Jul 11, 2024 - News

Remembering Shelley Duvall, a Texas icon

Jay R. Jordan

Shelley Duvall on the set of "Brewster McCloud" in 1970 — Shelley Duvall, seen here donning an Astros jacket behind the scenes of 1970's "Brewster McCloud," her first starring role. Photo: Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty Images

Shelley Duvall, who grew up in Houston and graced the silver screen for decades, died of complications from diabetes Thursday in her Hill Country home. She was 75.

Duvall was a community college student in Houston when she was discovered by Robert Altman, of "M*A*S*H" fame, who cast her as a hot-rod-driving Astrodome tour guide in 1970's "Brewster McCloud," her first starring role.

From there, she went on to work with Altman on several more films, including "Nashville" and "3 Women," before landing her arguably most iconic role as Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining."

In the 1980s, she created and starred in "Faerie Tale Theatre," in which she reintroduced fairy tales in live action.

Duvall stepped away from acting in the early 2000s and soon after settled in Blanco.

She was remembered as kind-hearted and hardworking by her fans and movie critics.

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Remembering Shelley Duvall, a Texas icon

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