Shelley Duvall Left Acting as Her Brother Struggled With Cancer
"It was for really important reasons—to get in touch with my family again," Shelley said of her hiatus.
Updated July 11 2024, 6:48 p.m. ET
Horror movie buffs will remember Shelley Duvall from her role in The Shining, along with plenty of other roles in films like Popeye, Annie Hall, and more. Despite her undeniable success, though, in 2002, Shelley took a 20-year hiatus from acting, not appearing on the screen again until 2023 when she appeared as Mama in The Forest Hills.
Shelley had solidified herself as a pop culture icon, despite her step back from the spotlight. Unfortunately, not long after her return to acting, she passed away. Shelley died on July 11, 2024, at the age of 75.
Though there's no chance of seeing another new film with her name in the credits, why did she decide to stop acting in the first place?
Shelley Duvall left Hollywood behind in the early 2000s.
After the 90s, Shelley's offers began to dwindle around the same time her brother was diagnosed with spinal cancer. It was then she decided to move back to Texas, where she's originally from, and be closer to her family.
"It's the longest sabbatical I ever took," Shelley told People in 2023. "but it was for really important reasons—to get in touch with my family again."
Since taking her unofficial hiatus, Shelley came down with a slew of health issues, including diabetes and injuring her foot. Because of this, it's been difficult for her to move around, and the interviews she's done in the 2020s often take place in the vehicles she drives around.
She very briefly returned to the small screen when she did an interview on Dr. Phil in 2016, though the portions of the interview that aired did little to help her get back on her feet.
The clips that circulated online show Shelley telling Dr. Phil “I’m very sick. I need help,” alongside claims that she was speaking with the then-dead (and still-dead) Robin Williams. The episode was titled "A Hollywood Star's Descent Into Mental Illness: Saving The Shining's Shelley Duvall," before it was ultimately canceled.
“I was a star; I had leading roles,” Shelley reflected on her acting career in an interview with The New York Times. “People think it’s just aging, but it’s not. It’s violence.”
“How would you feel if people were really nice, and then, suddenly, on a dime, they turn on you? You would never believe it unless it happens to you. That’s why you get hurt, because you can’t really believe it’s true," she continued.
Shelley was happy to return to acting in 2023.
When Shelley agreed to play a supporting role in The Forest Hills, she told People that she was happy to do so.
"Acting again—it's so much fun. It enriches your life," she told the outlet before the film's release.
Despite her step back from the limelight, Shelley spoke lovingly of acting, detailing her decision to make it her career in the 70s.
"After Thieves Like Us, Robert [Altman] looked at me and said, 'I knew you were good, but I didn't know you were great,' " she told People. "It's the reason I stuck with it and became an actress."
