Here is a look at the life of actress Debbie Reynolds.
Personal:
Birth date: April 1, 1932
Death date: December 28, 2016
Birth place: El Paso, Texas
Birth name: Mary Frances Reynolds
Father: Raymond Francis Reynolds, a railroad carpenter
Mother: Maxene Reynolds
Marriages: Eddie Fisher (September 26, 1955-May 1959, divorced); Harry Karl (November 25, 1960-1973, divorced); Richard Hamlett (May 25, 1984-May 1996, divorced)
Children: with Eddie Fisher: Todd, February 24, 1958; Carrie, October 21, 1956-December 27, 2016
Other Facts:
Warner Bros. talent executive William Orr was responsible for changing her first name from Frannie to Debbie.
Has been known to say, “Yes, I’m Princess Leia’s mother” when referring to her daughter, actress and author Carrie Fisher, who played the character in the Star Wars movie universe.
Since the 1950s, she has been involved with The Thalians, a group of entertainment professionals who support mental healthcare issues. She serves as president emeritus.
She is a proud former Girl Scout and has always supported scouting.
Has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award.
Timeline:
1948 – At the age of 16, she is crowned Miss Burbank, California. Talent scouts are in the audience, and this exposure leads to a film contract with Warner Bros. Her first movie role is uncredited, in “June Bride.”
1950 – Is let go from Warner Bros and placed under long-term contract by MGM.
1952 – Stars in “Singin’ in the Rain” as a singer and a dancer. When the movie started production, Reynolds didn’t know how to dance; she was taught by choreographer and lead Gene Kelly.
1957 – Reynolds and husband Eddie Fisher are bridesmaid and best man at the wedding of their good friends, Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd. After Todd’s death in 1958, Fisher and Taylor begin an affair which leads the breakup of his marriage to Reynolds and a subsequent marriage to Taylor in 1959.
April 5, 1965 – Is nominated for a Academy Award for Best Actress for the 1964 film, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”
1969-1970 – “The Debbie Reynolds Show” airs on NBC.
1970 – Buys much of MGM’s memorabilia at auction and in 1972, forms the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum, a non-profit corporation that collects props and costumes as other studios sold them off.
1974 – Is nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the play, “Irene.”
1993 – Opens the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino with her real estate developer husband Richard Hamlett, to showcase some of her memorabilia.
1995 – Opens the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum in Las Vegas.
July 7, 1997 – Files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a deal to sell the hotel falls through.
2000 – Is nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series for “Will & Grace,” and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Special for “A Gift of Love: The Daniel Huffman Story.”
June 12, 2009 – Her motion picture and television museum files for bankruptcy after funding collapses.
June 18, 2011 – The first of three planned auctions for the museum’s movie memorabilia collection is held.
December 2, 2011 – “Debbie Reynolds-The Auction Part II” is held.
January 22, 2012 – Reynolds tells the Los Angeles Times she doesn’t want to have any more auctions.
May 17-18, 2014 – Reynolds holds the final auction for her collection of Hollywood memorabilia. “Debbie Reynolds-The Auction Finale” includes famed pieces like Vivien Leigh’s “Scarlett O’Hara” black chiffon hat and three outfits worn by Joanne Woodward in “The Three Faces of Eve.”
April 2013 – Reynolds’ memoir “Unsinkable” is released.
2015 – Receives the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.
2016 – Is awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
December 28, 2016 – Reynolds is rushed to the hospital and dies one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher passed away.