Cast & creator
Shelley Duvall
Best known for Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live
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. She died due to complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, southwest of Austin, Texas.
Also known as: The Texas Twiggy, Manic Mouse, Shelley Alexis Duvall
156
film credits
32
television credits
113
1971–2024 · acting roles
6.6
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (188)
Showing 188 of 188 credits
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
1975Saturday Night Live
Patron (uncredited)
1975Saturday Night Live
Self (uncredited)
1975
Frasier
Caroline (voice)
1993
L.A. Law
Margo Stanton
1986
Cannon
Liz Christie
1971
The Twilight Zone
Margaret (segment "A Saucer of Loneliness")
1985
Spécial cinéma
Self
1974Film '72
Self
1971
The Hughleys
Mrs. Crump
1998
The Shining
Wendy Torrance
1980
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Ocka (voice)
1994
The Ray Bradbury Theater
Leota Bean
1985
Fridays
Self
1980
Faerie Tale Theatre
The Miller's Daughter
1982Faerie Tale Theatre
Marie / Rapunzel
1982Faerie Tale Theatre
Narrator / Nightingale (voice)
1982Faerie Tale Theatre
Snow White's Mother
1982Faerie Tale Theatre
Narrator (voice)
1982Faerie Tale Theatre
Self - Host
1982Faerie Tale Theatre
Executive Producer
1982
Frankenweenie
Thanks
2012
Tall Tales & Legends
Self - Host
1985Tall Tales & Legends
Clementine
1985Tall Tales & Legends
Executive Producer
1985Tall Tales & Legends
Creator
1985
The Adventures of Shirley Holmes
Alice Flitt
1997
Wishbone
Renee Lassiter
1995
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
Shelley Duvall
1992
Popeye
Olive Oyl
1980
Kubrick by Kubrick
Self (archive footage)
2020
Time Bandits
Dame Pansy / Pansy
1981Maggie Winters
Muriel
1998
WonderWorks
Laura Burroughs
1984
Annie Hall
Pam
1977
Nashville
L.A. Joan
1975
Casper Meets Wendy
Gabby
1998
Stanley Kubrick - Ein Leben für den Film
Self
2001
Roxanne
Dixie
1987
3 Women
Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux
19773 Women
Set Decoration
1977
Home Fries
Mrs. Jackson
1998
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Ida Coyle
1971
Suburban Commando
Jenny Wilcox
1991
The Portrait of a Lady
Countess Gemini
1996
Nightmare Classics
Creator
1989
The Underneath
Nurse
1995
RocketMan
Mrs. Randall (uncredited)
1997
Russell Mulcahy’s Tale of the Mummy
Edith Butros
1998
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
The First Lady (Mrs. Cleveland)
1976
The 4th Floor
Martha Stewart
1999
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White's Mother / Self - Host
1984Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Producer
1984Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Executive Producer
1984
Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework
Mrs. Fink
1997
Big Monster on Campus
Mrs. Stein
1998
Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
Self - Host (uncredited)
1987Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
Producer
1987Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
Executive Producer
1987
Frankenweenie
Susan Frankenstein
1984
Thieves Like Us
Keechie
1974
The Chipmunks Rockin' Through The Decades
Self
1990
Frog
Mrs. Anderson
1987Frog
Executive Producer
1987
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
Little Bo Peep
1990Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
Executive Producer
1990Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
Casting
1990
Aliens for Breakfast
Teacher
1994
Cinderella
Self - Host
1985Cinderella
Producer
1985Cinderella
Executive Producer
1985
The Secret World of the Very Young
1984
The Tale of the Frog Prince
Self - Host (uncredited)
1982The Tale of the Frog Prince
Producer
1982The Tale of the Frog Prince
Executive Producer
1982
Brewster McCloud
Suzanne
1971
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Self / Host
1985The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Executive Producer
1985The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Producer
1985
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Self - Host
1986Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Executive Producer
1986
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
Self - Host
1986The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
Producer
1986The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
Executive Producer
1986
Little Red Riding Hood
Self - Host (uncredited)
1983Little Red Riding Hood
Producer
1983Little Red Riding Hood
Executive Producer
1983
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd
Bad Ballet Dancer (archive footage)
2005
The Fairest of Them All
Self
1983
The Princess and the Pea
Self - Host (uncredited)
1984The Princess and the Pea
Producer
1984The Princess and the Pea
Executive Producer
1984
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
Self - Host (uncredited)
1984The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
Producer
1984The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
Executive Producer
1984
The Paul Simon Special
Joan of Arc
1977
Making 'The Shining'
Self
1980
The Eyes of the Panther
Executive Producer
1989
Pinocchio
Self - Host (uncredited)
1984Pinocchio
Producer
1984Pinocchio
Executive Producer
1984
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Self - Host (uncredited)
1984Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Producer
1984Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Executive Producer
1984
Frogs!
Annie
1991
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Self - Host
1985The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Producer
1985The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Executive Producer
1985
Jack and the Beanstalk
Self - Host (uncredited)
1983Jack and the Beanstalk
Producer
1983Jack and the Beanstalk
Executive Producer
1983
Bernice Bobs Her Hair
Bernice
1976
The Turn of the Screw
Executive Producer
1989
Twilight of the Ice Nymphs
Amelia Glahn
1997
Manna from Heaven
Detective Dubrinski
2002
Shine On: The Forgotten Shining Location
Self (archive footage)
2024Shine On: The Forgotten Shining Location
In Memory Of
2024
Carmilla
Executive Producer
1989
Beauty and the Beast
Self - Host (uncredited)
1984Beauty and the Beast
Producer
1984Beauty and the Beast
Executive Producer
1984
Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures
Self
1986
The Snow Queen
Host / Narrator (voice)
1985
The Little Mermaid
Self - Host
1987The Little Mermaid
Executive Producer
1987
Ponce de Leon
Self / Host
1986Ponce de Leon
Producer
1986
Lily
Lily Miniver
1986
Casey at the Bat
Host
1986Casey at the Bat
Producer
1986Howl: Inside the Forest Hills
Self
The Emperor's New Clothes
Self - Host
1985The Emperor's New Clothes
Producer
1985The Emperor's New Clothes
Executive Producer
1985Six Kinds of Light - John Alcott
Self
1983
Hansel and Gretel
Self - Host (uncredited)
1983Hansel and Gretel
Producer
1983Hansel and Gretel
Executive Producer
1983
The Nightingale
Nightingale (voice) / Narrator (voice) / Self - Host
1983The Nightingale
Executive Producer
1983The Nightingale
Producer
1983Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Potsi
1994Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Executive Producer
1994
The Dancing Princesses
Self - Host
1987The Dancing Princesses
Producer
1987The Dancing Princesses
Executive Producer
1987
Johnny Appleseed
Self / Host
1986Johnny Appleseed
Producer
1986
Rumpelstiltskin
The Miller's Daughter / Self - Host
1982Rumpelstiltskin
Producer
1982Rumpelstiltskin
Executive Producer
1982
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Executive Producer
1989
Robert Altman: Giggle And Give In
Self
1996
Puss in Boots
Self - Host / Narrator
1985Puss in Boots
Producer
1985Puss in Boots
Executive Producer
1985
Sleeping Beauty
Self - Host (uncredited)
1983Sleeping Beauty
Producer
1983Sleeping Beauty
Executive Producer
1983
Annie Oakley
The Host
1986Annie Oakley
Producer
1986
Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall
Self
Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight
Self
1997
Booker
Laura
1984
John Henry
Self / Host
1986John Henry
Producer
1986
Alone
Estelle
1997
Dinner at Eight
Producer
1989
Thumbelina
Self - Host (uncredited)
1984Thumbelina
Producer
1984Thumbelina
Executive Producer
1984
Twilight Theatre
1982
Changing Habits
Sister Agatha
1997
Dreams in the Attic
Aunt Nellie
2000
Popples
Executive Producer
1986Popples
Story
1986
Davy Crockett
Self / Host
1986Davy Crockett
Producer
1986
Pecos Bill
Self / Host
1986Pecos Bill
Producer
1986
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories: The Christmas Witch
Host
1994Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories: The Christmas Witch
Executive Producer
1994
Rapunzel
Rapunzel / Marie, Rapunzel's Mother / Self - Host
1983Rapunzel
Executive Producer
1983Rapunzel
Producer
1983
Darlin' Clementine
Self / Host / Clementine
1986Darlin' Clementine
Executive Producer
1986
Earthquake Survival
Self
1988