‘The Shining’ star Shelly Duvall dies at 75

Shelley Duvall, the fearless Texas-born movie star whose glamorous presence was a mainstay in the films of Robert Altman and who co-starred in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” has died at the age of 75.

Duvall died in his sleep Thursday at his home in Blanco, Texas, his longtime partner Dan Gilroy announced. The cause was complications from diabetes, said his friend and publicist Gary Springer.

“My dear, sweet, wonderful life, partner and friend left us last night,” Gilroy said in a statement. “She has suffered so much lately and now she is free. Fly free, beautiful Shelley.”

Duvall was attending college in Texas in 1970 when members of Altman’s crew met her at a party in Houston as they were preparing to shoot “Brewster McCloud.” They introduced her to the director, who cast her in “Brewster McCloud” and made her his protégé.

Duvall appeared in Altman films such as Thieves Like Us, Nashville, Popeye, Three Women and McCabe and Ms. Miller.

“He offered me … great parts,” Duvall told The New York Times in 1977. “He had faith in me, trust and respect for me, and he didn’t limit me or intimidate me, and I loved that. I remember the first piece of advice he gave me was: ‘Don’t take yourself too seriously. ‘”

Duvall was not a traditional Hollywood star. But she had a mesmerizing candor and exuded a unique naturalism. Film critic Pauline Kael called her “the female Buster Keaton.”

At her peak, Duvall was a regular in some of the classic films of the 1970s and 1980s. In The Shining, she played Wendy Torrence, who watched in horror as her husband Jack (played by Jack Nicholson) died. He went crazy while his family was isolated in the Overlook Hotel. Duvall’s screaming face and Jack’s axe coming through the door formed half of the film’s most iconic image.

But Duvall disappeared from movies almost as quickly as she appeared in them. In the 1990s, he began to withdraw from acting. Her last film role was in 2002’s “Manna from Heaven.” Duvall retired from public life. Earlier this year, he gave his first interview in years.