Milos Forman considered her for the role of the prostitute in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). While screening Thieves Like Us (1974) to see if she was right for the role, he became interested in Louise Fletcher, who had a supporting role, and decided to cast her as "Nurse Ratched".
Pauline Kael once referred to her as "The Female Buster Keaton".
At director Stanley Kubrick's insistence, she and Jack Nicholson performed 127 takes of the baseball bat scene in The Shining (1980), which broke a world-record for the most retakes of a single movie scene with spoken dialogue. Shelley said she learned more from working with Kubrick on that film than she did on all her previous films.
Daughter of attorney Robert R. Duvall (not the actor) and Bobbie Crawford.
Following the 1994 Northridge earthquake that damaged her Los Angeles home, she left California and since then has lived primarily in Blanco, Texas, where she remains fairly reclusive.
Got hooked on cigarettes after having to smoke for her role in Robert Altman's Thieves Like Us (1974).
Graduated from Waltrip High School in Houston, Texas in 1967. Patrick Swayze and wrestler Mark Calaway (aka The Undertaker) graduated from the same high school.
Is a huge fan of Sean Connery, and was lured by Terry Gilliam into making Time Bandits (1981) under the assumption that she would be working with him. Gilliam called Duvall while she was completing work on Popeye (1980) to ask her to appear in the film. When she displayed reluctance, Gilliam, knowing her adoration of Connery, told her "Sean Connery's going to be in it," to which Duvall immediately replied, "I'll do it." As it turned out, they didn't share any scenes together. She later laughed this off, crediting Gilliam's "devilish" sense of humor.
Learned Italian to play "Countess Gemini" in The Portrait of a Lady (1996).
Named after "Frankenstein" author Mary Shelley.
Once lived with 11 dogs, 12 parrots, and 58 finches, budgies, and cockateels.
Once owned the film rights to Tom Robbins' "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues." Despite being signed by Warner Bros. in 1980 to write and star in her own adaptation of the book, the project fell through and she gave up the rights after four years.
Played chess with Stanley Kubrick between takes on The Shining (1980).
Said she based her characterization of "Olive Oyl" on a combination of Stan Laurel and Mae West.
Served as chairman for the 1987 Golden ACE committee for the National Cable Television Academy's ACE Awards.
Served as secretary of the Board of Governors Executive Committee for the National Academy of Cable Programming.
Sister of Stewart Duvall.
Studied at the renowned Actors Studio in New York, during the early 1970s, however dropped out after only a few classes as she found the process too analytical and technical. She left and returned to her own instinctive, organic approach to acting.
Turned down a role in Robert Altman's A Wedding (1978).
Was Robert Altman's second choice for the role of "Sheila Shea" in A Perfect Couple (1979), the role having been originally written for Sandy Dennis. However, when Dennis left the project, Altman offered it to Duvall, but as she had already begun production on The Shining (1980), she couldn't commit. The role ultimately went to Marta Heflin.