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| Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars, released in May, 1977. |
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| Carrie Fisher Memorial Plaque |
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Forecourt Ceremony held on Thursday, May 24, 2018 |
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Born: October 21, 1956, in Burbank, California
Died: December 27, 2016, in Los Angeles, California, age 60 |
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Carrie Fisher was one of the most compelling figures of her generation. Star of the vastly popular Star Wars films, and daughter of Hollywood star Debbie Reynolds, Fisher was not only a gifted performer, but was a successful writer of books and scripts.
Born to actor Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, Carrie was Russian-Jewish on her father's side and Scots-Irish on her mother's. Her parents divorced when she was only two years old. Carrie grew up living sometimes with her father and his new wife Connie Frances, and sometimes with her mother Debbie, who had re-married Harry Karl, owner of a chain of shoe stores.
For her love of books, Carrie was known as "The Bookworm" in school. At 11, she played a Girl Scout in her mom's television special Debbie Reynolds and the Sound of Children aired over NBC in November 1969. Carrie attended Beverly Hills High, but dropped out to make her Broadway debut playing a debutante in a revival of the musical Irene with Debbie Reynolds in the title role, for 594 performances from March 1973 to September 1974.
Fisher briefly attended Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers New York, but dropped out, making her memorable film debut as Lee Grant's daughter in Shampoo (released in March 1975) with Warren Beatty. She auditioned for, and got the role of Princess Leia Organa in George Lucas' space fantasy Star Wars (which played the Chinese in May 1977) with Mark Hamill. The film became such a runaway success that Carrie Fisher was now known all around the world.
After filming a sequel to Star Wars, Fisher starred in the musical Censored Scenes from King Kong with Stephen Collins, on Broadway in March 1980, but it closed after only 15 perfs. What is widely regarded as the best of all the Star Wars films, Star Wars: The Empire Stikes Back (released in June 1980) with Harrison Ford, became another world-wide smash.
With the next Star Wars film in the can, Fisher headed to Broadway, replacing Amanda Plummer in Agnes of God, with Geraldine Page as Mother Miriam Ruth, from January to April 1983. When Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (released in May 1983) came out, it was touted as the finalé to the Star Wars films; Rolling Stone headlined their story on the film "Star Wars Goes on Vacation." Maybe.
Looking for life beyond Star Wars, she appeared in Sidney Lumet's comedy Garbo Talks (released in October 1984) with Anne Bancroft, and took a part in Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters (released in March 1986) with Mia Farrow.
In August 1987, Fisher's autobiographical novel Postcards from the Edge was published to considerable acclaim. Next month, a sci-fi movie she shot in Australia, Amazon Women on the Moon (released in September 1987) with Steve Guttenberg, came out, followed by The Time Guardian (released in December 1987) with Dean Stockwell.
Fisher played Tom Hanks's wife in the comedy The 'Burbs (released in February 1989). She had a large supporting role in When Harry Met Sally (released in July 1989) with Billy Crystal.
In August 1990, Fisher's second novel, Surrender the Pink, was published. She wrote the script for the film version of Postcards from the Edge (released in September 1990) with Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine, and joined the ensemble cast of Soapdish (which played the Chinese in May 1991) with Sally Field. In late 1993, Fisher's third novel, Delusions of Grandma was published.
Fisher had been asked to do many walk-ons and bit parts. She did one for director Wes Craven in Scream 3 (released in February 2000) with Neve Campbell. Fisher co-wrote the script and was co-executive producer on the television movie These Old Broads with Shirley MacLaine, Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor, aired over ABC in February 2001. She took a role in the crime film Wonderland (released in October 2003) with Val Kilmer.
In January 2004, Fisher's fourth novel, a sequel to Postcards from the Edge, The Best Awful There Is was published. Working with director Joshua Ravetch, Fisher developed a one-woman show about her strange existence, Wishful Drinking, which opened at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood California in 2006. The pair turned the play into a book, published in December 2008, and transfered the play to Broadway, where it played for 118 perfs from October 2009 to January 2010. The show was recorded, airing over HBO in December 2010.
Fisher guested as Elizabeth Perkins' attorney in an episode of Weeds in August 2007, and was seen in the young-men-trying-to-get-laid comedy Cougar Club (released in November 2007) with Jason Jurman. Star Wars fan Tina Fey had Fisher play a fictional version of herself in an episode of 30 Rock aired over NBC in October 2007. In the re-make of The Women (released in September 2008) with Meg Ryan, Fisher took over a role as a gossip columnist, played in the 1939 version by Hedda Hopper.
Fisher sat out the Star Wars "prequel" trilogy of films, but agreed to play General Leia once more in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (which played the Chinese in December 2015) with Daisy Ridley. The film brought in over $2 billion.
Carrie Fisher's relationship with mother Debbie Reynolds was examined in the documentary Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016).
On a flight from London to Los Angeles in December 2016, Fisher stopped breathing; fellow passengers performed CPR on her. When the plane landed minutes later, she was rushed to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where she passed away six days later of cardiac arrest. She was 60. The very next day, her mother, Debbie Reynolds, passed away at the age of 84.
Projects released after Fisher's death include the last of her guest slots as Mia on Catastrophe aired over Amazon Prime in April 2017, and her final Star Wars film Star Wars: The Last Jedi (which played the Chinese in December 2017).
Carrie Fisher wrote extensively about her life, including the books Shockaholic in 2011 and The Princess Diaries in 2016. Her recording of Diaries won a postumous Grammy Award in 2018. The documentary Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, aired over HBO in January 2017. |
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| TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®, Hollywood, California. Carrie Fisher Memorial Plaque. Executed by Unknown. Thursday, May 24, 2018. 24 x 20 inches. |
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| TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®, Hollywood, California. Carrie Fisher Memorial Plaque ceremony. Thursday, May 24, 2018. Unvieling the plaque is Carrie Fisher's brother Todd and his wife, Catherine Hickland. |
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