December 30, 2016

On Tuesday, December 27, American actress, author, and screenwriter Carrie Fisher (1956-2016) died at age 60. She had been hospitalized since suffering a cardiac arrest last Friday. Fisher appeared in numerous films, plays, and television shows, but she was best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise. On December 28, the day after Fisher’s death, her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016), also passed away. Reynolds starred in numerous Hollywood films in the 1950′s and 1960′s, including such classic musicals as Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). Reynolds was 84.

Carrie Fisher played Princess Leia, seen here between the characters Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), left, and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), in the popular Star Wars film franchise. Credit: © Lucasfilm Ltd

Fisher was born on Oct. 21, 1956, in Beverly Hills, California. She was the daughter of famous parents, Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. She first appeared on stage in the 1973 musical (alongside her mother) Irene. In 1975, her first film appearance came in the comedy Shampoo.

Fisher’s enduring fame, however, began in 1977 when she first portrayed Princess Leia Organa in the blockbuster film Star Wars. The role, reprised in the sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), raised her to cultural icon status. In 2015, she returned to the role (the princess was now a general) in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film franchise’s millions of fans will see Fisher one last time as Leia in Star Wars: Episode VIII—a working title—scheduled for release in December 2017.

Fisher also had memorable roles in the popular films The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally, and Hannah and Her Sisters. Fisher’s better-known television roles included stints on the comedies “Family Guy,” “Sex and the City,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and, most recently, “Catastrophe.”

Fisher was known for her writing too, working on dozens of Hollywood scripts and penning the semi-autobiographical novel Postcards from the Edge (1987) and the one-person play, Wishful Drinking (2006). These works describe life growing up in a famous Hollywood family and the oddness of the entertainment industry, as well as her personal battles with depression, drug addiction, and bipolar disorder. Fisher released a memoir, The Princess Diarist, in November 2016.

Debbie Reynolds starred with Frank Sinatra in the 1955 musical The Tender Trap. Credit: © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Mary Frances (Debbie) Reynolds was born on April 1, 1932, in El Paso, Texas. She signed a movie contract after winning a beauty contest in 1948. During the 1950′s, she was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, appearing in such films as Three Little Words (1950), Skirts Ahoy (1952), The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Hit the Deck (1955), The Tender Trap (1955), The Catered Affair (1956), Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), and This Happy Feeling (1958). Her major films of the 1960′s include The Pleasure of His Company (1961), Goodbye Charlie (1964), The Singing Nun (1966), and Divorce American Style (1967). In addition to singing in musicals, Reynolds recorded several songs, including the hits “Abba Daba Honeymoon” (1951), from the film Two Weeks with Love, and “Tammy,” the theme song from Tammy and the Bachelor. In 2013, she acted in the HBO cable television movie Behind the Candelabra (2013).

Reynolds married singer Eddie Fisher in 1955. Their daughter, Carrie Fisher, became a well-known actress and author. Their son, Todd Fisher, is a television director. In 1959, Fisher left Reynolds for actress Elizabeth Taylor, which made national headlines.

With her film career in decline, Reynolds turned to the stage in the 1970′s. She made her Broadway debut (with her daughter, Carrie) in the 1973 musical  Irene. She also toured as the singing and dancing star of a revue. In 1993, Reynolds opened the Debbie Reynolds Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. She performed there until it closed in 1997. She wrote an autobiography, Debbie: My Life (1989), and two memoirs, Unsinkable (with Dorian Hannaway, 2013) and Make ‘Em Laugh: Short-Term Memories of Longtime Friends (also with Hannaway, 2015).