Shelley Duvall

Shelley Duvall

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.

Acting

2026

The Alex Leyba Movie II
Movie

Self (archive footage)

2024

2020

Kubrick by Kubrick
Movie

Self (archive footage)

2005

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd
Movie

Bad Ballet Dancer (archive footage)

1999

The 4th Floor
Movie

Martha Stewart

1998

Home Fries
Movie

Mrs. Jackson

1998

The Hughleys
Tv

Mrs. Crump

1997

Alone
Movie

Estelle

1997

RocketMan
Movie

Mrs. Randall (uncredited)

1997

1996

1995

Wishbone
Tv

Renee Lassiter

1994

1993

Frasier
Tv

Caroline (voice)

1991

1991

1987

1987

1987

Frog
Movie

Mrs. Anderson

1986

L.A. Law
Tv

Margo Stanton

1986

Darlin' Clementine
Movie

Self / Host / Clementine

1986

1986

Pecos Bill
Movie

Self / Host

1985

1985

1985

1985

1985

The Twilight Zone
Tv

Margaret (segment "A Saucer of Loneliness")

1985

The Snow Queen
Movie

Host / Narrator (voice)

1985

The Snow Queen
Movie

Host / Narrator (voice)

1984

Frankenweenie
Movie

Susan Frankenstein

1984

1984

Beauty and the Beast
Movie

Self - Host (uncredited)

1984

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Movie

Snow White's Mother / Self - Host

1984

Thumbelina
Movie

Self - Host (uncredited)

1984

Pinocchio
Movie

Self - Host (uncredited)

1984

The Princess and the Pea
Movie

Self - Host (uncredited)

1984

Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Movie

Self - Host (uncredited)

1983

Hansel and Gretel
Movie

Self - Host (uncredited)

1983

Little Red Riding Hood
Movie

Self - Host (uncredited)

1983

Sleeping Beauty
Movie

Self - Host (uncredited)

1983

The Nightingale
Movie

Nightingale (voice) / Narrator (voice) / Self - Host

1983

Rapunzel
Movie

Rapunzel / Marie, Rapunzel's Mother / Self - Host

1982

Rumpelstiltskin
Movie

The Miller's Daughter / Self - Host

1982

Faerie Tale Theatre
Tv

Marie / Rapunzel

1982

Faerie Tale Theatre
Tv

Narrator / Nightingale (voice)

1982

1982

The Tale of the Frog Prince
Movie

Self - Host (uncredited)

1982

Faerie Tale Theatre
Tv

Snow White's Mother

1982

Faerie Tale Theatre
Tv

Narrator (voice)

1982

Faerie Tale Theatre
Tv

The Miller's Daughter

1981

Time Bandits
Movie

Dame Pansy / Pansy

1980

Popeye
Movie

Olive Oyl

1980

The Shining
Movie

Wendy Torrance

1977

3 Women
Movie

Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux

1975

Saturday Night Live
Tv

Self (uncredited)

1975

Saturday Night Live
Tv

Patron (uncredited)

1975

1975

Production

1990

1989

Carmilla
Movie

Executive Producer

1987

The Dancing Princesses
Movie

Executive Producer

1987

The Little Mermaid
Movie

Executive Producer

1987

Frog
Movie

Executive Producer

1986

Darlin' Clementine
Movie

Executive Producer

1986

1985

1985

1985

1985

1985

1985

1984

Beauty and the Beast
Movie

Executive Producer

1984

1984

Thumbelina
Movie

Executive Producer

1984

1984

Pinocchio
Movie

Executive Producer

1984

1983

Hansel and Gretel
Movie

Executive Producer

1983

Little Red Riding Hood
Movie

Executive Producer

1983

Sleeping Beauty
Movie

Executive Producer

1983

The Nightingale
Movie

Executive Producer

1983

1983

Rapunzel
Movie

Executive Producer

1982

Rumpelstiltskin
Movie

Executive Producer

1982

Faerie Tale Theatre
Tv

Executive Producer

1982

Creator

Crew

Art

1977

3 Women
Movie

Set Decoration

Infos

Full Name
Shelley Duvall
Gender
Female
Date of Birth
7/7/1949
Date of Death
7/11/2024
Website
http://faerietaletheatre.com
Also Known As

The Texas Twiggy

Manic Mouse

Shelley Alexis Duvall