1949-07-07 Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Shelley Alexis Duvall (born July 7, 1949) is an American actress and producer known for her portrayals of distinct, often eccentric characters. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award, a Peabody Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Born in Texas, Duvall had no acting experience growing up in Houston. She was an honor student in school and sold perfumes at a department store, but being an actress never crossed her mind. Duvall recently quit a short stint studying science at a local college, when she was discovered by Robert Altman's crew at a party. Altman was impressed with her upbeat presence and cast her in 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). It was her involvement in Thieves that solidified her desire to pursue acting. Her breakthrough came with Altman's cult film Nashville (1975), and she earned widespread acclaim with the drama 3 Women (1977), as the self-absorbed Millie Lammoreaux, for which she won Best Actress at Cannes. That same year she appeared in a supporting role (as a reporter 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-active feature version of Popeye (1980) and in Stanley Kubrick's horror film The Shining (1980) as Wendy Torrance. She initially received negative reviews for her performance in the latter, but received widespread acclaim for it in the decades following its release. 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 in the latter half of the 1980s, notably creating and hosting the programs Faerie Tale Theatre (1982–1987) and Tall Tales & Legends (1985–1987). In 1988, Shelley founded Think Entertainment, a production company focused on bringing quality educational content to children. The company, which dissolved in 1993, produced Nightmare Classics (1989), Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990), Bedtime Stories (1992), and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle (1994). Duvall sporadically worked in acting throughout the 1990s, notably playing supporting roles in Steven Soderbergh's thriller The Underneath (1995) and The Portrait of a Lady (1996), directed by Jane Campion. She also appeared in more children's movies like Suburban Commando (1991), Frogs (1992), and Casper Meets Wendy (1998). In addition to TV and film, Duvall recorded two albums Sweet Dreams (1991) and Merry Christmas (1991), and wrote It's a Bird's Life (1993), a 3DO video game. Amidst all this, the 1994 Northridge earthquake destroyed Duvall's Studio City home and she relocated to Texas to be closer to family. 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 20-year hiatus from acting, Duvall is set to return in an upcoming horror film titled, The Forest Hills (2023).
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The Forest Hills | Rico's Mother | 2023-03-11 |
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The Chickening | Wendy (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2015-09-10 |
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Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd | Bad Ballet Dancer | 2005-09-06 |
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Manna from Heaven | Detective Dubrinski | 2002-09-14 |
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Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures | Self | 2001-05-02 |
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Big Monster on Campus | Mrs. Stein | 2000-02-25 |
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The 4th Floor | Martha Stewart | 1999-07-31 |
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Casper Meets Wendy | Gabby | 1998-09-10 |
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Tale of the Mummy | Edith Butros | 1998-03-19 |
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Home Fries | Mrs. Jackson | 1998-11-25 |
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Twilight of the Ice Nymphs | Amelia Glahn | 1997-09-09 |
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Alone | Estelle | 1997-12-21 |
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Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight | 1997-09-07 | |
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Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework | Mrs. Fink | 1997-01-01 |
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RocketMan | Mrs. Randall (uncredited) | 1997-10-10 |
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Changing Habits | Sister Agatha | 1997-05-20 |
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The Portrait of a Lady | Countess Gemini | 1996-10-17 |
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Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In | Self | 1996-07-17 |
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The Underneath | Nurse | 1995-04-28 |
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Aliens for Breakfast | Teacher | 1994-04-02 |
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Suburban Commando | Jenny Wilcox | 1991-10-04 |
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Frogs! | Annie | 1991-01-01 |
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Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme | Little Bo Peep | 1990-05-19 |
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The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades | Self | 1990-12-09 |
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Earthquake Survival | Self | 1988-01-01 |
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Frog | Mrs. Anderson | 1987-01-23 |
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Roxanne | Dixie | 1987-06-19 |
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Rip Van Winkle | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1987-03-23 |
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Pecos Bill | Self / Host | 1986-01-01 |
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Ponce de Leon | Self / Host | 1986-11-16 |
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John Henry | Self / Host | 1986-12-01 |
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Darlin' Clementine | Self / Host / Clementine | 1986-02-08 |
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Johnny Appleseed | Self / Host | 1986-01-01 |
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Casey at the Bat | Host | 1986-01-20 |
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Davy Crockett | Self / Host | 1986-12-18 |
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Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures | Herself | 1986-09-11 |
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow | Self / Host | 1985-09-25 |
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Annie Oakley | The Host | 1985-12-24 |
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The Pied Piper of Hamelin | Self - Host | 1985-04-05 |
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Terror in the Aisles | Wendy Torrance (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1984-10-26 |
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The Princess and the Pea | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1984-04-16 |
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Beauty and the Beast | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1984-08-13 |
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Booker | Laura | 1984-10-01 |
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Frankenweenie | Susan Frankenstein | 1984-12-14 |
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Goldilocks and the Three Bears | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1984-01-09 |
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Pinocchio | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1984-05-14 |
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Thumbelina | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1984-06-11 |
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Snow White's Mother / Self - Host | 1984-07-16 |
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The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1984-09-17 |
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Rapunzel | Rapunzel / Marie, Rapunzel's Mother / Self - Host | 1983-02-05 |
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Hansel and Gretel | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1983-12-05 |
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The Nightingale | Nightingale (voice) / Narrator (voice) / Self - Host | 1983-05-10 |
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Jack and the Beanstalk | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1983-09-08 |
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Little Red Riding Hood | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1983-11-10 |
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Sleeping Beauty | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1983-07-07 |
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Rumpelstiltskin | The Miller's Daughter / Self - Host | 1982-10-16 |
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Twilight Theatre | 1982-07-01 | |
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The Tale of the Frog Prince | Self - Host (uncredited) | 1982-09-11 |
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Time Bandits | Dame Pansy / Pansy | 1981-07-13 |
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Popeye | Olive Oyl | 1980-12-12 |
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The Shining | Wendy Torrance | 1980-05-23 |
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Making 'The Shining' | Self | 1980-10-04 |
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3 Women | Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux | 1977-04-10 |
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Annie Hall | Pam | 1977-04-19 |
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The Paul Simon Special | Joan of Arc | 1977-12-08 |
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Bernice Bobs Her Hair | Bernice | 1976-10-06 |
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Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson | The First Lady (Mrs. Cleveland) | 1976-06-24 |
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Nashville | L.A. Joan | 1975-06-11 |
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Un homme qui dort | Narrator (English Version) | 1974-04-24 |
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Thieves Like Us | Keechie | 1974-02-11 |
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McCabe & Mrs. Miller | Ida Coyle | 1971-06-24 |
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Brewster McCloud | Suzanne | 1970-12-05 |
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Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall | Herself |
