Shining star Shelley Duvall dead at 75

Hollywood is mourning Shelley Duvall who became a star after her famous turn as a traumatised wife in the horror classic The Shining but who later fell on hard times.

Hollywood has paid tribute to Shelley Duvall, the actress known for her role in horror classic The Shining, who has died at the age of 75.

Duvall died in her sleep of complications from diabetes at her home in Texas, her longtime partner Dan Gilroy told The Hollywood Reporter.

Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall in scene from film The Shining. Picture: Supplied

“My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,” Gilroy said.

“Legend” tweeted actress – and the granddaughter of Elvis Presley – Riley Keough.

West Side Story star Rachel Zegler also shared a photo of Duvall with a broken heart emoji.

RIP to the truly iconic Shelley Duvall, who burned up the screen in many funny, intense and idiosyncratic roles. I especially loved her in ‘McCabe & Mrs Miller’, ‘Thieves Like Us’, ‘Nashville’, the extraordinary ‘Three Women’, ‘Annie Hall’, ‘Time Bandits’, ‘Roxanne’, her Olive… pic.twitter.com/CeNHV9h0ON

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) July 11, 2024

Rest in peace, Shelley Duvall 💔 pic.twitter.com/hXZgz6FyyP

— Muppet History (@HistoryMuppet) July 11, 2024

When I was a boy, I went to the movies to see POPEYE with Robin Williams. A wonderfully strange movie. The moment Shelley Duvall sang “He’s Large” I fell in love with “Olive Oil”. A moment I cherish to this day as a part of my innocent youth. Today Shelley Duvall died and that… pic.twitter.com/ciJ0Lex5Yd

— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) July 11, 2024

Known for her waiflike physique, large expressive eyes and powerful performances, Duvall became a household name after starring opposite a terrifying Jack Nicholson in the horror film The Shining and the late Robin Williams in the live-action comedy Popeye where she played Olive Oil.

She also had a cameo in Woody Allen’s 1977 hit, Annie Hall.

Shelley Duvall later fell on hard times and dealt with mental health issues. Picture: Supplied

But cinema fans also lauded her for her professional partnership with acclaimed director Robert Altman, who first cast her as the love interest in the 1970 film, Brewster McCloud.

She broke through with 1975’s Nashville, and going on to portray memorable characters that earned her a smattering of awards including at Cannes for her role in the acclaimed 1977 drama 3 Women. Her career was defined by her work with Altman, who she said she kept working with because “he offers me damn good roles.”

Shelley Duvall playing Olive opposite Robin Williams in Popeye. Picture: AFP

“None of them have been alike,” she told The New York Times in 1977. “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.”

But it was her role in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining that would make her a star.

Director Stanley Kubrick put her through the ringer to perform the part of Wendy Torrance in the horror classic that sees a writer husband descend into madness and terrorise his wife and young son.

In a 1981 interview Duval called the 13-month shoot “gruelling” and said that Kubrick had her “crying 12 hours a day for weeks on end”.

Shelley Duvall and Woody Allen in Annie Hall. Picture: Supplied

Duvall made several troubling statements, one being that her Popeye co-star Williams, who died in 2014, was still alive and a shapeshifter.

“I’m very sick,” she told Dr Phil at the time. “I need help.”

There was backlash after the episode aired as many complained that Duvall had been exploited.

In April, Duvall gave a rare interview to the New York Times in which she reflected on her career and more recent absence from film and TV projects.

I was a star; I had leading roles,” she said. “People think it’s just ageing, but it’s not. It’s violence.”

“How would you feel if people were really nice, and then, suddenly, on a dime … they turn on you?” she added. “You would never believe it unless it happens to you. That’s why you get hurt, because you can’t really believe it’s true.”

Over the years, Duvall retained a loyal fanbase and, after a two-decades absence, returned to screens in 2023 for the horror film The Forrest Hills.

“I wanted to act again. And then this guy kept calling, and so I wound up doing it,” Duvall said. “If you ever do a horror film, other horror films are going to come to you, no matter what you do.”

– with AFP

Originally published as Shining star Shelley Duvall dead at 75