Shelley Duvall rose to fame in the 1970s as cinema’s new darling and muse to Director Robert Altman who cast her in many of his films.
Her first role was in Altman’s Brewster McCloud followed by McCabe & Mrs. Miller; Thieves Like Us; Thee Women; Nashville and Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson.
She would go on to work with Woody Allen in Annie Hall and star in her most famous role as Wendy Torrance alongside Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film The Shining.
Shelley was consistent in working in television as well as children’s shows hosting Shelley Duvall’s bedtime stories; Adventures from the Book of Virtues and the cult Disney movie, Mother Goose Rock’n’ Rhyme where she portrayed Little Bo Beep. The film was a unique take on the storybook classic starring Art Garfunkel, Woody Harrelson, Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper, and Little Richard.
Duvall will return to acting with her first project in over 20 years in the indie horror, The Forest Hills, written and directed by Scott Goldberg.
Scroll through the gallery to view film stills and behind the scene images of Shelley Duvall’s career from other notable roles in Rozanne; Home Fries; The Portrait of a Lady and Popeye.
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BREWSTER MCCLOUD, 1970
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Robert Altman, starring Shelley Duvall and Bud Cort.
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BREWSTER MCCLOUD, 1970
Image Credit: Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty Images Actress Shelley Duvall in a scene from the movie Brewster McCloud.
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BREWSTER MCCLOUD, 1970
Image Credit: Everett Collection Shelley Duvall and Bud Cort.
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THIEVES LIKE US, 1974
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Robert Altman, starring Shelley Duvall and Louise Fletcher.
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THIEVES LIKE US, 1974
Image Credit: Everett Collection Shelley Duvall and Keith Carradine.
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THIEVES LIKE US, 1974
Image Credit: Everett Collection Shelley Duvall and Louise Fletcher.
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THIEVES LIKE US, 1974
Image Credit: Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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NASHVILLE,1975
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Robert Altman, starring Shelley Duvall, Keith Carradine, Karen Black and Ronee Blakley.
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ANNIE HALL, 1977
Image Credit: United Artists/Everett Collection Dir. Woody Allen, starring Woody Allen, Shelley Duvall and Diane Keaton.
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ANNIE HALL, 1977
Image Credit: United Artists/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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3 WOMEN, (aka THREE WOMEN, aka 3 FEMMES), 1977
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection Dir. Robert Altman starring Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Janice Rule.
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3 WOMEN, (aka THREE WOMEN, aka 3 FEMMES), 1977
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection Sissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall.
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3 WOMEN, (aka THREE WOMEN, aka 3 FEMMES), 1977
Image Credit: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images Shelley Duvall and Janice Rule.
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3 WOMEN, (aka THREE WOMEN, aka 3 FEMMES), 1977
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall, Robert Fortier and Sissy Spacek.
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3 WOMEN, (aka THREE WOMEN, aka 3 FEMMES), 1977
Image Credit: Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images Sissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall in a scene from the Robert Altman film Three Women.
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SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, 1977
Image Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Shelley Duvall on Episode 21, May 14, 1977.
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THE SHINING, 1980
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Stanley Kubrick, starring, Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd and Shelley Duvall.
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THE SHINING, 1980
Image Credit: Everett Collection Wendy Torrance, played by American actress Shelley Duvall, recoils in shock as her husband chops through the bathroom door with a fire axe in a scene from The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick.
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THE SHINING, 1980
Image Credit: Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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THE SHINING, 1980
Image Credit: Everett Collection Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall.
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POPEYE, 1980
Image Credit: Paramount/Everett Collection Dir. starring Shelley Duvall, Robin Williams and Ivan Hurt.
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POPEYE, 1980
Image Credit: Paramount/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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POPEYE, 1980
Image Credit: Paramount/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl and Wesley Ivan Hurt as Swee’pea.
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POPEYE, 1980
Image Credit: Paramount/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall and Paul Dooley as Wimpy.
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TIME BANDITS, 1981
Image Credit: Avco Embassy/Everett Collection Dir. Terry Gilliam, starring Michael Palin, Shelley Duvall and John Cleese.
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TIME BANDITS, 1981
Image Credit: Avco Embassy/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall and Michael Palin.
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FAERIE TALE THEATRE: RAPUNZEL, 1980-84
Image Credit: Everett Collection Shelley Duvall and Jeff Bridges.
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FAERIE TALE THEATRE: RAPUNZEL, 1980-84
Image Credit: Everett Collection Shelley Duvall, (May 1982), ‘Rumplestiltskin’, (Season 1, Episode 2, aired October 16, 1982).
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FAERIE TALE THEATRE: RAPUNZEL, 1980-84
Image Credit: Everett Collection Shelley Duvall, (May 1982), ‘Grimm Party’ (aka ‘Greatest Moments’), (Season 4, Episode 4, aired Jul 17, 1985).
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TALL TALES & LEGENDS, 1986
Image Credit: Showtime / Courtesy Everett Collection Shelley Duvall, ‘My Darlin’ Clementine’, (Season 1, Episode 4, aired February 8, 1986)
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THE TWILIGHT ZONE, 1986
Image Credit: CBS/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall in the episode ‘A Saucer of Loneliness,’ (season 2, episode 1, aired September 27, 1986)
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ROXANNE, 1987
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Dir. Fred Schepisi, starring Steve Martin, Shelley Duvall and Daryl Hannah.
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ROXANNE, 1987
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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MOTHER GOOSE ROCK ‘N’ RHYME, 1990
Image Credit: Disney Dir. Jeff Stein, starring Shelley Duvall, Art Garfunkel, Woody Harrelson, Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper and Little Richard.
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STORIES FROM GROWING UP, 1991
Image Credit: Nickelodeon Network/Courtesy Everett Collection Jamie Lee Curtis and Shelley Duvall (producer), on set.
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SUBURBAN COMMANDO, 1991
Image Credit: New Line Cinema/Everett Collection Dir. Burt Kennedy, starring Christopher Lloyd, Shelley Duvall and Hulk Hogan.
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SUBURBAN COMMANDO, 1991
Image Credit: New Line Cinema/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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SUBURBAN COMMANDO, 1991
Image Credit: New Line Cinema/Everett Collection Hulk Hogan and Shelley Duvall.
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SHELLEY DUVALL’S BEDTIME STORIES, 1992-1993
Image Credit: Showtime Network/courtesy Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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SHELLEY DUVALL’S BEDTIME STORIES, 1992-1993
Image Credit: Showtime Network/courtesy Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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SHELLEY DUVALL’S BEDTIME STORIES, 1992-1993
Image Credit: Showtime Network/courtesy Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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SUBURBAN COMMANDO, 1991
Image Credit: New Line Cinema/Everett Collection Laura Mooney, Michael Faustino, Shelley Duvall and Christopher Lloyd.
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MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE, 1994
Image Credit: Showtime Network/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall in the episode ‘Never Want To Go to Bedder’s Cure, aired July 5, 1994.
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ALIENS FOR BREAKFAST, 1994
Image Credit: Getty Images Shelley Duvall and Sinbad in the TV Movie “Aliens for Breakfast” – Airdate: July 26, 1994.
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ALIENS FOR BREAKFAST, 1994
Image Credit: Getty Images Shelley Duvall, Ben Savage in the TV Movie”Aliens for Breakfast” – Airdate: July 26, 1994.
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THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY, 1996
Image Credit: Gramercy Pictures/Everett Collection Dir. Jane Champion, starring Nicole Kidman, Shelley Duvall and John Malkovich.
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THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY, 1996
Image Credit: Gramercy Pictures/Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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SHADOW ZONE: MY TEACHER ATE MY HOMEWORK, 1997
Image Credit: Showtime / Courtesy Everett Collection Shelley Duvall.
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ALONE, 1997
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Michael Lindsay-Hogg, starring Shelley Duvall, James Earl Jones and Hume Cronyn.
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TWILIGHT OF THE ICE NYMPHS, 1997
Image Credit: Zeitgeist Films/courtesy Everett Collection Dir. Guy Maddin starring Shelley Duvall,Pascale Bussières and Frank Gorshin.
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THE FOREST HILLS
Image Credit: Dreznick Goldberg Productions Dir. Scott Goldberg starring Shelley Duvall, Dee Wallace and Edward Furlong
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