Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher was the daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. The wry and witty Fisher is best known and remembered for starring in the Star Wars movies where she played Princess Leia. This famous character was one tough cookie. When Luke Skywalker came to Leia’s rescue her reply was, “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” Her character is one of the few leading ladies, early on, who was no damsel in distress.

Before Carrie Fisher became know as ‘Princess Leia’ she starred in a few movies and Broadway shows. At the age of 15, Fisher acted in the Broadway musical Irene where she played a debutante. Carrie also performed, with her  mother, in a Vegas nightclub act. Finally in 1975 Fisher, 17 at the time, appeared in her first movie. In Shampoo she played Lorna, the daughter of a wealthy lady that was having an affair with a hairdresser. Just two years after, Fisher would appear as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope. Fisher was one of dozens considered for the role; one of those ladies was Jodie Foster who was famous at the time for her character in Taxi Driver.  After the massive success of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope in 1977, Carrie Fisher rose overnight into an international movie star. Princess Leia reappeared in all of the following movies in the Star Wars film series. In the more recent films Leia is transformed into a hardened general instead of her past dramatic rebel.

Though her life seemed great after this massive success, Fisher had a few ups and downs in her life. In her younger years, Carrie struggled with a huge drug problem. She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder; she even had names for her two extremes emotions. Pam was what she used to describe her depressed periods and Roy who was present during her manic times. Even with this hurdle, Fisher channeled her disordered into comedic genius such as her novel Postcard From the Edge and one-woman show Wishful Drinking.

In recent years Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, produced a documentary about their relationship, Bright Lights:Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Fisher also gave birth to her only child, Billie Catherine Lourd. Unfortunately, Fisher suffered from a massive heart attack on her flight from London to Los Angeles. She passed away on December 27, 2016 at the age of 60.

Debbie Reynolds

Born Mary Frances Reynolds, Debbie Reynolds, was born in El Paso, Texas on April 1, 1932. She started her show career in beauty pageants where she was later discovered by the Warner Brothers. Reynolds then made her film debut in June Bride in 1948. Then in 1951 she showcased her impressions in Three Little Words.

Debbie Reynolds energy and singing talent lead to her starring in many of the musicals produced in the early and mid-1950’s. Most memorable was her part in the 1955 film Singing in the Rain. At the age of 19 she played Gene Kelly’s love interest in the film. This timeless musical pushed young Reynolds into the limelight.

In the following years she would stretch her acting abilities by starring in a variety of films. From The Rat Race, a comedy, to How the West Was Won, a western, there seemed to be no limit to her acting ability. By 1964, when she landed the lead in The Unsinkable Molly Brown no one was surprised when she nabbed her first Academy Award. The Unsinkable Molly Brown showed the life of the Titanic survivor, Margaret Brown.

By the late 60’s and 70’s Debbie Reynolds would try her hand at the small screen. For a brief period in 1969 she had her own sitcom The Debbie Reynolds Show. She also guest-starred in Alice and The Love Boat and Hotel. In the 1980’s Reynolds returned to Broadway by replacing Lauren Bacall in the stage version Woman of the Year (1983). In 1989 Reynolds went on a national tour  for the stage production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

With the new decade Reynolds moved back towards films. She had a supporting role in Heaven and Earth as well as a cameo in the Bodyguard. That same decade she would land a recurring role in the hit NBC sitcom Will and Grace. She played the mother to the hilarious and never boring Grace Adler.

In the new millennia, Reynolds has appeared in a series of movies that the younger generation is more familiar with. Reynolds played the lovable and witchy grandmother in the Disney movie Halloweentown. Though not one of her larger and more popular films, it does land a special place in many teen’s hearts.

Besides a long and varied acting career Debbie Reynolds gave birth to two children, Carrie and Todd Fisher. Reynolds was also the co-founder of The Thalians and spoke out about the issues and stigmas around mental health. In 2015 she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Sadly, Debbie Reynolds lost her daughter, Carrie Fisher, on December 27, 2016 from a heart attack. The following day she suffered from a stroke. Debbie Reynolds passed away on December 28 at the age of 84. When her son, Todd, spoke of her death he replied “She wanted to be with Carrie”.