Shelley Duvall, the award-winning actress who starred in seven films directed by Robert Altman as well as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, died Thursday, July 11, at the age of 75.
Duvall died in her sleep of complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, Texas, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed with the actress’ longtime life partner Dan Gilroy. “My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,” Gilroy told the outlet.
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Duvall left Hollywood behind for her native Texas in the mid-90s but has left behind a unique legacy both in front of and behind the camera via her acting career and her production company, Think Entertainment, which created children’s programming for cable television that earned her her two Emmy Award nominations.
Duvall first came to Hollywood after being discovered in her hometown of Houston by Altman’s team. She would make her screen debut in 1970 as Suzanne Davis in Brewster McCloud, and would go on to work with Altman in 1971’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 1974’s Thieves Like Us, 1975’s Nashville, 1976’s Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson, and 1977’s 3 Women. Duvall won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for portraying Millie Lamoureaux in 3 Women, and three years later, she would sing and star opposite Robin Williams as Olive Oyl in Altman’s live-action Popeye adaptation.
Asked in 1977 by The New York Times why she continued to work with Altman, Duvall responded, “He offers me damn good roles. None of them have been alike. He has a great confidence in me, and a trust and respect for me, and he doesn’t put any restrictions on me or intimidate me, and I love him.” She continued, “I remember the first advice he ever gave me: ‘Don’t take yourself seriously.’ Sometimes I find myself feeling self-centered, and then all of a sudden that bit of advice will pop into my head and I’ll laugh.”
Duvall also starred opposite Jack Nicholson in Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining, which she described as a brutal 13-month shoot in England during which she was subjected to the director’s unconventional techniques. Kubrick had her “crying 12 hours a day for weeks on end,” the actress told PEOPLE in 1981, vowing, “I will never give that much again. If you want to get into pain and call it art, go ahead, but not with me.”
Duvall also appeared in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall in 1977, in Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits in 1981, and in Roxanne alongside Steve Martin in 1987 before stepping away from Hollywood for a more reclusive life in Texas. In 2016, Duvall appeared in distress during an episode of Dr. Phil, revealing she was “very sick” due to mental illness and needed help. More than half a decade later, the actress returned to the screen for the 2023 indie horror movie The Forest Hills. Duvall is survived by her brothers, Scott, Stewart and Shane.
