Stephen King pays tribute to ‘The Shining’ star Shelley Duvall
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The Shining author Stephen King has paid tribute to the late Shelley Duvall, who starred alongside Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the novel.
Before her death on July 11th, Duvall had struggled with health concerns for several years. It has been reported that she passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Blanco, Texas, from complications related to diabetes.
Dan Gilroy, her life partner since 1989, announced the sad news: “My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley.”
The late actor made her screen debut in 1970 with an appearance in Altman’s fantasy comedy movie Brewster McCloud. Throughout the decade, in the run-up to her pivotal role opposite an unhinged Nicholson in The Shining, Duvall continued to build her portfolio with Altman collaborations, including McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Thieves Like Us and the critically acclaimed musical satire Nashville. However, it was The Shining that truly put her on the map.
Towards the end of her life, Duvall suffered severe mobility issues which was partially related to her diabetes as well as an injured foot. Earlier this year, she revealed that her days were largely spent driving her Toyota car through the local area, and on occasion, Duvall would even stay the night in the vehicle. While it was a far cry from the glamour of Hollywood, Duvall was comfortable in her new life away from the limelight.
She retired from acting in 2002, and stayed out of the industry. Notably, in 2016, Duvall made a rare television appearance when she detailed her mental health issues on Dr. Phil, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia shortly after the episode.
Despite her immense talent, Duvall fell out of the Hollywood system, and in his tribute, King described her as “underused”. He wrote on X: “Very sorry Shelly Duvall has passed. Wonderful, talented, underused actor.”
Clearly King has changed his stance on her as an actor over the last few decades. In an interview published in Playboy before The Shining had hit cinemas, the author referred to Duvall being hired as the beleaguered Wendy as “absolutely grotesque casting”.
The experience of working on The Shining was unenjoyable for Duvall, who once remarked, “To wake up on a Monday morning, so early, and realise that you had to cry all day because it was scheduled— I would just start crying.”
Furthermore, the official X account for The Shining director Stanley Kubrick said of her passing, “Shelley Duvall, legendary character actor, and The Shining’s extraordinary Wendy Torrance has died at the age of 75. Shelley’s career was varied and long. Despite being dogged with exaggerations of her treatment on set, Shelley was always vocal about her experience filming The Shining saying she ‘wouldn’t trade it for anything’ because ‘working with loveable Stanley was a fascinating learning experience.’ Our thoughts are with Shelley’s friends and family.”
