Shelley Duvall death: Her 5 most memorable characters

Shelley Duvall, the actress best known for her unforgettable role as Wendy Torrance in The Shining, died Thursday. She had just celebrated her 75th birthday on July 7.

Duvall died in her sleep of complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, Texas, her longtime life partner Dan Gilroy told The Hollywood Reporter.

“My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,” Gilroy told the outlet.

Newsweek has contacted Gilroy for comment.

Duvall’s acting career started after she met director Robert Altman at a party and he asked her to be in his movie “Brewster McCloud.” This would be the first of seven films they worked on together.

The Texas native retired from acting in 2002 after Manna From Heaven, however, she starred in the indie horror movie The Forest Hills in 2023, marking her final acting performance.

Let’s take a look back at some of her most iconic roles:

Roxanne

In the 1987 romantic comedy Roxanne, Shelley Duvall portrays Dixie, a warm and supportive character who is a close friend of the protagonist, C.D. Bales, played by Steve Martin.

Dixie is the owner of a local cafe and serves as a confidante and source of encouragement for Bales. She has several memorable lines in the film that showcase her wit and warmth, including, “What can you sit on, sleep on, and brush your teeth with? A chair, a bed, and a toothbrush.”

The Shining

In Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining, Duvall portrays Wendy Torrance, the wife of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) and the mother of Danny (Danny Lloyd). She becomes increasingly desperate and terrified as Jack’s sanity unravels in the isolated Overlook Hotel.

In one the most iconic moments in cinematic history, Jack uses an ax to break through a wall with Wendy on the other side of it, puts his face in the newly-created opening, and says, “Here’s Johnny!”

Popeye

Duvall stars as Olive Oyl, the love interest of the titular character played by Robin Williams in the 1980 musical Popeye. She brings the beloved comic strip character to life uttering the iconic line, “Oh, Popeye, you saved me!”

3 Women

In Robert Altman’s 1977 film 3 Women, Duvall plays Millie Lammoreaux, a lonely and socially awkward woman who works at a health spa. Millie is obsessed with appearing fashionable and popular, but her attempts to connect with others often result in awkwardness and rejection. Throughout the film, she becomes roommates with the naive and impressionable Pinky Rose (Sissy Spacek), leading to a complex and surreal relationship between the two.

Millie’s character is marked by her constant stream of mundane yet telling dialogue, reflecting her desire for acceptance and normalcy, including, “It’s the dress, the people around here have never seen anything like it. That’s why they’re all staring”

Annie Hall

Duvall portrays Pam, a quirky Rolling Stone reporter who dates Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) in the 1977 film Annie Hall. Although her performance is brief, she manages to mutter the noteworthy line, “Sex with you is really a Kafkaesque experience.”

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