“The Shining” actress Shelley Duvall passes away at 75: Remembering the icon

IN a startling turn of events, Dan Gilroy, the partner of renowned actress Shelley Duvall, has announced that she has passed away at 75 years old. AP News reports that she passed away in her sleep, most probably as a result of her diabetes.

In his statement, he said: “My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley.”

Duvall, also known by others as the “Texas Twiggy,” appeared in a number of shows and films from the 70s up to the 80s. Following her blooming career, she then disappeared from the limelight, which led many to wonder what had happened to the actress.

Some people believe the age-old myth that she left Hollywood due to the alleged mistreatment she experienced on the set of “The Shining.” 

Page Six explains that she moved back to Texas when 2002 due to her brother being diagnosed with spinal cancer and with acting roles coming in less and less.

In an article from TIMES Magazine, Duvall was quoted saying: “I was a star; I had leading roles. People think it’s just aging, but it’s not. It’s violence. How would you feel if people were really nice and then suddenly, on a dime, they turn on you? You would never believe it unless it happens to you. That’s why you get hurt because you can’t really believe it’s true.”

The Shelley Duvall Archive account on X, run by someone who is close friends with Duvall, stated that the actress’s health had been declining over the past few months, but that she didn’t want to post it publicly. She also expressed that Duvall was appreciated and loved up until the very end.

Let this be a friendly reminder to let this woman’s legacy be the love she left in the world, as well as her talents which she shared as long as she could. Even during the time she had to start using a wheelchair, she continued acting, as seen in her participation in Director Scott Goldberg’s “The Forest Hills.”

Remembering Duvall’s career

While Duvall was most known for her chilling performance in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” she was also in several other iconic films, as well. Here are some other beloved films that Duvall was a part of:

1. Brewster McCloud (1970)

Serving as Duvall’s debut film, it has been reported that she was scouted during a party she was hosting for her fiancé in Houston, which members of the “Brewster McCloud” crew attended. 

IndieWire reports that due to her “distinctive appearance and upbeat personality,” the crew got the director of the film, Robert Altman, to fly Duvall out for a screen test. 

She would then go on to debut as Suzanne Davis, the love interest of the main character, Brewster McCloud. 

The film is a dark comedy that follows the life of Brewster McCloud, a man who lives in a nuclear fallout shelter and is on a mission to make a set of wings that will allow him to fly. On his journey, he meets Suzanne, a tour guide at the Houston Astrodome, where he lives under.

Moving forward, Duvall would continue to work with Altman numerous times in her career and was considered by many to be the latter’s muse.

2. 3 Women (1977)

Shortly after her debut film, Duvall would go on to star in the award-winning “3 Women” alongside fellow scream queen, Sissy Spacek, as well as Janice Rule. 

Director Robert Altman’s film looks at three women living in the same apartment complex in the desert of California. Here, Duvall is Millie Lammoreaux, a therapist working at a senior care center.

In one scene, a girl named Pinky (played by Spacek) tells Millie: “You’re the most perfect person I’ve ever met.”

For her performance, Duvall received a nomination for Best Actress at the BAFTA Awards, the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, and the National Society of Film Critics Awards. The film was also nominated for a gold medal at the Photoplay Awards in 1978. 

She would go on to take home the award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival in 1977, as well as the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.

3. Popeye (1980)

“Popeye” is a live-action musical comedy film based on the popular character of the same name, directed by Robert Altman and produced by Paramount Pictures alongside Walt Disney Productions. 

Here, Duvall plays Olive Oyl, and stars alongside beloved comedian Robin Williams, who plays Popeye. 

The film starts with Popeye renting a room owned by Olive’s family; he discovers that Olive is engaged to a horrid man named Captain Bluto. The rest of the film follows Popeye and Olive’s adventures together alongside their newly adopted child, little Swee’Pea. 

4. The Shining (1980)

Perhaps Duvall’s most popular film by far, Director Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. 

Here, she acts as Wendy Torrance and stars alongside Jack Nicholson, who plays her husband Jack Torrance.

Jack is a writer who brings his family to an isolated hotel for the winter. Soon enough, strange and horrible things start happening to the family, and Wendy quickly starts to worry about her husband, all while Jack is on the verge of completely losing his mind. 

There are plenty of controversies surrounding Kubrick’s treatment of Duvall on the set.

In an interview in 2001, she said: “I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Why? Because of Stanley. And it was a fascinating learning experience, it was such intense work that I think it makes you smarter. But I wouldn’t want to go through it again.”

Stanley Kubrick’s estate also tweeted about how the actress has always been vocal about how she wouldn’t trade her experience filming The Shining for anything, as working with Kubrick was a fascinating learning experience.

Regarding this, comedian Jake Flores posted on his X account: “The story about Kubrick terrorizing Shelley Duvall on the set of The Shining is an urban legend that, [in my opinion, undermines her tremendous ability as a performer.”

In another tweet, he added: “She looked crazy in that movie because she was good at acting. She also said herself it wasn’t true. It’s a weird thing to perpetuate.”

He also reposted a thread created by the Shelley Duvall Archive, which explains in detail how the film did not ruin her life or her career.

5. Manna From Heaven (2002)

The film, directed by Gabrielle B. Burton, is a religious comedy that follows the story of a neighborhood who are suddenly showered with 20-dollar bills. Theresa, one of the people who receives the money, believes that it is a gift from God.

Later on, however, she becomes a nun and starts to think that the money she’d received was a loan from God. She is then determined to pay back the loan – even if she nor her old neighbors have any idea how to do so.

Duvall appears in this film as Detective Dubrinski, who is tasked to look deeper into Sister Theresa and her character.

“Manna From Heaven” was Duvall’s last film before she retired, only returning to acting 20 years later.

6. The Forest Hills (2022)

After a man named Rico hits his head, he starts to experience nightmarish visions. As time passes, he struggles more and more to control himself, raising concern from his sister, Emily, as he seems to devolve into a state of insanity.

In the film, Duvall plays Mama, the mother of Rico and Emily. 

To film her parts for the movie, she was directed by Goldberg via FaceTime. When asked if she’d found it challenging to work with a director not on-set, she’d said: “I find it to be fantastic, especially since the picture was clear on the phone.”

This film was Duvall’s final stint in acting, though she had expressed in the past that she did want to continue to pursue the profession.

“I know it’s been a long time, but it’s been great,” she said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. 

“It really has, it feels good. Makes me want to do more acting.”

She then went on to say in an interview with People that she wanted to take on more projects, stating that Jessica Tandy, another actress, won an Oscar when she was 80.

“I can still win,” she’d said.