‘The Shining’ Actor Shelley Duvall Dies at 75

New York:

Shelley Duvall, the versatile actress known for her role in “The Shining” and collaboration with director Robert Altman, died Thursday at age 75.

Citing his partner Dan Gilroy, The Hollywood Reporter said Duvall died in his sleep at his home in Blanco, Texas, following complications from diabetes.

Born July 7, 1949, in Fort Worth, Texas, Duvall was discovered by Altman – the independent filmmaker known for his rich characters, sharp social critiques and pointed satire – who cast her in the dark comedy “Brewster McCloud,” by 1970.

The wide-eyed actress developed a wide repertoire and captivated audiences, breaking away from 1975’s “Nashville” and playing memorable, eccentric characters that won her several awards, including at Cannes for her role in the acclaimed 1977 drama ” 3 Women.”

Her career was defined by her work with Altman, whom she said she kept coming back to because “he offered me really good roles.”

“None of them were alike,” she told The New York Times in 1977.

“He has great confidence in me, confidence and respect for me, and he doesn’t impose any restrictions or intimidate me, and I love him.”

In a 1977 interview, Altman praised Duvall for being able to “swing all sides of the pendulum: charming, silly, sophisticated, pathetic—even beautiful.”

‘She’s free’

But it was her work in the 1980 film adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Shining” that would become her most high-profile role, which she played alongside Jack Nicholson.

Director Stanley Kubrick put her on the line to play the role of Wendy Torrance in the horror classic that sees a writer husband descend into homicidal madness and terrorize his wife and son.

Duvall expressed admiration for Kubrick, but also publicly discussed how arduous the role was, telling People in 1981 that the 13-month job was grueling and that Kubrick made her “cry 12 hours a day for weeks on end.”

“I will never give so much again. If you want to feel pain and call it art, go ahead, but not with me.”

In one famous scene, Nicholson’s character tortures Duvall with a baseball bat, which reportedly took 127 takes to satisfy Kubrick.

Duvall also had a cameo in Woody Allen’s 1977 “Annie Hall” and starred opposite Robin Williams in Altman’s 1980 live-action version of “Popeye.”

Later, in the 1980s, she entered children’s programming.

Her last film was 2023’s “The Forest Hills,” an independent horror thriller in which she starred after a two-decade hiatus from professional acting.

Duvall’s disappearance from Hollywood has sparked much speculation, both about her mental health and her aging appearance. In a 2024 interview with The New York Times, she and Gilroy expressed exasperation at such treatment.

She indicated that she felt betrayed by the industry in which she excelled, even though her work continues to win new fans.

“I was a star; I had leading roles,” she said in the rare interview. “People think it’s just aging, but it’s not. It’s violence.”

“How would you feel if people were really nice and then all of a sudden…they turned on you?”

Gilroy — a musician who was in the band Breakfast Club and dated Madonna — was Duvall’s longtime partner after the two met on the 1990 Disney Channel movie “Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme.”

“My dear, sweet, wonderful companion and friend has left us. Much suffering lately, now she is free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,” Gilroy said in a widely published statement.

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