Actress Shelley Duvall, famously known for her intense performance as Wendy Torrance in The Shining , has died at the age of 75. Her beloved partner Dan Gilroy confirmed the news to Variety in a brief statement. “My dear, sweet, wonderful life, partner, and friend left us last night,” said Gilroy.
“Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away beautiful Shelley.” A Texas native, Duvall’s effervescent personality caught the attention of director Robert Altman in the early 1970s.
She came out swinging with a beguiling performance as Suzanne Davis in the dark comedy Brewster McCloud (1970). Shelley made a string of appearances in Altman’s films, including Thieves Like Us (1974), Nashville (1975), and 3 Women (1977). The latter garnered Duvall a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress as well as a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
The doe-eyed thespian with an enigmatic smile and svelte frame made the perfect choice for her (criminally underrated) role as Olive Oyl in Atlman’s Popeye movie alongside Robin Williams. But it is her turn in The Shining (1980), complete with all its behind-the-scenes controversy, that often causes conversations about respect, compassion, and the unfair treatment of women in the workforce and society at large—all still painfully relevant over 40 years after this film’s release. Some wish to reimagine Shelley’s post- Shining career as one that waned into despair, but reality begs to differ.
She was the .
