'The Shining' star Shelley Duvall dies at age 75
“The Shining” star Shelley Duvall has died at the age of 75, according to the Associated Press.
Duvall, who rose to international fame when she played Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel, died in her sleep from complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, Texas, according to her partner since 1989, Dan Gilroy.
“My love, my sweet and wonderful life, partner and friend left us last night,” Gilroy said in a statement. “I've suffered too much recently but I am now free. Fly away, my beautiful Shelley.”
'The Shining' star Shelley Duvall: 'I can still win' on returning to Hollywood after 20 years out of the spotlight
Actress Shelley Duvall on the set of The Shining (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
Born July 7, 1949 in Texas, Duvall was discovered by director Robert Altman at a young age and starred in “Brewster McCloud” in 1970. She went on to star in a number of Altman films, including “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” in 1971, “The Thief Loves Us” in 1974, and the 1975 musical comedy “Nashville.”
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Shelley Duvall passes away at age 75. (Getty Images/Digital Thunderdome)
In 1977, Duvall gained international fame for her role in Altman's drama Three Women, for which she won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
In a 1977 interview with The New York Times, Duvall said:[Altman] He gives me really great roles. They're all so different. He has a lot of trust in me, he has faith and he has respect for me. He doesn't limit me or intimidate me. I love him.”
Duvall took a break from acting for much of the 2000s. (Getty Images)
Duvall really gained fame in the 1980s with her roles as Olive Oyl in Altman's live-action Popeye and as Wendy Torrance in The Shining, opposite Jack Nicholson.
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Speaking about the grueling schedule of filming The Shining, Duvall told The Hollywood Reporter: “After a while, your body rebels. You're like, 'No more. I don't want to cry every day.' And sometimes just the thought of it would make you cry. I woke up really early on Monday morning and realized I was scheduled to cry all day, and I just started crying. I was like, 'Oh no, I can't, I can't.' But I did it. I don't know how I did it. Jack told me that too, 'I don't know how you do it.'”
Duvall, circa 1975. (Getty Images)
Duvall eventually went on to produce a series of children's shows through his own production company, Think Entertainment, including Fairy Tale Theatre, Tall Tales & Legends, and Nightmare Classics.
Duvall took an extended break from acting for much of the 2000s, but returned in 2023 for the film Forest Hills.
“Acting again is so much fun. It's so life-enhancing,” Duvall told People magazine that year. “Jessica Tandy won an Oscar at age 80. I can still win one.”
Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Jack Nicholson played a troubled family in the 1980s film “The Shining.” (Warner Bros./Getty Images)
When asked about the difficulties of working in Hollywood, Duvall told the outlet, “The pay isn't much, just 10 percent on top of your salary. Women are expected to get married and their husbands will take care of them. But that's not the case for everyone.”
She became Hollywood's “unconventional It girl” of her time and dated celebrities such as Paul Simon and Ringo Starr.
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Fox News Digital's Stephanie Jean Pownon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter for Fox News Digital.