Summary

• Shelley Duvall's career began by chance when she met Robert Altman and went on to appear in his films, including the critically acclaimed Nashville.
• Despite her other notable roles, Duvall's performance as Wendy Torrance in The Shining is considered one of her most memorable, although her experience with director Stanley Kubrick was difficult.
• Duvall left Hollywood due to a combination of dwindling film roles, her brother's illness, and the aftermath of an earthquake near her home in LA. After a 20-year hiatus, she returned to acting in the independent horror film The Forest Hills.

Shelley Duvall left Hollywood on a two-decade-long hiatus, but as some might assume, it wasn't because of her experience on The Shining. Never an actor by training, Shelley Duvall's career began almost by accident when she met Robert Altman at a party while he was filming Brewster McCloud (via the critical darling Nashville. Other major roles include Olive Oyl in Popeye and Millie in 3 Women. Duvall earned two Emmy nominations for Best Children's Program and Best Animated Program for Tall Tales & Legends and Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories, respectively.

However, none of these credits are as significant in Duvall's filmography as Wendy Torrance in The Shining. Stanley Kubrick's seminal film based on Stephen King's novel of the same name is considered one of the greatest horror movie of all time, if not one of the greatest films of all time, ranked #88 in the Sight and Sounds 2022 poll (via Kubrick's treatment of Duvall in The Shining is up for debate, the actress left Hollywood for quite different reasons.

Shelley Duvall Left Hollywood To Be Closer To Family

A convergence of setbacks steered Shelley Duvall out of Hollywood in the early 2000s. In the '90s, film roles for Duvall began to dry up, and the movies she did appear in, like My Teacher Ate My Homework, Tale of the Mummy, and The 4th Floor were all unremarked upon. Around the same time, Duvall's brother got sick with cancer, and it was then that she really felt the need to return home (via People). Also, in 1994, an earthquake struck near her house in LA and the difficult aftermath dealing with FEMA, insurance, and other agencies appears to have soured Duvall on Hollywood and the industry.

When asked if the earthquake was the final straw for her returning to Texas, she responds, "Yeah. They wear you out, man," (via THR). Thus, it was not one single thing that told Duvall to leave Hollywood, but various problems she was facing at the same time. Duvall said, "It's the longest sabbatical I ever took, but it was for really important reasons—to get in touch with my family again." Duvall spent 30 years in the industry and appeared in some massive critical, commercial, and cultural hits and while her departure was sudden, it was after an impressive and relatively long career.

Shelley Duvall Returned To Acting After A 20-Year Hiatus

After 20 long years out of the spotlight, Shelley Duvall returned to acting in 2023, appearing in the independent horror movie, The Forest Hills. The film follows Rico (Chiko Mendez), a man who suffers a head trauma while hiking in the Catskills and ends up having nightmarish visions. Duvall plays "Mama", Rico's overbearing and unsettling mother who also serves as his inner voice. On returning to the screen, Duvall says, "Acting again—it's so much fun. It enriches your life." Despite everything she's been through, Shelley Duvall doesn't seem to have soured on Hollywood and still has high hopes for her career: "[Jessica Tandy] won an Oscar when she was 80. I can still win."

The Forest Hills is not available for streaming.

Sources: Texas Monthly, BFI, People, THR