Judith Sheldon, daughter of the legendary Hollywood director William Wyler, was found dead along with her husband Wylie Sheldon in a parked and still-running car on the side of Interstate 5, north of Redding, California, on Monday, June 15.
According to media reports, the couple, longtime patrons of San Francisco’s film and arts scenes, were driving to Ashland, Oregon, to attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The 84-year-old Judith and 86-year-old Wylie, a prominent lawyer, had failed to meet up with friends at the festival, as planned. The friends, according to The New York Times, later learned that the California Highway Patrol had found the couple at 5:46 p.m. Monday inside the parked Jeep Compass, with Judith in the driver seat and Wylie on the passanger side. Both were deceased.
The Shasta County (California) Sheriff’s Office indicated to The New York Times that extreme heat conditions might have contributed to the couple’s deaths. A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office tells Deadline that postmortem examinations are in the process of being scheduled.
News reports indicate that the Jeep’s fan was on high but the air conditioning was not working, indicating that the fan might have been blowing hot air. No water or other liquids were found in the vehicle.
Investigators do not suspect foul play, and the vehicle, which had plenty of gas, showed no signs of mechanical failure.
One of the friends who had been waiting for the couple in Oregon told The Times, “They didn’t crash. They stopped. They both just died there. The entire thing is so bizarre. We’re still in a state of shock.”
The couple, residents of San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood, were well known in the city’s arts communities: Judith was a chairman of the board of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, and were patrons of the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Performances.
Born May 21, 1942, in Los Angeles, Judith, credited as Judy Wyler, appeared in at least two of her famous father’s most celebrated films: In 1946 she appeared in an uncredited role in a department store scene of The Best Years Of Our Lives, and in 1953 she appeared, again uncredited, in Roman Holiday. (In that film, she and her sister Catherine play schoolgirls at the Trevi Fountain, where the character played by star Gregory Peck steals their camera.)
Judith had other acting roles as a young adult, appearing in such TV shows as The Buccaneers and The Errol Flynn Theatre.
While her mother, actor Margaret Tallichet, starred in the 1940 noir film Stranger on the Third Floor and the 1941 comedy It Started With Eve, it was Judith’s father who secured the family’s place as Hollywood royalty. Universally considered one of Hollywood’s all-time great directors, the three-time Oscar winner William Wyler directed such classics Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Ben-Hur (1959), Dodsworth (1936), Wuthering Heights (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), The Heiress (1949), Roman Holiday (1953) Friendly Persuasion (1956) and Funny Girl (1968), among many others. He died in 1981.
The Sheldons had two sons, but complete information on survivors was not immediately available.

Anne Hathaway is pregnant with her third child, a representative for the actress confirmed to ABC News on Friday.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” star, 43, revealed the news Friday morning in a video posted on her Instagram.
In the video, Hathaway steps into frame wearing a long, flowy white skirt set with her arms folded across her midsection before dropping them to the side to reveal her pregnancy with a smile.
“Baby, I’m yours,” Hathaway wrote in the caption of the video, set to the 1965 song of the same name by Barbara Lewis.
Hathaway’s Instagram post amassed more than 800,000 likes in just over 30 minutes, and the comments section was immediately flooded with congratulatory messages and well-wishes from friends and fans alike.
Hathaway has two other children with husband Adam Shulman — sons Jonathan Shulman, 10, and Jack Shulman, 6.
Hathaway and Shulman have been married since 2012.

After months of speculation about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding, reports suggest that their plans have been canceled.
According to a June 18 report from TMZ, the power couple originally planned to exchange vows in Rhode Island on Saturday, June 13. However, they reportedly switched gears after news of the venue leaked: “We’re told the couple bailed after word got out about the venue.”
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Early reports indicated that Swift and Kelce were set to tie the knot at the Ocean House resort, a five-star hotel near Taylor’s Rhode Island home, known as “High Watch.” But due to the leaks, the singer and Kansas City Chiefs player are now reportedly planning to host their wedding at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden on Friday, July 3.
But what about the actual ceremony? “It’s looking increasingly likely the nuptials will not take place at the Garden, but somewhere more intimate,” TMZ claimed.
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This follows a report from Star, which claimed the ongoing changes in “venues and dates” have proven to be a “monstrous headache” for Swift and Kelce. The couple is even now requiring all guests—including close family and friends—to sign strict, iron-clad NDAs.
It’s understandable that this condition extends to relatives, seeing as insiders previously told the Daily Mail that Swift has kept details about the “really, really, big” wedding from her future father-in-law, Ed Kelce, because he “can’t be trusted” to keep a secret.
“He’s sort of like a loose cannon,” one source explained. “Nobody knows what he’s going to say, so it’s kind of a controversial situation.”
The insider then pointed out that Ed “already gave out a lot of information about the engagement,” including when, where, and how his famous athlete son proposed to Swift.
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Benson Boone and Alix Earle are sparking romance rumors after the two were spotted leaving an apparent dinner date.
The pair appeared comfortable in each other’s company as they left Craig’s in West Hollywood Thursday night and headed to Benson’s car. Benson even opened the passenger-side door for Alix before the two drove off together.
Our photog caught up with them outside and asked Benson point-blank if he and Alix are dating … and we’ll let you interpret his response.
Alix stayed mum when asked whether she would be Benson’s plus one to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding celebration at Madison Square Garden on July 3 in New York City. As we first reported … Benson is expected to attend.
We broke the story … Benson personally tapped Alix to appear in his latest music video for his new song, “The Time of My Life,” where we’re told she’ll play a significant role.
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Folks who were dining at Craig’s tell TMZ … the two sat close together in a booth in the main dining room. We’re told they were overheard discussing how difficult dating can be these days.
Benson and Alix have been friendly since meeting at last year’s American Music Awards, and fans recently noticed Benson featuring a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue starring Alix in one of his TikToks.

Jen Affleck’s family’s getting a little bigger, and her belly is too … she’s pregnant with her fourth child!
The ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ star announced the news in a series of photos she shared to social media Thursday … and the snaps have a vintage, classic look to them.
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Jen’s wearing a flowing white dress in the shots and holding her baby bump … absolutely glowing as she flashes a flawless grin to the camera.
She captioned her post, “Chapter Four. 🤍”
Jen and her husband Zac have been busy building their family over the last few years … they also share a daughter, Nora, who turns 5 in the fall and a son Lucas who will turn 3 next month. In July 2025, they announced the birth of their youngest, Penelope.
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Fans have been speculating online in recent months that the two were going through marital issues … especially after Jen posted a tearful TikTok in which she talked about her “next chapter” and wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.