Shelley Duvall, the actress best known for โThe Shining,โ has died. She was 75.
Duvall died in her sleep from complications from diabetes at her home in Texas, according to her longtime partner, Breakfast Club musician Dan Gilroy.
โMy dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now sheโs free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,โ Gilroy, 77, said to the Hollywood Reporter Thursday.
Duvall was born and raised in Texas. In 1970, she met director Robert Altman at a party and he asked her to be in his movie โBrewster McCloud,โ which marked her first onscreen role.
โI simply got on a plane and did it. I was swept away,โ she said in a past interview.
Duvall went on to star in more of Altmanโs movies, including โMcCabe and Mrs. Miller,โ โThieves Like Us,โ โNashville,โ โBuffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bullโs History Lessonโ and โ3 Women.โ
She talked about collaborating with Altman (who died in 2006) in an interview with the New York Times in 1977. โHe offers me damn good roles. None of them have been alike. He has a great confidence in me, and a trust and respect for me, and he doesnโt put any restrictions on me or intimidate me, and I love him,โ she said.
Duvall was also in 1977โs โAnnie Hallโ directed by Woody Allen.
Her biggest role was in Stanley Kubrickโs 1980 psychological horror film โThe Shining.โ
Duvall played Wendy Torrance, who is tormented by her husband Jack (Jack Nicholson). Jack loses his mind as the couple and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd) stay at an isolated hotel in Colorado.
She told People in 1981 that she was โcrying 12 hours a day for weeks on endโ when making the movie.
โI will never give that much again. If you want to get into pain and call it art, go ahead, but not with me,โ Duvall added.
She opened up more about the difficult filming experience to the Hollywood Reporter in 2021.
โ[Kubrick] doesnโt print anything until at least the 35th take. Thirty-five takes, running and crying and carrying a little boy, it gets hard,โ she said. โAnd full performance from the first rehearsal. Thatโs difficult.โ
She said before filming scenes she would โlisten to sad songs.โ
โOr you just think about something very sad in your life or how much you miss your family or friends. But after a while, your body rebels,โ Duvall added. โIt says: โStop doing this to me. I donโt want to cry every day.โ And sometimes just that thought alone would make me cry. To wake up on a Monday morning, so early, and realize that you had to cry all day because it was scheduled โ I would just start crying. Iโd be like, โOh no, I canโt, I canโt.โ And yet I did it. I donโt know how I did it. Jack said that to me, too. He said, โI donโt know how you do it.โ โ
Following โThe Shining,โ Duvall appeared in โPopeye,โ โTime Bandits,โ โSuburban Commando,โ โThe Portrait of a Ladyโ and more.
She also produced and created various childrenโs shows, which earned her two Emmy Award nominations.
Duvall retired from acting in 2002 after starring in โManna From Heaven,โ but then returned to the big screen for the 2023 indie horror movie โThe Forest Hills,โ which marked her final acting role.
In 2016, Duvall revealed her mental health struggles on an episode of โDr. Phil,โ declaring, โIโm very sick โฆ I need help.โ
During her appearance, Duvall claimed that her โPopeyeโ co-star Robin Williams โ who died in 2014 โ was still alive as a shapeshifter. She also claimed there was a โworrying discโ inside of her.
Gilroy initially didnโt know that she participated in the โDr. Philโ interview.
โIt did nothing for her,โ he told the New York Times. โIt just put her on the map as an oddity.โ
He added: โThings went downhill when she started becoming afraid of things, maybe didnโt want to work. Itโs really hard to pin it on any one thing.โ
Duvall briefly spoke about the sit-down to THR in 2021. โI found out the kind of person he [Phil McGraw] is the hard way. My mother didnโt like him, either. A lot of people, like Dan, said, โYou shouldnโt have done that, Shelley,โ โ she said.
A spokesperson for the โDr. Philโ show released a statement to the outlet in response.
โWe view every Dr. Phil episode, including Miss Duvall and her struggle with mental illness, as an opportunity to share relatable, useful information and perspective with our audiences. We donโt attach the stigma associated with mental illness which many do. With no one else offering help, our goal was to document the struggle and bring amazing resources to change her trajectory as we have for so many over 19 years,โ the statement read.
โUnfortunately, she declined our initial offer for inpatient treatment that would have included full physical and mental evaluations, giving her a chance to privately manage her challenges. After many months of follow-up, in collaboration with her mother, she ultimately refused assistance. We were of course very disappointed, but those offers for help remain open today.โ
In that same 2021 NYT interview, Duvall looked back on her career and her decision to walk away from acting.
โI was a star; I had leading roles,โ she told the publication. โPeople think itโs just aging, but itโs not. Itโs violence. How would you feel if people were really nice, and then, suddenly, on a dime they turn on you? You would never believe it unless it happens to you. Thatโs why you get hurt, because you canโt really believe itโs true.โ
Duvall was married to artist Bernard Sampson from 1970 to 1974. She was then in a two-year relationship with singer Paul Simon. They broke up before Duvall started dating Gilroy in 1989.
Duvall didnโt have any children.
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