• Debbie Reynolds was a Caucasian actress, singer, film historian, businesswoman, humanitarian, and the mother of Carrie Fisher.
• She was born in 1932 in El Paso, Texas and won the Miss Burbank beauty pageant in 1948.
• She had a lengthy acting career from 1948 to 2015 and had 18 awards and 36 nominations.
• She opened her own dance studio in 1979 and released her self-produced exercise video in 198•
• Her vital statistics were 34-23-35, her height was 5ft 2ins (1.57m) and her weight was 112lbs (51kg) with a dress size of 4, shoe size of 6 and bra size of 32B.
Known for movies
Short Info
Date Of Birth
April 1, 1932
Died
December 28, 2016, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United States
Born Marie Frances Reynolds under the sign of Aries on the 1st of April 1932, in El Paso, Texas USA, of Scots-Irish and English descent, Debbie was a Caucasian actress, singer, film historian, businesswoman, humanitarian, and the mother of the world-famous actress Carrie Fisher. She is perhaps best known to the world for her significant presence on both the cinema and TV screens in various prestigious and well-performed roles, such as in “Singin’ in the Rain”, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and “In & Out.” She had a number of other roles during her lengthy and often lucrative acting career from 1948 until 2015. Debbie passed away on the 28th of December 2016 aged 84, just a day after her daughter succumbed following a heart attack.
Early Life and Education
Debbie was raised in her birthplace by her father Raymond Francis ‘Ray’ Reynolds, a Southern Pacific Railroad carpenter, and her mother, Maxine ‘Minnie’ (nee Herman), who did laundry locally so that their family could survive poverty, living in a shack on Magnolia Street in El Paso. Debbie had a two-years-older brother named William. What helped Debbie’s family persist through this part of their lives was the fact that they were devout followers of the Nazarene church. In 1939, when Debbie was only seven years old, her family had saved enough to move to Burbank in California, where she attended Burbank High School, and in 1948 won the Miss Burbank beauty pageant. In spite of her popularity, it was revealed by her high school friend that she didn’t date too much in high school, stating: ‘They never found her attractive in school. She was cute, but sort of tomboyish, and as her family never had any money to speak of, she never dressed well or drove a car. I think during all the years in school, she was invited to only one dance.’ On this subject, Debbie herself stated: ‘When I started, I didn’t even know how to dress. I wore dungarees and a shirt. I had no money, no taste and no training.’
Her Beginning
Upon winning the said beauty pageant, Marie was instantly noticed and contacted by Warner Bros, and soon nicknamed ‘Debbie’ by Jack L. Warner himself. She was actually supposed to go to either MGM or Warner Bros, but the talent scouts that attended the contest agreed on a coin toss, and it ended in favor of Warner Bros. Thus, Debbie stayed there for two years, appearing in various musicals until the movie company stopped producing them.
Career
Although she first hit the screen in 1948 in an uncredited role in “June Bride”, her official debut appearance was as Maureen O’Grady in “The Daughter of Rosie O’Grady.” Her first vocal performance was the song “I Wanna Be Loved by You” in “Three Little Words” in 1950., after which she left Warner Bros and joined MGM, where she would obtain the most significant role of her life, as Kathy Selden in “Singin’ in the Rain” in 1952. Her fame then skyrocketed, and she overnight became a highly sought-after actress, resulting in one of the longest acting careers to date. Over the course of the next ten years, Debbie appeared in 21 films, oftentimes in a major role, then in eight more roles prior to 1970, including her very significant lead role performance in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” Her TV series debut was in “Pat Paulsen’s Half a Comedy Hour”, after which through the early ‘70s she had her own series, entitled “The Debbie Reynolds Show.” She had an eight-year-long break in between 1973 and 1981, but then had over 20 more roles up to 2000, including featuring in “Will & Grace” from 1999 to 2006.
Career Post-2000
Although Debbie was 68 years old in 2000, she still then had more roles than many Hollywood actors. She started out with three in 2000, following by three more in 2001. Additionally, she was a voice actress in “Rugrats” from 2000 to 2002. In between 2003 to 2007, she voiced Nana Possible in “Kim Possible,” then to Mrs. Wilson in “Family Guy” in 2008, and to Granny Squirrel in “The Penguins of Madagascar”, while concurrently starring in a short movie entitled “In the Picture”. After that, she starred in “Behind the Candelabra” in 2013, and her final role was voicing in “The 7D” in 2015, at which point she was 83 years old. She was finally featured with her daughter in a documentary about her life in 2016.
Her Awards
With one of the most impressive acting careers recorded, Debbie Reynolds’ name is behind a total of 18 awards and 36 nominations. It’s important to note that she won all of her Walk of Fame, Screen Actors Guild, Savannah Film Festival, Satellite, Photoplay and Palm Springs International Film Festival awards, which is a total of seven. She was nominated for the Golden Globe award a total of five times, but never won one. That said, she won both of her American Comedy Awards, Costume Designers Guild Awards, Golden Apple Awards, Golden Boot Awards, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Lone Star Film & Television Awards and National Board of Review nominations. In 2016, she was rewarded with an Humanitarian Award by the Academy.
An Entrepreneur
Debbie opened her own dance studio in North Hollywood in 1979, and released her self-produced exercise video entitled “Do It Debbie’s Way!” in 1983. Additionally, she bought the Clarion Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1992, which she later renamed to “The Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel.” However, this turned out to be a poor investment, and the famous actress declared bankruptcy in 1997. She began responding to reader queries for “Globe” magazine, instead of Ivana Trump in 2010.
Love Life
Debbie had three marriages, firstly to singer Eddie Fisher in 1955, which produced Debbie’s first and most famous child, Carrie Fisher in October 1956, and then son Todd Emmanuel Fisher in February 1958. She divorced Eddie in 1959 when she found out he had an affair with Elizabeth Taylor, a scandal at the time which lost Eddie his television show. In 1960, Debbie married millionaire businessman Harry Karl, but his bad habits such as heavy gambling and spending saw Debbie filing for divorce in 1973. In 1984 she married for the third time, to Richard Hamlett – a real-estate developer, but they divorced under unexplained circumstances in 1996, and she never married again.
Her Death
On the 23rd of December 2016, Carrie Fisher suffered a medical emergency on her flight to Los Angeles and was given instant medical attention, after which she was taken into intensive care. However, she didn’t manage to recover, and unfortunately passed away four days later at the age of 60. The next day, news of her death apparently caused Debbie to suffer a severe stroke, at which point she was admitted into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was pronounced dead in the afternoon on that same day at the age of 84, the cause of death being intracerebral hemorrhage with hypertension.
What is Debbie Reynolds’ Net Worth?
Have you ever wondered how rich Debbie Reynolds is, as of mid-2018? According to various authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the current total of Debbie’s accumulated wealth is over $85 million, largely aided by her near-uncountable successes in the entertainment industry, with the greatest contributions coming from her most prominent performances, such as the one in “Singin’ in the Rain.”
Body Measurements
In the 1960s, Debbie Reynolds was considered one of the most attractive actresses alive. Back then, her vital statistics were 34-23-35, her height was 5ft 2ins (1.57m) and her weight was 112lbs (51kg). Additionally, her dress size was 4, her shoe size was 6 and her bra size was 32B, while her body shape was generally considered hourglass, and she had golden hair with bright green eyes.
General Info
Full Name
Debbie Reynolds
Date Of Birth
April 1, 1932
Died
December 28, 2016, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United States
Height
1.57 m
Profession
Actor, Dancer, Singer
Education
John Burroughs High School
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Richard Hamlett, Harry Karl, Eddie Fisher
Children
Carrie Fisher, Todd Fisher
Parents
Maxine Harmon, Raymond Francis Reynolds
Accomplishments
Awards
Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Comedy or Musical, Costume Designers Guild Award for President's Award
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy Series, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Serie...
Movies
Singin' in the Rain, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Tammy and the Bachelor, How the West Was Won, Behind the Candelabra, Charlotte's Web, The Singing Nun, One for the Money, The Tender Trap, These Old Broads, Bundle of Joy, In & Out, Return to Halloweentown, Three Little Words, Goodbye Charlie, Two Wee...
TV Shows
Rugrats, Jennifer Slept Here, Madame's Place, Aloha Paradise, The Debbie Reynolds Show
[on the announcement that daughter Carrie Fisher is in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)] She's very excited about it . . . she's been on a diet ever since, because you know they have to be up to par, so she looks terrific, she's lost 40 pounds.
2
[on Carrie Fisher] People used to call her "Debbie Reynolds' daughter," now they call me "Princess Leia's mother!"
3
I only had radio growing up, so I loved going to the movies. I always had a thing for a fairy-tale ending.
4
[on the death of Tony Curtis] Nobody had a better time than Tony. He loved the ladies. He loved art. He loved this business more than anything. He was a great looking guy, handsome. We were all very close friends when we were young, a long, long time ago. But he had a wonderful life. He had a full life. He was a great, marvellous actor.
5
I do 20 minutes every time the refrigerator door opens and the light comes on.
6
Daddy had got us rooms in a motel until he could find us a house. There were not a lot of places available for a young family on our budget. Daddy went around to dozens of places. Nobody wanted kids. Finally, he found one in the hills south of Glendale. As usual, the landlady asked if he had kids. "Yep,' he replied. "A boy and a girl". "Well, whatta you going to do about them?" she wanted to know, implying that she didn't allow children. "I'm gonna take 'em out and drown them in the Los Angeles River, and come back tomorrow". That was my father--ask a silly question and just wait. She must have had the same sense of humor--we moved in the next day.
7
[asked what her favorite film is] I think one of my favorite films is Dark Victory (1939) with Bette Davis. Why? She was so wonderful in that film. And . . . maybe I just want a good cry once in a while without having to go through a divorce.
8
I stopped making movies because I don't like taking my clothes off. Maybe it's realism but, in my opinion, it's utter filth.
9
Singin' in the Rain (1952) and childbirth were the two hardest things I ever had to do in my life.
Facts
#
Fact
1
Despite being three years apart, both Reynolds and Jane Powell celebrate their own birthdays, every April 1 of each year.
She has English, some Scottish and German, and distant French, ancestry.
8
She reconciled with old nemesis Elizabeth Taylor to work on the made-for-TV movie These Old Broads (2001), written by Debbie's daughter, Carrie Fisher, with Taylor, Shirley MacLaine and Joan Collins. Debbie and Taylor were friends until the late 1950s when Debbie's then-husband, Eddie Fisher, began having an affair with Liz, then left Debbie and married Taylor. When they began working on "These Old Broads" together, Taylor told Debbie, "I owe you a lot". Debbie said, "I just got a lump in my throat when she said that".
9
In the process of relocating her museum to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. A new Hollywood Motion Picture Museum is being constructed there by Debbie and her children Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher. It opened in April 2005. [July 2004]
10
Was a Girl Scout.
11
Friends with Jane Powell; they share the same birthday.
She dedicated the Holland-America Line cruise ship the MS Veendam. [January 1996]
17
In 1964 she went into the hospital business, purchasing Oceanside Hospital in Oceanside, CA, for $1,000,000 with plans to turn it into a profitable business venture.
18
Her father entered her in a beauty pageant once when she was very young. She wore a bathing suit that her mother had mended that morning and a pair of her sister's high heels.
19
Close friends with Hugh O'Brian. Serenaded O'Brien and his bride, Virginia, at their wedding on June 25, 2006.
20
Although she wanted to be in show business, the Reynolds' family church, the Nazarene, forbade acting. However, Reynolds' father saw her talent and gave his support, seeing it as a means of paying her college costs. Her mother then gave her support knowing that there would be no "evil" going on in her movies. She mother knew her daughter had talent, but didn't understand why it was happening to her own daughter.
21
Her first appearance on Will & Grace (1998) was in the episode entitled "The Unsinkable Mommy Adler", a play on the title of the movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). She played both title roles.
22
President of The Thalians, an organization for the treatment of mental health at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. Ruta Lee is the chairman. Both have been actively involved in building this celebrity run organization for over 30 years.
In 1969 she followed Doris Day and some of her contemporaries in launching a sitcom bearing her name. When the debut episode included an advertisement for cigarettes, a direct violation of one of her contractual stipulations, she made such a fuss about it that NBC ended up canceling the series.
25
Is a Majority Member in California.
26
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6654 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 13, 1997.
27
Had planned to go into the education field (teaching physical education) before she won the Miss Burbank contest.
28
Was a member of the International Order of Job's Daughters. Is a past honored Queen of Bethel No. 97, Burbank, California.
29
In one of her guest appearances on Will & Grace (1998), she enters a room humming a bit of "Good Morning", which was a song she sang in her most famous musical, Singin' in the Rain (1952).
30
Made her Broadway debut in 1973 in the revival of "Irene". Although the reviews for the show itself were mixed, hers were all raves and she wound up with a Tony Award nomination the following year for Best Actress in a Musical. The production ultimately ran some 20 months. In 1976, she appeared in a one-woman, short-run (10 days - 14 performances) review named "Debbie!" at the Minskoff Theatre. Her only other Broadway appearance to date came when she succeeded Lauren Bacall in "Woman of the Year" in 1983.
31
Opened the Hollywood Motion Picture Collection near the Kodak Theatre. The collection, which was collected and preserved primarily by Reynolds herself, features over 3,000 costumes including Carmen Miranda's turbans, a pair of Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz (1939), John Wayne's guns and Marilyn Monroe's windswept dress from The Seven Year Itch (1955). [April 2002]
32
At one particularly low point in her career, she confessed to literally living in her car, a Cadillac.
33
Considers herself a "movie-oholic" and has an extensive collection of memorabilia, with over 4,000 costumes from the silent screen period to the 1970s. She has been known to gather posters from her collection of 3,000 and drive to homes of actor pals for autographs. In the 1990s she turned her collection into a Las Vegas movie museum, but had to shut it down in 1997 because of financial problems. Recently she has looked into the possibility of opening up a hall of fame museum in Hollywood near Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
34
In 1975 she sold the Beverly Hills mansion she had lived in with Harry Karl. The house was reputed to be worth over $1,000,000. The buyer was Jim Randall, an industrialist who made aircraft rivets. When he married Marisa Berenson, the wedding was held in the redecorated home and his best man was his friend George Hamilton.
35
She made her first appearance at the Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show on April 6th and 7th, 2002, at Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, California.
Won the 1948 Miss Burbank contest and was offered a screen test by Warner Bros. the day after her win. She initially entered the contest because everyone who entered received a silk scarf, blouse and free lunch.
38
In 1984, with friends like Shelley Winters and Terry Moore, she made a rather restrained exercise video for "women of a certain age".
39
She appeared as Dan's mother, fresh out of the mental ward, during an episode of the sitcom Roseanne (1988). When she later appeared on Roseanne Barr's talk show, she revealed that during the filming of that episode, while she and Roseanne were wrestling in the back yard, Roseanne, quite unknowingly, accidentally broke one of her ribs.
performer: "Singin' in the Rain" 1929, "Aba Daba Honeymoon" 1914, "I Wanna Be Loved by You" 1928, "Hallelujah" 1927 - uncredited
Charlotte's Web
1973
performer: "Chin Up", "We've Got Lots In Common", "Deep In the Dark", "Mother Earth and Father Time"
The 44th Annual Academy Awards
1972
TV Special performer: "The Age of Not Believing"
What's the Matter with Helen?
1971
performer: "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?", "Goody, Goody", "Bye Bye Blackbird"
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
1964
performer: "I AIN'T DOWN YET", "I'LL NEVER SAY NO", "BELLY UP TO THE BAR, BOYS" - uncredited
My Six Loves
1963
performer: "It's a Darn Good Thing"
How the West Was Won
1962
performer: "Home in the Meadow" 1962, "Raise a Ruckus" 1962, "Wait For the Hoedown" 1962 fragment, "What Was Your Name in The States?" 1962
The Gazebo
1959
performer: "Something Called Love"
Say One for Me
1959
performer: "Say One for Me", "You Can't Love 'Em All", "The Girl Most Likely to Succeed", "Chico's Choo Choo"
The Mating Game
1959
performer: "The Mating Game"
The 30th Annual Academy Awards
1958
TV Special performer: "Tammy"
Tammy and the Bachelor
1957
performer: "Tammy"
Hit the Deck
1955
performer: "A Kiss or Two" 1927, "Why, Oh Why?" 1927, "Ciribiribin" 1898, "Join the Navy" 1927, "Loo-Loo" 1927, "Hallelujah" 1927 - uncredited
Athena
1954
performer: "I Never Felt Better"
Give a Girl a Break
1953
performer: "Applause, Applause", "In our United State", "Give a Girl a Break"
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis
1953
performer: "You Can't Do Wrong Doin' Right", "All I Do Is Dream of You", "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" - uncredited
I Love Melvin
1953
performer: "A Lady Loves", "Saturday Afternoon Before the Game", "We Have Never Met, As Yet", "Where Did You Learn To Dance"
Skirts Ahoy!
1952
performer: "Oh, By Jingo" - uncredited
Singin' in the Rain
1952
performer: "All I Do Is Dream of You" 1934, "Good Morning" 1939, "Singin in the Rain in A-Flat" 1929, "You Are My Lucky Star" 1935, "Main Title" uncredited, "Would You? End Title" uncredited
Two Weeks with Love
1950
performer: "Aba Daba Honeymoon", "Row, Row, Row", "That's How I Need You" - uncredited
Three Little Words
1950
performer: "I Wanna Be Loved by You"
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Do It Debbie's Way
1983
Video
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Movie Memories with Debbie Reynolds
1991
TV Series executive producer
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Malibu Beach Vampires
1991
special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996-2002
TV Series
Herself - Guest
Cinerama Adventure
2002
Documentary
Herself
American Masters
2002
TV Series documentary
Herself
Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration
2001
TV Special documentary
Herself
Hollywood Squares
1998-2001
TV Series
Herself
The Making of 'Rugrats in Paris'
2000
Video documentary
Herself
Biography
1995-2000
TV Series documentary
Herself
Keepers of the Frame
1999
Documentary
Herself
The Roseanne Show
1998
TV Series
Herself - Guest
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
1998
Herself (voice)
E! True Hollywood Story
1998
TV Series documentary
Herself
Intimate Portrait
1998
TV Series documentary
Herself
The Daily Show
1996-1997
TV Series
Herself - Guest
The 69th Annual Academy Awards
1997
TV Special
Herself - Presenter: Best Original Musical or Comedy Score
The 11th Annual American Comedy Awards
1997
TV Special
Herself - Winner: Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy
20th Century-Fox: The First 50 Years
1997
TV Movie documentary
Herself
The 54th Annual Golden Globe Awards
1997
TV Special
Herself - Nominated: Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy / Musical
Late Show with David Letterman
1997
TV Series
Herself - Guest
Showbiz Today
1997
TV Series
Herself
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1993-1997
TV Series
Herself - Guest
The Real Las Vegas
1996
TV Series documentary
Herself
Wedding Bell Blues
1996
Herself
Carrie on Hollywood
1995
TV Series documentary
Herself
Carrie Fisher: The Hollywood Family
1995
TV Special
Herself
This Is Your Life
1993-1995
TV Series documentary
Herself
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1995
TV Series
Herself - Guest
That's Entertainment III: Behind the Screen
1994
Video documentary
Herself
That's Entertainment! III
1994
Documentary
Herself - Co-Host / Narrator
Modern Marvels
1994
TV Series documentary
Herself
Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul
1993
Documentary
Herself
Legend to Legend Night: A Celebrity Cavalcade
1993
TV Special
Herself
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
1993
TV Movie
Herself
Vicki!
1993
TV Series
Herself
The 37th Annual Thalians Ball
1992
TV Movie
Herself - Host
One on One with John Tesh
1992
TV Series
Herself - Guest
MGM: When the Lion Roars
1992
TV Mini-Series documentary
Herself
Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II
1991
TV Movie documentary
Herself
Larry King TNT Extra 2
1991
TV Movie
Herself
Bob Hope & Friends: Making New Memories
1991
TV Special
Herself
Movie Memories with Debbie Reynolds
1991
TV Series
Herself - Host (1991)
The 35th Annual Thalians Gala
1990
TV Movie
Herself - Host
Live with Kelly and Michael
1988-1989
TV Series
Herself - Guest
The New Hollywood Squares
1986-1988
TV Series
Herself / Herself - Guest
The 33th Annual Thalians Ball
1988
TV Movie
Herself - Host
The 5th Annual American Cinema Awards
1988
TV Special
Herself
Couples Do It Debbie's Way
1988
Video
Herself
Late Night with David Letterman
1987
TV Series
Herself - Guest
Win, Lose or Draw
1987
TV Series
Herself
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987
TV Special documentary
Herself
The 58th Annual Academy Awards
1986
TV Special
Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Original Score and Best Original Song
Bob Hope's Happy Birthday Homecoming (London Royal Gala)
1985
TV Movie
Herself - Performer
Great Performances
1985
TV Series
Herself
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Gene Kelly
1985
TV Special documentary
Herself
Breakaway
1984
TV Series
Herself - Guest
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1963-1984
TV Series
Herself - Guest / Herself / Herself - Guest Host
Do It Debbie's Way
1983
Video
Herself
The New Battlestars
1982-1983
TV Series
Herself
Hour Magazine
1981-1983
TV Series
Herself
Circus of the Stars #7
1982
TV Special documentary
Herself - Co-Ringmaster
Tom Cottle: Up Close
1982
TV Series
Herself
Broadway Plays Washington on Kennedy Center Tonight
1982
TV Movie
Herself
Women I Love: Beautiful But Funny
1982
TV Movie
Herself
Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters
1981
TV Series
Herself
All-Star Salute to Mother's Day
1981
TV Special
Herself
Tomorrow Coast to Coast
1981
TV Series
Herself
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Fred Astaire