What happened to Shelley Duvall is a question new and older fans have asked ever since she left Hollywood. The iconic actress made her name in the 70s and 80s, starring in classic films like Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining and Woody Allen‘s Annie Hall. Her range and eccentric performance delighted the actress and made her a star of the silver screen.
While no one shines forever, many expected Shelley to remain an ever-present figure in Hollywood. Her wealth of talent meant it was possible. But that didn’t happen. In 2002, she upped and left Hollywood for reasons unknown to many at the time. There was speculation, many of which focused on her mental health, but none were satisfactory or confirmed. Not anymore. We finally know what happened to Shelley Duvall and why she gave up acting.
Shelley Duvall didn’t want to be an actress
To fully understand what happened to the actress, it’s important to take a step back and trace how she became one. Though her career-defining eccentricity was already evident as a child, Shelley didn’t dream of becoming an actress. She preferred to channel it toward science. She majored in nutrition and diet therapy and a life designing food seemingly awaited her. Then she met director Robert Altman, who was in Texas filming Brewster McCloud, at her boyfriend’s art opening in 1970. Captivated and impressed by her appearance and personality, Robert and his crew members convinced a reluctant Duvall to join the film. And like that, her Hollywood career began,
After playing the free-spirited love interest in the film, she played a mail-order bride in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) and the convict and mistress in Thieves Like Us (1974). Much of her early roles were primarily with Altman, the man who roped her into acting, that is, until she starred as a lead in an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1977).
Her first major taste of success, though, came in the same year in another Robert Altman film, 3 Women. It was a box office hit and her performance drew critical praise, solidifying her as Hollywood’s number-one unconventional star. Over the next three years, Shelley appeared in Annie Hall and in her most recognizable role, as Wendy Torrance in The Shining (1980). But the late 70s and early 80s turned out to be the peak of her career. While she continued to play high-profile roles in the 1990s, Duvall’s star was already waning.
Despite amassing over 50 credits across movies and TV shows and working with some of the industry’s most revered directors, Shelley Duvall never quite settled into the profession. While speaking with People, Duvall confessed that acting life was never quite easy or financially rewarding. Recounting an industry practice that is now public knowledge, she earned less than her male co-stars because producers and studio heads “thought women would just marry and the husband’s going to support them.”
Her Brother’s Spinal Cancer Made Her Quit Hollywood
By the end of the 90s, directors and producers were no longer lining up to work with Shelley. The auteur-driven business model that sparked her Hollywood stardom had given way to studio-managed blockbusters. Her last role was a small part in the independent film, Manna from Heaven in 2002. Without movie offers and a dissipated passion for acting, she decided to take a long break from acting and public life. But it wasn’t just the lack of work that made Duvall say goodbye to public life.
One of her younger brothers was diagnosed with spinal cancer, and she decided to move back to Texas to take care of him and spend time with family. Returning to Texas Hill Country opened up a new chapter in Duvall’s life. She started leading a quiet life living with her longtime partner, Dan Gilroy, a former lead vocalist of the Breakfast Club. They’ve been together since 1989 after meeting on the Disney Channel show, Mother Goose Rock “n’ Rhyme.
Shelley Duvall Returned to Acting
Two decades after trading Hollywood for the Lone Star state, Shelley Duvall, now in her early 70s, is a working actress again. At least for one film. She starred in The Forest Hills, an independent horror film about a man who develops tormented visions after suffering head trauma. Shelley plays the character’s mother and the film premiered on March 10 in New Jersey. While the film received positive critical and audience reviews, she’s not confirmed to appear in an upcoming film. But we know Shelley would like to appear in more and perhaps, finally win an Oscar.
Before starring in the film, Duvall first returned to the spotlight in 2016 in a controversial interview with Dr. Phil. In the infamous interview, Shelley seemed mentally impaired, expressing paranoia and incoherent logic. The episode drew the ire of fans and Hollywood personalities, including Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of Stanley Kubrick, who accused Dr. Phil of exploiting her during a vulnerable time.
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