Shelley Duvall: The Shining and Annie Hall actress dies at 75

Actress Shelley Duvall, famous for movies such as The Shining, Annie Hall, and Nashville, passed away at the age of 75.

Her significant other, Dan Gilroy, verified the information for The Hollywood Reporter, an external source.

"My beloved, kind, amazing life companion and ally has passed away. There has been too much pain recently, but now she is at peace. Soar high, beautiful Shelley," he expressed, as reported by the source.

She passed away peacefully in her sleep due to diabetes-related complications at her residence in Texas, as stated by Gilroy.

In addition to her role in 3 Women, a drama from 1977 directed by Robert Altman, Duvall also earned the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival and received a nomination for a Bafta.

Three years afterwards, she played the role of Olive Oyl alongside Robin Williams in Altman's musical adaptation of Popeye.

However, Duvall lost popularity in Hollywood and was not seen on screens for twenty years. She then made her return in the 2023 film, The Forest Hills.

With her big brown eyes and unique charm, Duvall stood out and captured the audience's attention.

She started her career and started working with Altman in the 1970 dark comedy Brewster McCloud. They teamed up again for McCabe and Mrs Miller in 1971.

Following her portrayal as a woman who becomes romantically involved with a bank robber in the 1930s in their upcoming film, Thieves Like Us, Altman praised her, saying, "I was aware of your talent, but I had no idea you were outstanding."

She mentioned that comment was the motivation for her to continue and pursue a career in acting.

The director admired her versatility, noting that she could easily transition between different moods and emotions. He praised her for being able to embody charm, playfulness, elegance, vulnerability, and even beauty in her performances.

Altman selected her once more to appear in his 1975 film Nashville, a comedic critique of American society, government, and the country music industry.

Their upcoming project, 3 Women, featured Duvall in the role of a chatty, fashion-conscious health spa worker. Anne Billson from The Guardian praised it as Duvall's top performance, calling it "undoubtedly one of the most outstanding performances of the 1970s."

At the same time, in 1977, Duvall had a memorable role as Pam, a journalist from Rolling Stone who went out on a date with Alvy, played by Woody Allen, in the movie Annie Hall.

One of her most famous roles was playing Wendy, the spouse of Jack Nicholson's eerie hotel caretaker in Stanley Kubrick's iconic horror film The Shining from 1980.

Shooting the film was very challenging. She remembered, "I had to cry for 12 hours every day, non-stop, for the past nine months, working five or six days a week."

Following that, Duvall starred in movies such as Time Bandits directed by Terry Gilliam and Roxanne alongside Steve Martin.

Additionally, she established her own production companies and created and hosted the popular children's television series Faerie Tale Theatre in the 1980s.

Her performances in films decreased in the 1990s, with Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady being her best work, and she disappeared from the public eye in 2002.

The New York Times stated that her sudden absence was caused by the effects of a devastating earthquake in 1994 that destroyed her house in Los Angeles, and the added pressure of her brother battling cancer.

Speaking to the newspaper in May, she explained her long break from acting, attributing it to the unpredictable nature of the film industry. She mentioned that she used to be a prominent actress with major roles, but stated that her absence was not solely due to aging. She referred to it as a form of mistreatment or cruelty within the industry.

When she was questioned about it, she responded with: "Imagine how you would feel if everyone was kind to you, but then out of nowhere they suddenly became hostile."

It's hard to truly understand until you experience it firsthand. That's why it hurts so much - because you can't quite accept that it's real.

Worries about her well-being emerged when she appeared on the television program hosted by Dr. Phil in 2016 and expressed, "I'm not feeling well. I require assistance."

She also mentioned getting messages from a "transforming" Robin Williams after he passed away, and spoke about evil forces that were trying to harm her, according to the article.

Talking about that time, Gilroy explained to the New York Times that she had started to feel "paranoid and somewhat detached from reality."

When asked by the newspaper why she decided to come back to acting in The Forest Hills, she responded by saying, "I missed acting and then he just wouldn't stop calling, so I ended up agreeing to do it."

Author Nicole Flattery stated in the Financial Times article from 2023 that her comeback proved her talent was still as strong as ever.

In a piece praising her as the "ultimate movie star", Flattery encapsulated her skill by stating: "She excels at portraying characters who appear cheerful even when they are truly feeling sorrow, their lightheartedness concealing profound emotions."