Whatever Happened to Shelley Duvall?
By Adam D. Miller

Why Shelley Duvall, you might ask?  Despite lacking the credibility of co-stars like Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, and Diane Keaton, Shelley Duvall is the only actor who has worked under three of the period’s most acclaimed directors: Robert Altman, Woody Allen, and Stanley Kubrick.

Shelley Duvall came into show business in an unusual way.  While Robert Altman was in Houston to direct Brewster McCloud in 1970, he found Duvall selling cosmetics in a local shopping centre.  Something about her must have struck Altman, because he not only went on to cast her in the film, but continued to work closely with her over the rest of the decade, casting her in seven additional films: McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Thieves Like Us, Nashville, Buffalo Bill and the Indians, 3 Women, and Popeye.  The films were definitely hit or miss, but her appearances in McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville, 3 Women, and Popeye proved career-defining.  3 Women even scored Duvall a Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1977.

Despite appearing in seven films by Robert Altman, Shelley Duvall received prominent roles in films by Woody Allen and Stanley Kubrick.  In 1977, she appeared alongside Woody Allen in the film many consider his best, Annie Hall.  Duvall plays the small but memorable role of Pam, a young Rolling Stone journalist who attempts to introduce Allen’s Alvy Singer to hipster culture.  “Sex with you is really a Kafka-esque experience”, she tells Alvy.

In perhaps the defining role of her career, Shelley Duvall was cast as the terrified wife of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.  The performance was nominated for Worst Actress in the 1980 Razzie Awards, but is heavily regarded as a dead-on depiction of a woman so frightened that she becomes annoying at times, making the confused terror depicted on film so effective.

In the same year, Shelley Duvall appeared as Olive Oyl in Robert Altman’s Popeye, which also starred Robin Williams in the title role.  Neither Duvall or Williams were Altman’s first choice (Lily Tomlin was considered for Olive Oyl and Dustin Hoffman for Popeye), but the actors proved perfect for the roles.  The film itself, while considered a flop by Robert Altman fans, allowed Duvall to prove that she was made for the part.

Since Popeye, Duvall has had the opportunity to work with other notable directors.  In 1981, she appeared alongside John Cleese and Sean Connery in Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits.  She also appeared in Frankenweenie, an early film by Tim Burton. 

In 1987, she appeared alongside Steve Martin in Roxanne, in what is perhaps her most recent major film role. 

Meanwhile, Duvall has spent a great deal of time appearing in programs made for children.  From 1982 to 1987, she hosted the CBS program Faerie Tale Theatre, which featured guest appearances by an immense array of celebrities, including Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Anjelica Huston, Eric Idle, Christopher Reeve, and Mick Jagger.  In 1992, her Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories was nominated for an Emmy.

Even though she is not as prominently seen in films as she was in the 1970s and 80s, Duvall is still working.  In 1998, she appeared in Home Fries as Drew Barrymore’s mother.  In 2005, she will appear in Walter Salles’ (The Motorcycle Diaries) upcoming film Dark Water, alongside Jennifer Connelly.  It will be her first time working for a credible director in over a decade.  Will it match her performances in Annie Hall or The Shining?  I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.

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