How tall was Shelley Duvall

Shelley Duvall's Height

5ft 7 (170.2 cm)

American actress best remembered for roles in films such as The Shining, Annie Hall, 3 Women, Brewster's McCloud, Nashville, Popeye, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Time Bandits and Frankenweenie. In 1981 an article mentioned she was once "a mere 106 pounds (now she's up to 126) on her 5-foot-8 frame".

How tall is Shelley Duvall
Shelley & Robin Williams in 1982
Photo Β© ImageCollect.com / Adam Scull-PHOTOlink.net
What they think you look like is really not what you do look like. After 'Popeye,' everyone thought I looked like Olive Oyl. But I had dyed my hair black and lost a lot of weight for that. I'm 5 feet 7 inches barefoot at the doctor's office.

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Add a Comment24 comments

Average Guess (15 Votes)
5ft 7.57in (171.6cm)
6'3.5" Leprechaun said on 24/Nov/24
The Shinning 1980 began filming in April 1978. I like black hair on women though never known it could be dyed. She could be more 5'6". Nicholson would be 5'7" and Robin Williams would be 5'4".
5'10 Dude said on 5/Nov/21
Shelley Duvall's 5'7 claim seems honest. Her proportions make her look very tall. She is tall for a woman, but she's not like super tall. She looks a bit taller than 5'7 Robin Williams in Popeye, but it appears that she had a slight footwear advantage. She's clearly shorter than 5'9Β½ Jack Nicholson in The Shining and he wore thick timberland boots in the film. He definitely didn't tower over her though. The average guess is too high I feel, but I understand that she gives a taller impression.
Alex 6'0 said on 31/Jul/20
I actually thought she was at least 5'9 baaed om the shining lol. A lanky 5'7 can pass taller is prob why
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 7/Jul/20
πŸŽπŸŽˆπŸ’ Happy Birthday Shelley! πŸ’πŸŽˆπŸŽ

A Very Happy Birthday to Shelley Duvall, who celebrates her 71st Birthday today. That means she was only 30 when she starred in 'The Shining'. I saw it in the early Summer of 1980 - three times in a week!

I watched Shelley interviewed about her role as Wendy Torrence and she spoke very eloquently, describing how exhausting her part actually was. She had to keep a bottle of water handy at all times, because carrying a little boy around the way she had to which proved an incredible strain for the slender actress.

⭐ I just read that Shelley went out with singer-songwriter Paul Simon from 1976-78. The appropriately named Paul, meaning 'small', is only 5ft3, so Shelley really did tower over him to the tune of 4-5 inches, but Paul has written some of the most unforgettable songs in the history of popular music, and that takes some beating! πŸ“€πŸŽΆπŸ‘

I found 173cm for Shelley just now, and coupled with the majority of voters, that's the height I've decided to go with, though nowadays, she is highly likely to be 5ft7.

πŸŽπŸŽŠπŸŽˆπŸ’πŸŽπŸŽŠπŸŽˆπŸ’πŸŽπŸŽŠπŸŽˆπŸ’πŸŽπŸŽŠπŸŽˆπŸ’
Nik said on 24/Mar/20
The average guess is surprising considering the fact that she claimed to be 5'7"! I love the name Duvall!
Keith 5'10 said on 23/Mar/20
Under 5'8 but no just 5'7. She was taller than Robin Williams in Popeye
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 24/Aug/19
This is so scary!

"Little pigs, Little pigs, let me come in!" πŸ–πŸ·πŸ–

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!" πŸ πŸ–βŒ

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!" πŸ·πŸ’¨

Weren't some of these children's stories creepy? Were they truly aimed at kiddies? πŸ˜₯ They manage very capably to scare the adults among us off our cinema seats as well as contributing to the artistic side of a film.

Well, I did know that Shelley was tall, but in comparison to Jack Nicholson, I'd say she looked around 5ft6 in 'The Shining'. I wonder, was this due to clever camera angles? How tall was Jack then? Five nine and a half perhaps?

It just goes to show how big and major a part height can contribute to an actor's role in a film.

Shelley can have 5ft8. πŸ˜‰

🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 7/Jul/19
πŸŽ‚πŸŽˆπŸ•―οΈ Happy Birthday Shelley! πŸ•―οΈπŸŽˆπŸŽ‚

On this lovely Sunday, Shelley turns 70 years old. I've noticed that quite a few actors are turning the big 7-0 this year...

Have a thoroughly good one Shelley! 🐚

πŸ’πŸŽπŸŽ‰πŸ°πŸ’πŸŽπŸŽ‰πŸ°πŸ’πŸŽπŸŽ‰πŸ°πŸ’πŸŽπŸŽ‰πŸ°
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 27/Jun/19
That comes as a surprise to me. 5ft8 is taller than I thought she'd be, regardless of her skinny frame of yesteryear.

I heard on a programme that making 'The Shining' exhausted the hell out of poor Shelley, who became so weak that lifting the little boy was a major effort. The fear you see in her eyes is genuine.

5ft8.
Morris said on 7/Jul/17
She seems tall because of slim shape, but in my opinion her height is no more than 160-168cm.
Giorgi said on 21/Nov/16
Hey I'm very surprised. I thought she was about 5'10''
Sam said on 26/Oct/15
She did look taller in 3 Women...that Nelson guy that Arch mentioned did look 6'4" range by her I thought.
jtm said on 5/Oct/15
i just watched the shining again. she was taller than nicholson in some scenes but there are also scenes nicholson is taller and she also had a little heel advantage
Arch Stanton said on 16/Sep/15
Looks 5'7.5 with Bud Cort in Brewster
GP said on 13/Apr/15
She has no connection to Robert Duvall. Her father's name is Robert Duvall, who was an attorney. In the Shining Nicholson defenetely didn't look 4cm taller than her and he wore boots every scene with her, possibly to accommodate a lift.
Drooperdoo said on 6/Apr/15
Shelly Duvall is a good reference point for Jack Nicholson's height. When Oliver Reed and Carol Kane both said that Nicholson was around 5'7'' [in contrast to his publicist height of 5'9''], you realize that they were fairly accurate, given the many times when he's shorter than Shelly Duvall in "The Shining". In most close-up shots, they arrange things to give the impression that he's taller; but, in full body shots, you can clearly tell she has an inch on him.
Arch Stanton said on 2/Nov/14
@Rob Thanks. Well, he looked minimum 8 inches taller than her in the film!
Arch Stanton said on 30/Oct/14
Rob/Sam do you have any idea how tall Craig Richard Nelson is? He makes Shelley look like a 5'2" woman in 3 Women which is bizarre as she's a decent height. I'd guess that he'd have to be 6'5" minimum by the sheer height difference between them!!
Editor Rob
I wouldn't have thought him that big
Arch Stanton said on 30/Oct/14
Rob can you add a photo and films like The Shining, Annie Hall, 3 Women, Brewster's McCloud, Nashville, Popeye, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Time Bandits and Frankenweenie.

I just realised she's Robert Duvall's daughtrer LOL. Can't see it, absolutely zilch resemblance, Duvall's blue eyed, robust built, Shelley is waif, dark and doe eyed!
Arch Stanton said on 25/Nov/13
Rob, she was taller than Scatman Crothers in The Shining who was listed at 5'10.
Arch Stanton said on 25/Nov/13
She looks more like 5'10-11 in the Shining next to Scatman and Jack Nicholson.
Mojo said on 15/Oct/12
I met her once at a tv convention. I always thought she was olive oyl tall, but compared to me (5'4"), she was 5'6" at most. I have a niece who is 5'8" and no way was she that tall.
Mel said on 4/Jul/11
she looked the same height as Jack Nicholson in the Shinning and wasn't wearing heels
shellyfan@! said on 29/Aug/08
She is so thin she give the illusion of being atlest 3 inches taller. I am surprised she is only 5'8

Heights are barefeet estimates, derived from quotations, official websites, agency resumes, in person encounters with actors at conventions and pictures/films.

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