Shelley Duvall: The Shining actress dies aged 75
Actress Shelley Duvall who starred in a string of iconic films, including The Shining, has died aged 75.
The star was best-known for playing Wendy Torrance, the wife of Jack Nicholson, in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of the Stephen King novel.
She died in her sleep of complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, Texas, her partner Dan Gilroy told The Hollywood Reporter.
“My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,” Mr Gilroy said.
The actress, whose brother is Hollywood star Robert Duvall, also starred in seven Robert Altman films throughout her career.
Born in Texas in 1949, Duvall began acting in 1970, and showed an affinity for dark comedic roles.
Her first notable appearance was in the 1970 black comedy feature Brewster McCloud. She then starred in films such as Annie Hall, McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Popeye.
She made her name in 1977’s 3 Women, directed by Altman, for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and earned a nomination for the British Academy Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Asked by The New York Times in 1977 why she kept collaborating with Altman, she said: “He 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 doesn’t put any restrictions on me or intimidate me, and I love him.
“I remember the first advice he ever gave me: ‘Don’t take yourself seriously.’ Sometimes I find myself feeling self-centered, and then all of a sudden that bit of advice will pop into my head and I’ll laugh.”
The screen legend, who has kept largely away from the spotlight in recent years, later told The New York Times that she quit the industry in 2002 because people in Hollywood "hurt" her.
"I was a star. I had leading roles," she told the publication. "People think it's just aging, but it's not. It's violence."
Mr Gilroy, who she was with for 30 years, explained in a joint 2016 interview with Phil McGraw that when Duvall's Los Angeles home was destroyed in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, they moved to Texas in pursuit of a happier life.
Duvall left behind her production company Think Entertainment, which created children’s programming for cable TV and bagged her two Emmy Awards.However, things went "downhill" and the actress "started becoming afraid of things, maybe didn't want to work”, according to the interview.
Duvall also told the host that she was dealing with mental illness, telling McGraw: “I am very sick, I need help.”
The interview was widely slammed as exploitative.
Duvall, whose most known role was as Wendy Torrance in The Shining, had last appeared in 2002's From Heaven.
She wouldn't make her return to film until 2023's The Forest Hills, about a man who experiences troubling visions after enduring a head injury during a camping trip in the Catskill Mountains.
Director Scott Goldberg, who worked with Duvall The Forest Hills, told People: "Shelley leaves behind an amazing legacy and will be missed by so many people, myself included.
"I am proud of her for overcoming adversity to act again and will always be forever grateful for her friendship and kindness."
Duvall was the oldest of four children, the only daughter. Her parents were, Bob, a cattle auctioneer turned attorney, and her mother, Bobbie, a realtor.
She attended South Texas Junior College, where she studied to be a research scientist.
She was previously married to Bernard Sampson from 197-1974 and later dated late musician Paul Simon.
The Hollywood star is survived by her brothers, Scott, Stewart and Shane.
