Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
TV • 1992
Shelley Duvall

Tall Tales & Legends
TV • 1985
Clementine

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
TV • 1994
Potsi

Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Patron (uncredited)

Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self (uncredited)

The Hughleys
TV • 1998
Mrs. Crump