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The Shining star Shelley Duvall, 75, has unexpectedly passed away on July 11, 2024. The news was confirmed by the actress’ partner Dan Gilroy and he told The Hollywood Reporter that she was battling diabetes which eventually led to her demise.
Despite having a successful career in the entertainment industry, she retired in 2002 after the release of the comedy film, Manna from Heaven. Following a long break of around 20 years, she played an important role in a film titled The Forest Hills in 2023.
While several reasons were reported over the years for her retirement, she said in an interview with People magazine last year:
“It’s the longest sabbatical I ever took, but it was for really important reasons – to get in touch with my family again.”
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She seemingly hinted at the fact that public scrutiny was one of the reasons behind her exit as she spoke to The New York Times in April 2024. Duvall elaborated by saying:
"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. That's why you get hurt, because you can't really believe it's not true."
Gilroy shared that Shelley Duvall died at her home in Blanco, Texas. He paid tribute to her, saying she is now free from suffering, and described her as a "wonderful life partner and friend."
Active since the 70s, Duvall hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live and the anthology series Faerie Tale Theatre. Before Gilroy, Duvall was married to Bernard Sampson from 1970 to 1974 and was romantically linked to singer Paul Simon for about two years.
Shelley Duvall was residing in Blanco after her retirement from films
The Fort Worth, Texas native managed to establish herself in Hollywood with her performances over the years. However, her sudden retirement also led to a lot of debate among the public. As mentioned, she once stated in an interview that she was willing to spend more time with her family members.
But apart from that, there are a few other things that are believed to be the reasons for Shelley Duvall's retirement. One of them is her busy schedule while filming The Shining, which took around 56 weeks. She even spoke up on her experience in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 and said:
"After a while, your body rebels. It says: 'Stop doing this to me. I don't want to cry every day.'"
She opened up on the impact of the 1994 Northridge earthquake on her life, revealing how things changed for her. Duvall stated that she had to deal with a lot of people in those days, including the engineers alongside the "insurance people."
Furthermore, People magazine reported last year that Duvall's brother had spiral cancer. She was battling financial issues at the same time due to which she had to get help from her mother in Houston.
Shelley Duvall was residing in Blanco, Texas and her mobility was also affected due to an injury she suffered on her foot. She spent most of her days in her vehicle and traveled to the natural spots located close to her.
Shelley Duvall gained recognition for a few of her iconic roles: Career and other details explored
The Baretta star’s career dates back to 1970 when she was first seen in the black comedy film, Brewster McCloud, helmed by Robert Altman. The duo continued to collaborate on many other projects in the next few years. Notably, Robert’s associates first saw Shelley at a party organized by her in Houston.
The casting process for Altman’s film was ongoing and he immediately contacted her for an audition. Robert once recalled the entire experience while speaking to The Guardian, saying that eyelashes were painted on Duvall’s face and he simply took her to a park, asking her different questions in front of the camera. He continued:
“I was really quite mean to her, as I thought she was an actress. But she wasb’t kidding; that was her. She was a truthful, untrained person.”
The success of Brewster McCloud helped Shelley Duvall to grab other big projects. Despite having multiple films in her credits, the character Wendy Torrance in The Shining turned out to be an iconic character. Furthermore, the psychological horror film was followed by a sequel, Doctor Sleep.
While speaking to the Los Angeles Times in 1991, Shelley Duvall opened up on how she prepared for her performance in The Shining. Shelley stated at the time:
“It was gruelling – six days a week, 12- to 16-hour days, half an hour off for lunch, for a year and one month.”
Shelley later praised her costar Jack Nicholson in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter around three years ago. She shared that they worked together for three weeks and added that Nicholson appeared scary on set.
Also known as Shelley Alexis Duvall, her father Bob Duvall was a cattle auctioneer and criminal lawyer. Her mother Bobbie Duvall was a real estate agent and the owner of a company called Space City Realty. While the former passed away in 1995, Bobbie died four years ago from the complications of Covid-19.
Shelley Duvall appeared in many other films, including 3 Women, Roxanne, and The 4th Floor.
