Actress Shelley Duvall Dies At 75 (2024)

Actress Shelley Duvall has died, her life partner confirmed in a statement.

Duvall, 75, was a prominent face in Hollywood in the 1970s, famously co-starring alongside Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick's horror classic, The Shining.

Shelley slowly faded from the limelight in the mid-1980s, but made headlines in 2016 after a controversial segment on Dr. Phil's show.

Her death, attributed to complications of diabetes, was first reported by THR:

"Duvall died in her sleep of complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, Texas, Dan Gilroy, her life partner since 1989, told The Hollywood Reporter.

"'My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,' Gilroy said."

Editor’s note: This article contains mention of mental health struggles or crises. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please visit findahelpline.com to connect with resources in your country.

Shelley Duvall Is Most Remembered For The Shining

But The Role Was A Nightmare For Her

Shelley Duvall's star rose as quickly as it fell, and The New York Times reported that she hadn't intended to become an actress.

Shelley was discovered in 1970, and quickly found herself in demand in Hollywood:

"Ms. Duvall wasn’t planning on a film career when she met [director Robert] Altman while he was filming “Brewster McCloud” (1970); she had thrown a party to sell her husband’s artwork, and members of his film crew were in attendance.

"Taken with her, they introduced her to Mr. Altman, a director with his own reputation for oddball movies and offbeat casting. He immediately asked her to join the cast, despite her lack of training.

"She said yes — and went on to appear in a string of four more movies directed by Mr. Altman ..."

In 1980, Shelley landed the role of Wendy in The Shining, a film which brought her to widespread fame — and one that shattered her mental health.

In an interview with Roger Ebert in 1980, Shelley alluded to some of the difficulties she endured on the set of the grueling production, explaining in part:

"So here was my chance to work with Kubrick ... Going through day after day of excruciating work. Almost unbearable. Jack Nicholson's character had to be crazy and angry all the time.

"And in my character I had to cry 12 hours a day, all day long, the last nine months straight, five or six days a week.

"I was there a year and a month, and there must be something to Primal Scream therapy, because after the day was over and I'd cried for my 12 hours, I went home very contented.

"It had a very calming effect. During the day I would have been absolutely miserable."

It wasn't just Shelley who noticed the toll The Shining had taken on her — Duvall's friend Anjelica Huston was dating Nicholson at the time, and later recalled:

"And they [Kubrick and Nicholson] didn’t seem to be all that sympathetic. It seemed to be a little bit like the boys were ganging up. That might have been completely my misread on the situation, but I just felt it.

"And when I saw her during those days, she seemed generally a bit tortured, shook up. I don’t think anyone was being particularly careful of her."

From the 1980s onward, Shelley remained largely out of the public eye. In 2016, Dr. Phil McGraw made a still-controversial decision to feature her on his show, focusing on her mental health:

"During her sit-down interview with McCraw, Duvall made multiple claims, including that her Popeye costar Robin Williams was still alive as a shape-shifter and that she had a 'whirring disc' inside her. 'I'm very sick,' she said. 'I need help.'"

After it aired, McGraw was lambasted for "using" Duvall, and fans feared for her health, and Shelley appeared in the news from time to time after the controversy.

In 2021, Shelley said she didn't regret the appearance, but said she "found out the kind of person [Dr. Phil] is the hard way."

Shelley Duvall is survived by Gilroy, and her brothers Scott, Stewart and Shane.