Bernard Sampson Was an Artist When He Became Shelley Duvall’s Husband

Bernard Sampson was an artist when he married actress, producer, and writer Shelley Duvall. The couple married before she became famous, but their marriage did not last.

Shelley Duvall’s marriage to Bernard Sampson was her first and only wedding. Knowing her now ex-husband opened the door to the movie industry even though she had not trained as an actress.

The year they married, she got her first role as Suzanne Davis in “Brewster McCloud” and has starred in other movies and series. However, her last known role was in 2002 when she starred as Detective Dubrinski in “Manna from Heaven.”

In October 2022, it was announced that Duvall would return to the movie screen after a 20-year hiatus from her career. For her comeback, the actress will star in an indie horror-thriller titled “The Forest Hills.”

The actress, known for playing distinct and eccentric characters, will play the role of the mother of a mentally and emotionally disturbed boy, played by Chiko Mendez.

The yet-to-be-released movie is written by Scott Goldberg, who also serves as the movie’s director and co-producer alongside Scott Hansen. Other stars to be featured are Edward Furlong and Dee Wallace.

Photo of Shelley Duvall on June 4, 1986, in Los Angeles | Source: Getty Images

Bernard Sampson Was an Artist

Sampson was an artist when he and Duvall started dating while she was living in Houston. She was a South Texas Junior College student and was always proud of her boyfriend and his work.

He had progressive parents who didn’t mind frequent parties at their home, and the artist and his girlfriend would host parties that even people they did not know would attend.

In 2004, the artist appeared as an editor on “My Night in Town.” This movie is a comedy-drama about Samantha, played by Stacy Ann Wilkins, and her adventures.

Shelley Duvall at the Ninth Annual Cable ACE Awards on January 24, 1988, in Los Angeles | Source: Getty Images

Bernard and Shelley’s Marriage Lasted 4 Years

Duvall and Sampson met in the late 1960s and married in 1970. They met at a benefit held for the astronauts in the Apollo 1 explosion.

For the event, she modeled a bathing suit by the Austrian-born American fashion designer Rudolf “Rudi” Gernreich. They started dating, and she lived with the artist in his parents’ house during the relationship before marriage.

Photo of Shelley Duvall circa 1970, in New York | Source: Getty Images

While they were together, Duvall and Sampson usually had a lot of parties. Their friends and his parents’ friends would attend, and that was how she got into acting as she met the associates of director Robert Altman, which changed her life.

The couple was together for four years before ending their marriage in 1974. At the time of their separation, the actress had starred in three movies and two series. Three years later, they finalized their divorce.

Shelley Duvall Boyfriends after Bernard Sampson

Two years after her relationship with Sampson ended, Shelley Duvall dated American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor Paul Simon and ended their relationship in 1979.

In 1979, she also dated British musician, singer, drummer, songwriter, and actor Ringo Starr. There is very little information about their relationship, but they were together for about two years.

After her breakup with Starr, she dated actor and singer Stanley Wilson for six years, and during that time, they lived together. Her last known relationship was with American singer and musician Dan Gilroy, and they started dating in 1989.

What Is Bernard Sampson Doing Now?

On his Quora page, Sampson’s profile revealed that he had been the Houston Chair for the Communist Party of the United States of America, CPUSA, since 1977. He also answered several questions from users.

He owns a Slot Car Museum in Houston, where he shows off his collection of vintage slot cars. The artist was also a part of a documentary on Duvall.

For the documentary titled “Hello, I’m Shelley Duvall,” he was able to help the filmmaker Xavier Hamel tell the story of the actress’ journey when the team visited him.

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