Shelley Duvall
Photoplayd Industry Rating
Not enough rated films yet to compute a weighted score.
Roles are weighted by involvement: director 1.0, screenwriter 0.7, lead 0.8, supporting 0.4, crew 0.1.
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
Credits
The Shining (1980)
as Wendy Torrance
Popeye (1980)
as Olive Oyl
Annie Hall (1977)
as Pam
Time Bandits (1981)
as Dame Pansy / Pansy
The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
as Countess Gemini
Nashville (1975)
as L.A. Joan
3 Women (1977)
as Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
as Ida Coyle
Lily (1986)
as Lily Miniver
Roxanne (1987)
as Dixie
Kubrick by Kubrick (2020)
as Self (archive footage)
Casper Meets Wendy (1998)
as Gabby
RocketMan (1997)
as Mrs. Randall (uncredited)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
as The First Lady (Mrs. Cleveland)
Pinocchio (1984)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Manna from Heaven (2002)
as Detective Dubrinski
Russell Mulcahy’s Tale of the Mummy (1998)
as Edith Butros
Home Fries (1998)
as Mrs. Jackson
The 4th Floor (1999)
as Martha Stewart
Brewster McCloud (1971)
as Suzanne
Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework (1997)
as Mrs. Fink
Making 'The Shining' (1980)
as Self
Frankenweenie (1984)
as Susan Frankenstein
Big Monster on Campus (1998)
as Mrs. Stein
Ponce de Leon (1986)
as Self / Host
Suburban Commando (1991)
as Jenny Wilcox
The Secret World of the Very Young (1984)
Actor
The Nightingale (1983)
as Nightingale (voice) / Narrator (voice) / Self - Host
Changing Habits (1997)
as Sister Agatha
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990)
as Little Bo Peep
The Dancing Princesses (1987)
as Self - Host
Pecos Bill (1986)
as Self / Host
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001)
as Self
Sleeping Beauty (1983)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Cinderella (1985)
as Self - Host
The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades (1990)
as Self
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1986)
as Self - Host
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1984)
as Snow White's Mother / Self - Host
Little Red Riding Hood (1983)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall (—)
as Self
Puss in Boots (1985)
as Self - Host / Narrator
Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle (1987)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Jack and the Beanstalk (1983)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
The Princess and the Pea (1984)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1976)
as Bernice
The Tale of the Frog Prince (1982)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997)
as Amelia Glahn
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1985)
as Self / Host
Johnny Appleseed (1986)
as Self / Host
The Paul Simon Special (1977)
as Joan of Arc
Dreams in the Attic (2000)
as Aunt Nellie
Twilight Theatre (1982)
Actor
The Underneath (1995)
as Nurse
Frog (1987)
as Mrs. Anderson
Beauty and the Beast (1984)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1985)
as Self - Host
The Emperor's New Clothes (1985)
as Self - Host
Aliens for Breakfast (1994)
as Teacher
Thieves Like Us (1974)
as Keechie
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd (2005)
as Bad Ballet Dancer (archive footage)
Hansel and Gretel (1983)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Alone (1997)
as Estelle
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories: The Christmas Witch (1994)
as Host
Frogs! (1991)
as Annie
Casey at the Bat (1986)
as Host
Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight (1997)
as Self
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers (1984)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Howl: Inside the Forest Hills (—)
as Self
Davy Crockett (1986)
as Self / Host
The Fairest of Them All (1983)
as Self
The Little Mermaid (1987)
as Self - Host
Thumbelina (1984)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures (1986)
as Self
Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1984)
as Self - Host (uncredited)
Rapunzel (1983)
as Rapunzel / Marie, Rapunzel's Mother / Self - Host
Darlin' Clementine (1986)
as Self / Host / Clementine
The Snow Queen (1985)
as Host / Narrator (voice)
John Henry (1986)
as Self / Host
Shine On: The Forgotten Shining Location (2024)
as Self (archive footage)
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed (1986)
as Self - Host
Annie Oakley (1985)
as The Host
Rumpelstiltskin (1982)
as The Miller's Daughter / Self - Host
Booker (1984)
as Laura
Earthquake Survival (1988)
as Self
Six Kinds of Light - John Alcott (1983)
as Self
Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In (1996)
as Self