Why Did Shelley Duvall Leave Hollywood? Inside “The Shining” Actress’ Final Years

Why Did Shelley Duvall Leave Hollywood? Inside “The Shining” Actress’ Final Years. Few movie scenes are as iconic as the one where Jack Nicholson chases Shelley Duvall with an axe in The Shining – but the actress’s life took a different turn after that.

Why Shelley Duvall Left Hollywood Behind

Shelley Duvall left Hollywood for good after struggling with personal issues. She moved out to Texas and lived a relatively quiet life with her musician boyfriend, Dan Gilroy, for over 30 years. “There was a combination of intelligence and innocence about her that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in anyone before,” he said in an interview with PEOPLE in 2024. “She was simply always effusive and full of fun each and every day. That was Shelley – she made every day an adventure for everyone around her.”

In addition to her iconic role in The Shining, Duvall has a number of notable performances to her name, including Popeye with Robin Williams, Roxanne with Steve Martin, and many more. Duvall’s final role before her retirement came in 2002’s Manna from Heaven. In 2023, she made a comeback for the indie horror film The Forest Hills.

After passing away due to diabetes complications in 2024, the film’s director, Scott Goldberg, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE. “She ‍is a truly incredible person who has gone through a great deal of struggle, yet for which she is deserving of a big compliment,” he continued. “She has always been a true friend and has shown me nothing else but kindheartedness, for which I could forever be grateful.”

Shelley Duvall left Hollywood for good after struggling with personal issues. She quietly moved away to Texas and lived a happy life with her boyfriend of more than 30 years, Dan Gilroy. “There was a combination of intelligence and innocence about her that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in anyone before,” he said in an interview with PEOPLE in 2024. “She was simply always effusive and full of fun each and every day. That was Shelley – she made every day an adventure for everyone around her.”

In addition to her role in The Shining, other notable performances by Duvall include her work in Popeye with Robin Williams and Roxanne with Steve Martin. Duvall’s last role before her retirement came in 2002’s Manna from Heaven. In 2023, the actress made a comeback by starring in the independent horror film The Forest Hills. According to the film’s director, Scott Goldberg, Duvall spoke exclusively to PEOPLE. ”I ‍ ‌‍have the greatest respect for her perseverance through all the hardships and getting back on stage. My gratitude towards her lifelong friendship and generosity will never expire,” he mentioned.

The Lasting Impact of The Shining

Duvall’s relationship with Kubrick during her time in the movie The Shining was difficult enough that it left deep scars. In an interview for The Hollywood Reporter from 2021, Duvall shared her feelings on how hard that movie was for her ‍ ‌‍ ‍‌emotionally. “The thing with Kubrick is that he doesn’t print anything until at least the 35th take,” she recalled. “At some point, your body just starts rebelling against you and saying, ‘This is ridiculous, stop doing this to me, I don’t want to cry every single day.’

One of the film’s most stressful scenes for the actress was the one where her character is chased by Nicholson while in a state of panic. “There were 127 takes of that scene,” said Duvall. “I don’t know how I did it, Jack said the same thing to me. I don’t know how you do it!” The stress and pressure put on Duvall’s mental health and physical well-being took a toll on her. The actress revealed that she lost patches of her hair due to working on the film.

A New Chapter as a Producer and Life in Texas

Shelley Duvall went on to pursue producing as a career after her decision to stop acting. When speaking with PEOPLE in 1987, she stated that producing lets her be creative by letting her decide what happens. “It allows you to take control of your own life,” she said. “You don’t have that opportunity when you’re acting. You can get ahead on your own in producing, rather than waiting for someone to hand you a script to star in.

“I like producing better,” I think acting doesn’t promote sanity. I do not want to lose my joy in life. I guess I have a touch of the Peter Pan syndrome. I don’t want to lose my innocence or my dreams.” Shelley Duvall moved to Texas to be closer to her family. This decision was made in 1994. Part of the reason for the move included Duvall’s declining career, the Northridge earthquake, which damaged the family’s LA home, and her brother’s diagnosis with spinal cancer. “Actually, I spent more time in my sabbatical than ever in my acting career because, of course, there were my family reasons.” She recalled her time off to PEOPLE in 2023.

Shelley Duvall Faced Mental Health Challenges After Retirement

As early as the 2000s, Shelley Duvall had mental health issues, which she eventually had to retire from acting because of. Her boyfriend since long, Dan Gilroy, reveals that the problem had started when she played the part in “Manna from Heaven” and shortly ‍‌thereafter.“One month, everything got really weird and paranoid, she felt under attack and asked the neighbors to come over and bring weapons to protect us,” he told PEOPLE in 2024. “Her mother’s second husband was a former FBI agent, and she just felt under attack off and on from then on.”

Five years later, he said, Duvall’s family committed her to a mental health facility against her will. “She put up such a fuss that they discharged her with a diagnosis of diabetes and dementia, but it created a rift in the family, and trust went down the drain. It scared the hell out of her.” After ‍ ‌‍ ‍‌ a successful acting career, Shelley Duvall had to cope with psychological disorders. In order to help people, she decided to go public about the topic. Shelley appeared on the Dr. Phil show in 2011 and revealed everything about her private life ‍ ‌‍ ‍‌issues. According to the actress, she had been experiencing health issues and required professional assistance.”In her conversation with the doctor, she claimed that her co-star Robin Williams in Popeye was alive despite his passing, and talked about alien surveillance.

Actress Mia Farrow tweeted that it was “upsetting and unethical to exploit Shelley Duvall at this vulnerable time in her life.” Kubrick’s daughter Vivian called the episode on Twitter “lurid entertainment” and “shameful.” However, Duvall said that the ordeal was not over with the television appearance. “I found out the kind of person he is the hard way,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021.

“My mother didn’t like him, either,” she added. “A lot of people, like [boyfriend Dan Gilroy], said, ‘You shouldn’t have done that, Shelley.’ “ Dr. Phil, she added, “started calling my mother. She told him, ‘Don’t call my daughter anymore.’ But he started calling my mother all the time, trying to get her to let me talk to him again.” Dr. Phil told CNN in 2023, “I don’t regret what I did. What I did regret was that it was promoted in a way that people thought was unbecoming … We worked with her for over a year off-camera after that fact. Providing her opportunities for inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care – I can’t tell you the extent we went to.”

Fans Helped Keep Her Legacy Alive

One fan paid special attention to Shelley Duvall and was able to make a meaningful connection with the actress. In 2016, Sarah Lukowski stumbled upon Duvall’s work and formed a friendship with the actress. Lukowski later started her Shelley Duvall Archives social media accounts, dedicating them to the actress’s life and work. The two wrote letters to each other for a year before meeting in person. Lukowski would frequently visit Duvall in her final years. “I brought her fan mail two or three times and usually just sat next to her, opened them up, read to her, and it always brings a smile to her face,” she told Texas Monthly in 2024. “She used to get a ton of fan mail, so it must feel good for her to get those letters and to know she’s still appreciated, because that’s the goal.”

Lukowski said the fan mail made Duvall feel loved and remembered. “She used to get a ton of fan mail, so it must feel good for her to get those letters and to know she’s still appreciated, because that’s the goal,” Lukowski said. “Just to make her feel like she’s loved. And there are still people out on the internet and across the world who love her.” Shelley Duvall expressed great optimism about her return to acting in The Forest Hills. “I know it’s been a long time, but it’s been great.

It really has, it feels good. Makes me want to do more acting,” she said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2022. Duvall spoke similarly for PEOPLE in 2023, saying that “Acting again – it’s so much fun. It ‍brings joy and fulfillment in so many ways. During the same interview, she eagerly shared her goals and plans for the future: “People have already said that Jessica Tandy won an Oscar at ‍ ‌‍ ‍‌80. I can still win,” said Duvall.

Shelley Duvall passed away in July 2024, with her partner Gilroy noting that in the months leading up to her death, she was in good spirits. “We found moments of joy,” he said in an interview with PEOPLE in 2024. “I’d bring my computer in, we’d watch some shows … Mother Goose Rock ‘n Rhyme and things she had produced over the years, and those gave some comfort.” Shelley Duvall succumbed to her diabetes complications and passed away on July 11, 2024.