Biography
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).
Filmography
all 110
Movies 90
self 36
TV Shows 20
Producer 19
Voice 2
Creator 1
Writer 1
Narrator 1
The Forest Hills (2023)
Kubrick by Kubrick (2020)
The Chickening (2015)
Frankenweenie (2012)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd (2005)
Cinderella: Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Video Hits (2005)
Manna from Heaven (2002)
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001)
Big Monster on Campus (2000)
The 4th Floor (1999)
Home Fries (1998)
Maggie Winters (1998)
Casper Meets Wendy (1998)
Tale of the Mummy (1998)
Alone (1997)
RocketMan (1997)
Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997)
Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight (1997)
Changing Habits (1997)
The Adventures of Shirley Holmes (1997)
Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework (1997)
The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In (1996)
Stanley Kubrick: The Invisible Man (1996)
Wishbone (1995)
The Underneath (1995)
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1994)
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (1994)
Aliens for Breakfast (1994)
Frasier (1993)
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories (1992)
Suburban Commando (1991)
Frogs! (1991)
The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades (1990)
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990)
Dinner at Eight (1989)
The Eyes of the Panther (1989)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1989)
Carmilla (1989)
Nightmare Classics (1989)
The Turn of the Screw (1989)
Earthquake Survival (1988)
The Dancing Princesses (1987)
Roxanne (1987)
The Little Mermaid (1987)
Rip Van Winkle (1987)
Frog (1987)
Davy Crockett (1986)
John Henry (1986)
Ponce de Leon (1986)
L.A. Law (1986)
Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures (1986)
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed (1986)
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1986)
Popples (1986)
Darlin' Clementine (1986)
Casey at the Bat (1986)
Johnny Appleseed (1986)
Pecos Bill (1986)
Annie Oakley (1985)
The Emperor's New Clothes (1985)
The Twilight Zone (1985)
Tall Tales & Legends (1985)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1985)
Puss in Boots (1985)
Cinderella (1985)
The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985)
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1985)
Frankenweenie (1984)
Terror in the Aisles (1984)
WonderWorks (1984)
Booker (1984)
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers (1984)
Beauty and the Beast (1984)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1984)
Thumbelina (1984)
Pinocchio (1984)
The Princess and the Pea (1984)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1984)
Hansel and Gretel (1983)
Little Red Riding Hood (1983)
Jack and the Beanstalk (1983)
Sleeping Beauty (1983)
The Nightingale (1983)
Rapunzel (1983)
Rumpelstiltskin (1982)
Faerie Tale Theatre (1982)
The Tale of the Frog Prince (1982)
Twilight Theatre (1982)
Twilight Theater (1982)
The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour (1982)
Time Bandits (1981)
Popeye (1980)
Making 'The Shining' (1980)
The Shining (1980)
Fridays (1980)
The Paul Simon Special (1977)
Annie Hall (1977)
3 Women (1977)
Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1976)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
Saturday Night Live (1975)
Nashville (1975)
Spécial cinéma (1974)
The Man Who Sleeps (1974)
Thieves Like Us (1974)
Cannon (1971)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
Brewster McCloud (1970)
Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderFemale
Birthday1949-07-07 (74 years old)
Birth NameShelley Alexis Duvall
Birth PlaceFort Worth, Texas, United States of America
RelationshipsPaul Simon (1976-01-01 - 1978-01-01), Ringo Starr (1975-01-01 - 1976-01-01)
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsThe Texas Twiggy, Manic Mouse
AwardsCannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress
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