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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
July 7, 1949
Died
July 11, 2024
Place of Birth
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Also Known As
- The Texas Twiggy
- Manic Mouse
- Shelley Alexis Duvall
Shelley Duvall
2.4 Popularity
Biography
Shelley Alexis Duvall (July 7, 1949 – July 11, 2024) was an American actress known for her portrayal of distinctive, often eccentric characters. She was the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peabody Award and nominations for a British Academy Film Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Born in Texas, Duvall began acting after being discovered by director Robert Altman, who was impressed with her upbeat presence and cast her in the black comedy film Brewster McCloud (1970). Despite her hesitance towards becoming an actress, she continued to work with Altman, appearing in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) and Thieves Like Us (1974). Her breakthrough came with Altman's cult film Nashville (1975), and she earned widespread acclaim with the drama 3 Women (1977), also directed by Altman, for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and earned a nomination for the British Academy Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. That same year, she appeared in a supporting role (as a writer for Rolling Stone) in Woody Allen's satirical romantic comedy Annie Hall (1977) and hosted Saturday Night Live. In the 1980s, Duvall became famous for her leading roles, which include Olive Oyl in Altman's live-action feature version of Popeye (1980) and Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's horror film The Shining (1980). She appeared in Terry Gilliam's fantasy film Time Bandits (1981), the short comedy horror film Frankenweenie (1984), and the comedy Roxanne (1987). She ventured into producing television programming aimed at children and youth in the latter half of the 1980s, notably creating and hosting the programs Faerie Tale Theatre (1982–1987), Tall Tales & Legends (1985–1987) (which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1988), and Nightmare Classics (1989). Duvall sporadically worked in acting throughout the 1990s, notably playing supporting roles in Steven Soderbergh's thriller The Underneath (1995) and the Henry James adaptation The Portrait of a Lady (1996), directed by Jane Campion. Her last performance was in Manna from Heaven (2002), after which she retired from acting. Duvall for many years kept out of the public media, keeping her personal life generally private; however, her health issues earned significant media coverage. After a 21-year hiatus from acting, Duvall returned to acting in the horror film The Forest Hills.
Known For
🎬
0.0
Self (archive footage)
The Alex Leyba Movie II
2025
0.0
Aunt Nellie
Dreams in the Attic
2025
3.7
Rico's Mother
The Forest Hills
2024
8.2
Bad Ballet Dancer (archive footage)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd
2005
0.0
Detective Dubrinski
Manna from Heaven
2002
7.4
Self
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
2001
5.7
Martha Stewart
The 4th Floor
1999
5.1
Mrs. Jackson
Home Fries
1998
🎬
10.0
Muriel
Maggie Winters
1998
6.8
Mrs. Crump
The Hughleys
1998
Credits
🎬
The Alex Leyba Movie II
as Self (archive footage)
2025
0.0
Dreams in the Attic
as Aunt Nellie
2025
0.0
The Forest Hills
as Rico's Mother
2024
3.7
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd
as Bad Ballet Dancer (archive footage)
2005
8.2
Manna from Heaven
as Detective Dubrinski
2002
0.0
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
as Self
2001
7.4
The 4th Floor
as Martha Stewart
1999
5.7
Home Fries
as Mrs. Jackson
1998
5.1
🎬
Maggie Winters
as Muriel
1998
10.0
The Hughleys
as Mrs. Crump
1998
6.8
Casper Meets Wendy
as Gabby
1998
5.9
Tale of the Mummy
as Edith Butros
1998
4.7
Big Monster on Campus
as Mrs. Stein
1998
5.2
Alone
as Estelle
1997
6.5
RocketMan
as Mrs. Randall (uncredited)
1997
5.2
Twilight of the Ice Nymphs
as Amelia Glahn
1997
5.7
Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight
as Self
1997
7.2
Changing Habits
as Sister Agatha
1997
1.5
The Adventures of Shirley Holmes
as Alice Flitt
1997
6.9
Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework
as Mrs. Fink
1997
4.8
The Portrait of a Lady
as Countess Gemini
1996
6.0
Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In
as Self
1996
0.0
Wishbone
as Renee Lassiter
1995
8.0
The Underneath
as Nurse
1995
5.7
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories: The Christmas Witch
as Host
1994
0.0
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
as Ocka (voice)
1994
7.8
🎬
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
as Potsi
1994
0.0
Aliens for Breakfast
as Teacher
1994
3.0
Frasier
as Caroline (voice)
1993
7.7
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
as Shelley Duvall
1992
10.0
Suburban Commando
as Jenny Wilcox
1991
4.7
Frogs!
as Annie
1991
2.0
The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades
as Self
1990
3.0
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
as Little Bo Peep
1990
4.6
Earthquake Survival
as Self
1988
0.0
The Dancing Princesses
as Self - Host
1987
6.0
Roxanne
as Dixie
1987
6.4
The Little Mermaid
as Self - Host
1987
6.3
Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1987
6.0
Frog
as Mrs. Anderson
1987
4.2
Davy Crockett
as Self / Host
1986
0.0
John Henry
as Self / Host
1986
0.0
Ponce de Leon
as Self / Host
1986
0.0
Johnny Appleseed
as Self / Host
1986
0.0
L.A. Law
as Margo Stanton
1986
7.0
Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures
as Self
1986
2.0
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
as Self - Host
1986
0.0
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
as Self - Host
1986
5.8
Lily
as Lily Miniver
1986
0.0
Darlin' Clementine
as Self / Host / Clementine
1986
0.0
Casey at the Bat
as Host
1986
0.0
Pecos Bill
as Self / Host
1986
0.0
Annie Oakley
as The Host
1985
0.0
The Emperor's New Clothes
as Self - Host
1985
3.3
The Twilight Zone
as Margaret (segment "A Saucer of Loneliness")
1985
7.8
Tall Tales & Legends
as Self - Host
1985
5.4
Tall Tales & Legends
as Clementine
1985
5.4
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
as Self / Host
1985
5.3
Puss in Boots
as Self - Host / Narrator
1985
5.0
Cinderella
as Self - Host
1985
7.0
The Ray Bradbury Theater
as Leota Bean
1985
6.8
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
as Self - Host
1985
7.5
The Snow Queen
as Host / Narrator (voice)
1985
0.0
Frankenweenie
as Susan Frankenstein
1984
6.9
🎬
Booker
as Laura
1984
7.0
🎬
WonderWorks
as Laura Burroughs
1984
0.0
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1984
6.5
Beauty and the Beast
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1984
6.4
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
as Snow White's Mother / Self - Host
1984
6.0
Thumbelina
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1984
6.0
Pinocchio
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1984
4.8
The Princess and the Pea
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1984
7.7
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1984
5.0
Hansel and Gretel
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1983
6.9
Little Red Riding Hood
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1983
6.3
Jack and the Beanstalk
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1983
5.0
Sleeping Beauty
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1983
6.6
The Fairest of Them All
as Self
1983
0.0
The Nightingale
as Nightingale (voice) / Narrator (voice) / Self - Host
1983
3.7
Rapunzel
as Rapunzel / Marie, Rapunzel's Mother / Self - Host
1983
5.4
Rumpelstiltskin
as The Miller's Daughter / Self - Host
1982
5.8
Faerie Tale Theatre
as The Miller's Daughter
1982
8.1
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Marie / Rapunzel
1982
8.1
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Narrator / Nightingale (voice)
1982
8.1
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Snow White's Mother
1982
8.1
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Narrator (voice)
1982
8.1
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Self - Host
1982
8.1
The Tale of the Frog Prince
as Self - Host (uncredited)
1982
6.1
Twilight Theatre
1982
0.0
Time Bandits
as Dame Pansy / Pansy
1981
6.6
Popeye
as Olive Oyl
1980
5.5
Making 'The Shining'
as Self
1980
7.1
The Shining
as Wendy Torrance
1980
8.2
Fridays
as Self
1980
5.4
The Paul Simon Special
as Joan of Arc
1977
8.0
3 Women
as Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux
1977
7.1
Annie Hall
as Pam
1977
7.7
Bernice Bobs Her Hair
as Bernice
1976
5.2
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
as The First Lady (Mrs. Cleveland)
1976
5.4
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host
1975
7.0
Saturday Night Live
as Patron (uncredited)
1975
7.0
Saturday Night Live
as Self (uncredited)
1975
7.0
Nashville
as L.A. Joan
1975
7.2
Spécial cinéma
as Self
1974
0.0
Thieves Like Us
as Keechie
1974
6.5
Cannon
as Liz Christie
1971
6.6
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
as Ida Coyle
1971
7.2
Brewster McCloud
as Suzanne
1970
6.3
🎬
Howl: Inside the Forest Hills
as Self
N/A
0.0
Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall
as Self
N/A
0.0