Many of us who adored Shelley Duvall instantly recalled the happiness and sweetness she had brought to our lives through her films when we learned that she had passed away at 75. Even though her struggles with mental health and disease forced her to resign early in this century, her legacy is more than safe. While Duvall’s collection of work may not have been as impressive as many of her contemporaries, her 10-year span was unquestionable. Indeed, a discussion of Robert Altman’s work and the history of American film in the 1970s would be incomplete without addressing her contribution. Duvall stood out in an era of polished cinematic stars and gritty character actors thanks to her wide eyes, expressive features, quirky manner, and endearing charm.
She had a graceful way with comedy or drama and was utterly engaging. She then astounded us by appearing in one of the greatest horror science-fiction movies of the 1980s.
I’ve included her top performances in remembrance of her life. You may argue with the ranks as much as you want—these lists are subjective, but her casual excellence cannot be contested. Her best on-screen moments, saluting her outstanding work in everything from Teen Monster to Frankenweenie.
7. Suburban Commando (1991), as Jenny Wilcox
In Suburban Commando (1991), space-traveling vigilante Shep Ramsey (Hulk Hogan) is forced to spend some time on Earth due to rocket malfunctions. He settles down in the middle of the suburbs and leases a room from Jenny Wilcox (Shelley Duvall) and Charlie (Christopher Lloyd). Shep tries to fit in—he approaches a mail carrier, and goes skateboarding—but he will always be a fish out of water. However, Shep is prepared to show his mettle when his extraterrestrial adversaries show up and start a brawl with his newfound pals.
Duvall plays the wife of Charlie. After that, despite performing in corny comedies, Duvall collaborated with Steven Soderbergh on The Underneath, Jane Campion in The Portrait of a Lady, and Guy Maddin on Twilight of the Ice Nymphs.
Unfortunately, this role doesn’t suit Duval’s acting style. Aside from trying to play a suburban housewife, she also tries to seduce Shep. She tries, but it doesn’t work.
6. Aliens for Breakfast (1995), as Mrs. Randall
This hour-long television movie, Aliens for Breakfast, was created for “Ronald McDonald’s Family Theater.”. The fast food giant launched it in 1991 with an unrelated animated holiday special. The show inspired a children’s television watchdog group to file a complaint with the FCC about its blurred lines between entertainment and advertising.
The children’s book “Aliens for Breakfast” came out in 1988. In the movie based on the book, a sci-fi fan named Richard (Ben Savage) discovers a tiny extraterrestrial named Aric (Sinbad) floating in his cereal bowl. Aric alerts him to the approaching “Dranes.” They’re a race of wicked aliens that take over worlds by stealing people’s identities. Interestingly enough, all of Richard’s professors and friends love Zachary Bostrom, the new and enigmatic student at the school.
Shelley Duvall (one of the show’s executive producers) has a brief cameo as a teacher. In the early 1990s, Duvall pivoted to family entertainment. Known for her roles in Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme and her animated series, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, she won an Emmy for her work during this period. Duval’s cameo is brief and underused. This role, like many later roles, was small. But playing a teacher fit right into her image at the time.
5. The Twilight Zone (1985): “A Saucer of Loneliness as Margaret”
In this 1980s Twilight Zone reboot episode, Duvall plays a lonely waitress living with her mother. Margaret’s a lonely and obscure young woman no one has ever loved. She’s chosen out of a crowd of people to receive a special message from a small, glowing, saucer-shaped object that swoops out of the sky and descends on her. After this, Margaret becomes an unwilling celebrity. Everyone wants to know what the message is. But after all these years, she’s finally got something that’s her own, and she doesn’t want to share.
This is the only role she played on Twilight Zone, but she would later appear on the anthology show The Ray Bradbury Theater.
Duvall’s shyness and quirkiness are on full display in this role. The minimal characterization enhances her performance, as we wonder how long she’s endured this pain.
4. Boltneck (2000), as Mrs. Stein
Boltneck is a 1998 American teen comedy-horror film directed by Mitch Marcus. It stars Matthew Lawrence, Shelley Duvall, and Judge Reinhold. It was also distributed as Big Monster on Campus and Teen Monster. The movie is a contemporary rendition of the beloved Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Frank Stein is a high school student who accidentally uses a criminal’s brain to bring a fellow student named Karl O’Reilly (Ryan Reynolds) back to life. Duvall plays the loving and doting mother of the mad science student.
Like many of her later roles, this one is used to give the low-budget movie some credence as a horror movie. After a few minor roles like this one, Duvall retired from acting and public life and didn’t act again for 20 years.
3. The Ray Bradbury Theater (1992): “The Tombstone” as Leota Bean
A quarreling couple, Leota (Shelley Duvall) and Walter Bean (Ron White) find themselves in the last available motel room, only to discover a gravestone left by the previous guest. Leota is convinced that the room is haunted. Duvall plays the vain and superstitious wife of a confident businessman.
After appearing in The Twilight Zone, this show is her second return to science fiction. It was a few years after she won her second Emmy nomination for Tall Tales & Legends (1988) and Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories (1992). Duvall’s role is small, but she makes the most of it.
2. Time Bandits (1981) as Pansy
A child unintentionally becomes part of a group of tiny time travelers who travel across eras looking for loot to steal. Vincent (Michael Palin) and Pansy (Shelley Duvall) sporadically appear as an unhappy and unlucky couple in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Palin was originally supposed to play Robin Hood. But the part went to John Cleese. The role of the couple was created by Palin and Duvall, so the legendary Shelley Duvall is almost wasted in two small parts. One is a hot-blooded medieval girl whose passionate boyfriend suffers from an unspecified emotional disorder (“I must have fruit”). The other is a passenger on the Titanic, still followed by Cleese, who is now an upper-class twit. She exaggerates and wonderfully chews up the scenery with her co-star.
Terry Gilliam had scaffolding for the actors to jump off during the Sherwood Forest sequence, where the Time Bandits accidentally smash into Vincent’s (Sir Michael Palin) and Pansy’s (Shelley Duvall) carriages. Gilliam directed the scene, telling them to leap so that they would land around Palin and Duvall instead of directly on top of them. To clarify his meaning, Gilliam scaled the scaffolding to its summit and leaped off, falling squarely onto Duvall.
1. Frankenweenie (1984), as Susan Frankenstein
Young Victor Frankenstein’s beloved dog, Sparky, dies, leaving him heartbroken. Resembling the classic Boris Karloff film, he revives Sparky using electricity. Victor revives Sparky, complete with stitches and neck bolts, surprising them. The family worked together to keep Sparky safe from their intolerable suburban neighborhood.
Shelley Duvall plays Victor’s encouraging and supportive mother.
In a bizarre coincidence, Duvall shares the same last name as Mary Shelley, the author of the original Frankenstein tale.
Shelley Duvall’s whimsy in Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie showcased her depth, satire, talent, and unique acting style, forming a harmonious partnership with Burton. It’s her greatest science fiction performance in movie history.
Which is your favorite performance from Shelley Duvall?
