7 Essential Shelley Duvall Movies

Shelley Duvall, who died Thursday at the age of 75, made her film debut in Robert Altman’s 1970 “Brewster McCloud,” and quickly became one of the director’s favorite actresses, appearing in seven of his movies.

While most audiences know her best from horror classic “The Shining,” if you want to do a deeper dive into her filmography, here are some great places to start.

The Shining (1980)

Duvall’s Wendy Torrance, with her squeaky voice and upbeat optimism about living with an abusive alcoholic husband Jack (Jack Nicholson), seems to be completely outmatched when Jack goes completely nuts and tries to kill her and their son Danny. We’ve gotten used to Final Girls in the genre being more badass, but Wendy is tougher than she looks. Despite being terrified into an almost catatonic state, she wields a baseball bat that temporarily takes Jack out and has the foresight to lock him in the freezer.

Nashville (1975)

While there are plenty of eccentric characters in Altman’s Best Picture nominee, including a young Jeff Goldblum as “Tricycle Man,” Duvall’s Martha is the kookiest of all: She’s wearing the most outlandishly inappropriate clothing, changed her name to “L.A. Joan” and can’t stop flirting with every man she meets, to the dismay of her exasperated uncle (Keenan Wynn).

3 Women (1977)

Duvall won Best Actress at the Cannes Film festival — and numerous awards — for her role as Mildred “Millie” Lammoreaux in Robert Altman’s psychological study of the unusual relationship between Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Janice Rule’s characters. Roger Ebert called Duvall’s performance “a study in unease.”

Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1976)

Joan Micklin Silver directed this lovely short feature, based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story of the same name: Duvall plays the shy, sheltered title character, who blossoms after being encouraged by her flapper cousin (Veronica Cartwright) to get an “immoral” bob haircut.

Thieves Like Us (1974)

Duvall costars with another Altman regular, Keith Carradine, in this Depression Era tale of doomed lovers Keechie and Bowie, who are perfect for each other, if not for the world. Late film critic Pauline Kael called it “the closest to flawless of Altman’s films – a masterpiece.”

Brewster McCloud (1970)

Duvall, then 20 years old, made a big impression in her very first film with those enormous eyes, the funky Liza Minnelli-esque eyelashes and her ditzy-but-not-dumb persona. She plays a tour guide who gets involved with Bud Cort’s daydreaming oddball. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea —Quentin Tarantino considers it one the worst movies ever made —but Duvall is unforgettable in it.

Popeye (1980)

Audiences were mixed on this Robert Altman adaptation, but you can’t argue with the casting: Who else but Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall could have played the iconic couple of the comics? The quirky, angular actress seems born to play a cartoon character come to life.

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