Shelley Duvall, born in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, on July 7, 1949, is the first child of her parents. Her mother, Bobbie Ruth Crawford, worked as a real estate agent, and her father, Robert Duvall, was a lawyer who early used to work as a cattle auctioneer. She has three siblings, all younger brothers, Scott, Shane, and Stewart. Because of Duvall’s father’s profession, they used to travel a lot but later got settled in Houston.
In the year 1967, she graduated from Waltrip High School; she was a very bright student. Later, she attended South Texas Junior College, where her major was nutrition and diet. Duvall was a hardworking child; she used to work at a departmental store where she sold cosmetics.
Because of her enthusiastic nature, her mother called her a ‘Manic Mouse.’ This manic mouse is known popularly for her role as Wendy Torrance in The Shining. It is a psychological horror movie. 1962 romantic movie Lolita director Stanley Kubrick was the director and producer of The Shining.
This movie is based on a novel of the same name, The Shining, which was written by Stephen Edwin King or King of Horror (called by his fan) in 1977.
Shelley Duvall’s Networth
Shelley Duvall has a total net worth of $500,000, according to CelebrityNetWorth. She also used to live with one of her boyfriends at a three-acre property in California, where they had a flock of sheep, a pair of cats, and eight dogs.
Shelley Duvall is also known for her role in Popeye, in which she was Olive Oyl. Popeye is a classic musical film which is directed by Robert Altman. The movie is based on a popular cartoon character of the same name, Popeye, created by E. C. Segar.
(Shelley Duvall in Popeye, credits: C-VILLE Weekly)
Shelley Duvall’s Career
Her first breakthrough was her meeting with Robert Altman at a party that she and her husband, Bernard Sampson, hosted in Texas. Nashville’s director, Robert Altman, was present in Texas at that time for the shoot of Brewster McCloud. He was impressed by her enthusiastic nature and offered her to play a role opposite Bud Cort. She accepted the offer and started her journey as an actor.
She later appeared in Altman’s various creations such as 1971’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 1974’s Thieves Like Us, 1975’s Nashville, Buffalo Bill, and the Indians, Sitting Bull’s History Lesson in 1976 and Bernice Bobs Her Hair, and many more.
After she became successful, she hosted Saturday Night Live, an American night television talk show. Duvall’s role as Mildred “Millie” Lammoreaux in 3 women was her breakthrough. Her this work gained her major appreciation, and she won Best Actress Award at Cannes Film Festival in the year 1977.
Her famous role as Wendy Torrance for The Shinning was not an easy one. During the shooting, Shelley was isolated and had to redo a scene almost a hundred times due to Stanley Kubrick.
(Shelley Duvall in The Shining, credits: Yahoo)
In 1982, she produced her first work, Faerie Tale Theatre, an American television series. The show won various awards, including the TCA Awards, Peabody Awards, CableACE Awards, etc. Till 1988, she produced several shows, Tall Tales & Legends is one of her shows. Later, in the year 1988, she founded her production company, Thinks Entertainment.
Her last work as an actor was in the movie Manna from Heaven (2002), after which she went on a long hiatus. During her break period, she tried to keep her private life as private as possible, but her medical issues gained the public eye.
Shelley Duvall’s Relationship
In 1970, she married Bernard Sampson, and after four years, in 1974, they both got divorced. She later dated Paul Simon, an American musician, for two years, and they broke up at the airport as she had to fly for her film ‘The Shinning.’
In the year 1987, she had a live-in relationship with American screenwriter Dan Gilroy on a three-acre property in California, where they had a flock of birds, a pair of cats, and eight dogs. After the 1994 earthquake at Northridge, she left Dan and went back to Texas.
At her interview in 2021, she clarified that Dan was not the reason for her moving out and that after the earthquake, she was facing issues relating to her finances.
