The American actress Shelley Duvall died this Thursday (11) in her home in the city of Blanco, in the state of Texas (USA). The 75-year-old actress suffered complications from diabetes and died in her sleep. His longtime companion, Dan Gilroy, confirmed the death.
Shelley Duvall’s resume includes more than 50 appearances in films and television series. Her most notable role was that of Wendy Torrance in the horror classic The lightingfrom 1980. But she also acted in films such as Popeye (1980), Three Women (1977) and Neurotic Groom, Nervous Bride (1977).
Excellent performance
Duvall became known around the world for his role in The lighting, by director Stanley Kubrick. The actress stood out in the role of Wendy, the wife of the writer Jack, played by Jack Nicholson. His great performance is celebrated to this day.
The film tells the story of Jack’s attempt to finish his book. To do so, he decides to take his family to a hotel that is closed for the winter. While searching for peace alone in the huge hotel in the mountains of the state of Colorado (USA), Jack begins to be influenced by the ghosts that live there. Therefore, he is gradually driven insane, terrorizing his wife and son.
To enhance the character of the fragile, apparently frightened wife, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Shelley Duvall underwent constant psychological pressure from the director. This resulted in tears, weight loss and hair loss for the actress. Years later, recognizing Kubrick’s talent for bringing out the best actors, she said she wouldn’t trade the experience of working on The Shining for anything, but “I wouldn’t go through that again”.
Jack Nicholson said in an interview years later that Duvall’s performance was the hardest job he had ever seen a co-star perform.
* with information from the Reuters agency