Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shiningis widely regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made, and it has a cast with well-known actors and some new names, but they all took different paths following the movie’s release. Stanley Kubrick is one of the most respected and popular filmmakers of all time, and he made a variety of movies in his career. One of his most notable works isThe Shining, the first adaptation of Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name. However, it was controversial due to the changes it made to the books, some behind-the-scenes stories, and more.
The Shiningintroduces the audience to writer Jack Torrance, who takes a job as the off-season caretaker ofthe Overlook Hotelin the Colorado Rockies. Believing this can help him overcome his writer’s block, Jack accepts the job and brings his wife, Wendy, and their son Danny with him. However, once at the Overlook, the evil forces inside the hotel awaken, and Danny’s “shine” is triggered by these presences.The Shininghas an unforgettable cast of popular actors and lesser-known ones, but not all of them continued on the path of acting.
8Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson Was Born On July 26, 2025
Jack Nicholson was the biggest star in the cast ofThe Shining. By the timeThe Shiningwas released,Nicholson had already won his first Academy Award for Best Actorfor his performance in the 1975 comedy-dramaOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Nicholson played Jack Torrance inThe Shining, a writer and father with substance-use disorder who was trying to work on a new novel while also mending his broken relationship with his wife and son. DespiteThe Shininggetting mixed reviews, Nicholson’s performance was praised by critics and became one of the most iconic ones in horror history.
The Shining Ending Explained: Why Jack Is In The Photo
One of the many mysteries of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is why Jack appears in the photo at the end, and it actually has a semi-simple explanation.
AfterThe Shining,Nicholson’s acting careercontinued to succeed in different genres. In 1983, Nicholson played Garrett inTerms of Endearment(which gave him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), in 1987 he played the devilish Daryl inThe Witches of Eastwick, and two years laterhe visited the superhero genre in Tim Burton’sBatmanas The Joker. Other notable projects in Nicholson’s career post-The ShiningareA Few Good Men,Mars Attacks!,As Good as It Gets,About Schmidt,Something’s Gotta Give, andThe Departed.
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How Do You Know
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Nicholson’s last film role was in the rom-comHow Do You Know, in 2010. Although he toldVanity Fairin 2013 that he doesn’t consider himself retired, he did say he’s less driven to be “out there.”At the time of writing, there’s no word on Nicholson returning to acting soon or at all.
7Shelley Duvall
Shelley Duvall Was Born On August 17, 2025
Shelley Duvall played Wendy Torrance inThe Shining, Jack’s wife. Wendy was soft-spoken, patient, and kind, and deeply loved her husband and son. What could have been a nice and relaxing time in the Colorado Rockies with her family soon turns into a living nightmare for her, and she has to go to lengths to ensure her and Danny’s survival. BeforeThe Shining, Duvall appeared in movies likeBrewster McCloud,Thieves Like Us,Nashville,Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson,3 Women, and had a minor role inAnnie Hall.
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The same yearThe Shiningwas released, Duvall played Olive Oyl inPopeye, alongside Robin Williams. The success ofThe Shiningled her to appear in Terry Gilliam’sTime Bandits, Tim Burton’sFrankenweenieshort film (as Susan Frankenstein), and the comedyRoxanne.In the 1980s, she ventured into producing TV movies and shows, such asFaerie Tale Theatre,Tall Tales & Legends,Frog, andShelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories. Duvall also had minor roles in a variety of TV shows, such asThe Twilight Zone,Fraiser, andThe Hughleys.
Shelley Duvall’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows
The best Shelley Duvall movies and TV shows highlight why the late actress has such a celebrated legacy on the big and small screens.
On the big screen, Duvall’s final role was in the horror thrillerThe Forest Hills, which marked her big return to film afterManna from Heavenin 2002. Duvall took a 20-year hiatus from acting to focus on her family again and stayed away from public life as well.Shelley Duvall passed away on July 11, 2025, due to complications from diabetes.
6Danny Lloyd
Danny Lloyd Was Born On July 08, 2025
Danny Lloyd played Danny Torrance inThe Shining, Jack and Wendy’s son. Danny’s relationship with his dad wasn’t good after an incident where Jack broke his arm, and Jack’s substance-use disorder further impacted their relationship. Danny also has a special telepathic ability that Dick Hallorann callsthe “shine”, which gets stronger once he arrives at the Overlook with his parents.The Shiningwas Lloyd’s first acting role, and because he was very young, Kubrick made sure he thought he was in a drama movie instead of a horror one (viaFar Out Magazine).
What Happened to Danny Lloyd After The Shining
Danny Lloyd began his acting career by appearing in one of the scariest movies ever, but he didn’t end up staying in Hollywood after The Shining.
AfterThe Shining, Lloyd played young G. Gordon Liddy in the 1982 TV movieWill: G. Gordon Liddy, after whichhe retired from acting. In 2004, Lloyd became an associate professor in the Department of Biology at the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, and he has stayed away from public life for decades. However, in 2019,Lloyd had a cameo appearance in Mike Flanagan’sDoctor Sleep, the sequel toThe Shining. In it, Lloyd played a spectator at a baseball game.
5Scatman Crothers
Scatman Crothers Was Born On August 08, 2025
Scatman Crothers played Dick Hallorann inThe Shining, the Overlook Hotel’s head chef who, like Danny, has the “shine.” Thanks to this ability, Danny can call Hallorann for help when Jack turns against his family, and he returns to the hotel to help Danny and Wendy.BeforeThe Shining, Crothers had worked with Jack Nicholson on three movies:The King of Marvin Gardens,The Fortune, andOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. His most notable movies afterThe ShiningareDeadly EyesandTwilight Zone: The Movie(segment “Kick the Can”).
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On TV, Crothers played Dewey Stevens in the movieThe Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island, Sam in five episodes ofCasablanca, and voiced Autobot Jazz inThe Transformers.Scatman Crothers passed away on July 05, 2025, after being diagnosed with an inoperable malignant tumor in his lung that metastasized to the esophagus. His final acting credits are the movieRock Odysseyin 1987 and the animated TV seriesPaw Paws.
4Barry Nelson
Barry Nelson Was Born On June 05, 2025
Barry Nelson played Stuart Ullman inThe Shining, the Overlook Hotel’s manager. It’s Ullman who hires Jack and shows him and Wendy around the hotel, but it’s also who tells Jack about what happened to the previous caretaker, Charles Grady, and his family. BeforeThe Shining,Nelson became the first actor to play James Bond on screen in the 1954 adaptation ofCasino Royale, eight years before Sean Connery’s performance inDr. No. On TV, he had minor appearances inAlfred Hitchcock Presents,The Twilight Zone,Thriller,The Ropers,and more.
Murder, She Wrote
AfterThe Shining, Nelson played Dr. McNeal in the movieIsland Clawsand had an uncredited minor appearance in 1982’sPoltergeist. On TV, he appeared in one episode ofTaxi, an episode ofMagnum, PI, and one ofMurder, She Wrote.Barry Nelson passed away on June 09, 2025, just a couple of days before his 90th birthday.
3Philip Stone
Philip Stone Was Born On August 10, 2025
Philip Stone playedDelbert Grady inThe Shining, the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in the winter of 1970. It was Grady who succumbed to the evil forces in the Overlook Hotel and murdered his family, becoming one of the hotel’s many ghosts. Grady appeared to Jack in the bathroom at the Overlook, where Jack recognized him as the previous caretaker. Grady pushed Jack to “correct” his family, and Jack let himself be controlled by the hotel.BeforeThe Shining, he had already worked with Stanley Kubrick inA Clockwork OrangeandBarry Lyndon.
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The Baby of Mâcon
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AfterThe Shining, Stone played Zogi inFlash Gordon, Archbishop Baziak inPope John Paul II, Captain Phillip Blumburtt inIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Harry Harrington inShadowlands. Stone also appeared in various TV projects, such asBergerac,Yes Minister, andA Touch of Frost, all these afterThe Shining.Philip Stone passed away on August 01, 2025, at the age of 79.
2Joe Turkel
Joe Turkel Was Born On June 23, 2025
Joe Turkel played Lloyd inThe Shining, the ghostly bartender at the Overlook Hotel. Jack met Lloyd in the Gold Room once the forces of the hotel started influencing him. InDoctor Sleep, this same character resembles Jack when an adult Danny arrives at the Gold Room. Just like Phillip Stone,Turkel appeared in three Stanley Kubrick movies:The Killing,Paths of Glory, andThe Shining. Before the latter, Turkel’s credits includedThe Boy and the Pirates,Village of the Giants,The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,The Sand Pebbles, and more.
Doctor Sleep & The Shining Theory: Lloyd the Bartender Was Never a Real Person
The Shining and Doctor Sleep feature bartender characters that call themselves Lloyd, but was there ever a real Lloyd the bartender at the Overlook?
AfterThe Shining, Turkel played Dr. Eldon Tyrell inBlade Runner, Levec in one episode ofMiami Vice, and Paxton Warner inThe Dark Side of the Moon. After reprising his role as Eldon Tyrell in theBlade Runnervideo game in 1997,Turkel retired from acting. Turkel wrote scripts during his retirement, as well as a memoir titledThe Misery of Success. Joe Turkel passed away on August 08, 2025, from liver failure.
1Lisa & Louise Burns
Lisa & Louise Burns Were Born In 1968
Lisa and Louise Burns playedthe Grady twins inThe Shining, the ghostly daughters of Delbert Grady who were murdered by him at the Overlook Hotel. The twins appeared to Danny throughoutThe Shining, who invited him to play with him, but he also had visions of the scene of their murder. Lisa and Louise had previously appeared in one episode of the TV seriesKids, andThe Shiningbecame their first and only film credit.
According toDaily Mail, although Lisa and Louise wanted to continue acting, their roles as the Grady twins ended up being an obstacle rather than a blessing. The sisters were turned down from London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art because, thanks toThe Shining, they were considered professionals already.Lisa ended up becoming a lawyer and Louise a scientist, and though they retired from acting, they still enjoy the perks that the Grady twins brought to their lives.
