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: Richard Hamlett (May 25, 1984-May 1996, divorced); Harry Karl (November 25, 1960-1973, divorced); Eddie Fisher (September 26, 1955-May 1959, 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.
Had been known to say, “Yes, I’m Princess Leia’s mother” when referring to her daughter, actress and author Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars movie franchise.
She was active withthe Thalians,a group of entertainment professionals who support mental healthcare issues. She served as president emeritus.
She was former Girl Scout and supported scouting.
Nominated for an Academy Award and received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2015.
Nominated for one Primetime Emmy Award.
Nominated for a Daytime Emmy and nominated for 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.”
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.
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 in Las Vegas 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 Awardfor 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.
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 published.
2015 – Receives the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and receives the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from 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.
