Shelley Duvall: Tributes pour in for Hollywood icon
Following the news of The Shining star Shelley Duvall’s recent death, tributes have poured in from around the world honouring her life and work.
Duvall was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 7th, 1949, and died aged 75 on July 11th at her home in Blanco, Texas. She died in her sleep of diabetes complications.
An award-winning actor, Shelley Duvall earned a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peabody Award, along with nominations for a Bafta and Primetime Emmys. She is best known, however, for her role as the dishevelled Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s novel The Shining.
That year, she also starred as Olive Oyl in Robert Altman’s live-action movie adaptation of Popeye, working alongside the late Robin Williams, who featured in the title role. Elsewhere, she bolstered her glittering oeuvre with Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits in 1981 and, later in the decade, Frankenweenie and Roxanne. Duvall worked sporadically in the 1990s but played supporting roles in Steven Soderbergh’s The Underneath and Jane Campion’s The Portrait of a Lady.
Duvall retired from acting aged 53 in 2002. The decision was rumoured to have been linked to the harrowing experience she had on the set of The Shining, which pushed her to the brink and produced tangible terror on screen. In a 2021 interview, she explained: “To wake up on a Monday morning, so early, and realise that you had to cry all day because it was scheduled— I would just start crying.”
Following her retirement, Duvall stayed largely away from the spotlight. Yet, in 2016, she appeared on Dr. Phil and heartbreakingly conceded: “I am very sick. I need help.” Following the episode airing, the presenter attracted much flak for the feature, with actress Mia Farrow coming to Duvall’s aid, tweeting that it was “upsetting and unethical to exploit Shelley Duvall at this vulnerable time in her life.”
In 2022, it was reported that Duvall was returning to the screen after her long retirement for the horror film, The Forest Hills. Playing the main character Rico’s mother, it was her final appearance.
A number of notable creatives have shared their tributes to Duvall, including the official Stanley Kubrick Twitter account. They paid candid respect to the late actor: “Shelley Duvall, legendary character actor, and The Shining’s extraordinary Wendy Torrance has died at the age of 75. Shelley’s career was varied and long. Despite being dogged with exaggerations of her treatment on set, Shelley was always vocal about her experience filming The Shining saying she ‘wouldn’t trade it for anything’ because ‘working with loveable Stanley was a fascinating learning experience.’ Our thoughts are with Shelley’s friends and family.”
Community star Yvette Nicole Brown left some touching words for Duvall: “She was a brilliant actress. May this great one RIP.”
Elsewhere, Brian Rowe wrote: “What terrible news to wake up to. Shelley Duvall, you were one of a kind. A bold and original talent who gave countless iconic performances in a variety of movies, particularly 3 Women and The Shining. Thank you for making cinema a better place.”
Co-founder of The Online Association of Female Film Critics, Kenzie Vanunu, wrote on Twitter: “I honestly feel so heartbroken. Shelley Duvall made me fall in love with watching actors transform on screen. Truly no one like her, we lost an icon.”
X user, SarahLovesThat, who also runs a fan page for Duvall, shared an image of the pair taken last week, and wrote: “I’ve seen the news about Shelley Duvall. I’m doing ok. Shelley was having difficulties with her health over the past few months and I visited with her often. I’ll always be grateful for the memories I created with her and that I was able to give her comfort and companionship.”
See the full list of tributes below.