Born Oct. 21, 1956 in Beverly Hills, CA to “America’s Sweethearts” of the era, actress Debbie Reynolds and crooner Eddie Fisher, the future star was Hollywood royalty long before she donned the infamous slave girl outfit years later. When Fisher was two years old and her brother Todd an infant, her father left her mother for a recently widowed Elizabeth Taylor – culminating in the biggest Hollywood love triangle dustup of the 1950s. Raised by her single mother under intense public scrutiny, Fisher decided to join the family business, as she knew no other reality. At age 12, she joined her mother’s Vegas nightclub act and appeared in the chorus of Reynolds’s award-winning Broadway revival of “Irene” at age 15. A year later, she dropped out of Beverly Hills High School to focus on her newfound acting career, enrolling in London’s Central School of Speech and Drama. She made her film debut in the seventies’ staple, “Shampoo,” (1975) starring as a teenage nymphet who utters a memorably enticing and profane line of dialogue to star and real-life family friend, Warren Beatty.Two years later, Fisher auditioned opposite a young carpenter-turned-actor named Harrison Ford for a part in an intergalactic fantasy movie, written and directed by up-and-coming filmmaker Lucas. Despite her slight teen chubbiness at the time, Fisher nailed the part of the “staggeringly beautiful” rebel leader. Lucas would later say that despite her diminutive height (5’ 1”), she had all the poise and feistiness that the part required and it were these traits which helped the pretty brunette win the role. Filming for Fisher was done primarily in England at Elstree Studios. It was such a harsh shoot that Fisher, Ford (Han Solo) and the film’s lead, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), grew into a tightly knit threesome, weathering the storm of budget worries, an unseasoned director, a cantankerous British crew, and the anxiety of acting against blue screens or opposite costumed creatures. But somehow the magic happened. In May of 1977, “Star Wars” premiered and became not only the biggest moneymaker of the year and the highest grossing film of all time until “E.T.” knocked it off its perch five years later, it became a certifiable pop culture phenomenon. Fisher, Ford and Hamill became overnight stars, with their likenesses plastered on everything from bed sheets to bubble bath. The film and its merchandising goldmine made untold millions of dollars for everyone involved in the epic trilogy – especially after the generous Lucas cut his stars in on percentage points of the film’s haul. Fisher revisited Princess Leia twice in the sequels “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983) – both huge box office successes. The former film allowed Fisher to explore her regal, guarded character more deeply as she falls in love with and loses Han Solo; the latter film granted every young boy’s wish when Lucas had Fisher chained to a giant space slug in nothing more than a metal bikini which left little to the imagination – something the actress would give Lucas playful grief over for years after.
At the height of her Leia stardom, Fisher hosted a 1978 episode of “Saturday Night Live” and hit it off with several of the “Not Re6ady for Prime Time Players” – most notably, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd (to whom she was briefly engaged in 1980). So began Fisher’s descent into serious drug addiction, which would later inform her writings and overall survivor persona. In between her galactic exploits on screen and her drug-fueled exploits off screen, Fisher tried to forge an independent screen identity apart from Leia, appearing as Belushi’s jilted fiancée in “The Blues Brothers” (1980) and Chevy Chase’ love interest in the misbegotten comedy “Under the Rainbow” (1981). Neither role did much to advance her career. She was in fact, still famous for who she was – famous daughter; famous princess and finally, famous girlfriend. After dating singer Paul Simon on and off for several years, she married the music legend on Aug. 16, 1983 to much hullabaloo in the press, which had followed the couple’s every move for years. Unfortunately, the dating period lasted longer than the actual marriage, with Fisher’s growing drug dependency later cited as the main reason the union lasted only 8 months.After performing on Broadway in “Agnes of God” (1983), Fisher returned to the big screen. Unlike her former co-star Harrison Ford, Fisher never escaped her Leia legacy, taking supporting parts in such films as “Garbo Talks” (1984), “The Man with One Red Shoe” (1985), “Hannah and her Sisters” (1986), “Amazon Women on the Moon” (1987), “The Burbs” (1989) and “Soapdish” (1991).
Despite losing close friend Belushi to a heroin and cocaine overdose in 1982, Fisher continued to abuse a medicine cabinet of drugs – including Percodan, cocaine and others. By the mid-1980s, she overdosed and was rushed to the hospital. Using her life-altering experience, she penned her first novel, Postcards from the Edge(1987) – a sardonic roman a’ clef detailing fictional actress Suzanne Vale’s battles with drugs, Hollywood high life and mom. A new career was born as Fisher became an overnight literary star, shooting up The New York Times bestseller list and winning the Los Angeles Pen Award for Best First Novel. Two years later, Fisher adapted the screenplay for the 1990 Mike Nichols film of the same name, starring Meryl Streep as the Fisheresque Vale and Shirley MacLaine as her domineering movie star mother. For her freshman effort, she garnered a BAFTA nomination for Best Screenplay Adaptation in 1991.
In 1990, Fisher began dating Hollywood uber-agent, Bryan Lourd. The two had a daughter, Billie, in 1993. Fisher returned to the tabloid headlines when, after several years of dating, Lourd confessed his homosexuality to Fisher and left her for a man. The press had a field day, but the two shared custody and remained close for their daughter’s benefit. However, this betrayal of trust and public embarrassment caused fissures in her already fragile mental state – a problem which would manifest itself soon enough.
Although Fisher found herself a critical favorite with her performance as Meg Ryan’s sarcastic best friend in the romantic comedy hit “When Harry Met Sally” (1989), writing became her real bread and butter. Other best selling novels followed Postcards, including Surrender the Pink (1991) – which contained many allusions to her relationship with Simon – Delusions of Grandma (1994) – which drew on her experiences with Lourd – and The Best Awful (2004). Known in Hollywood circles for her unique manner of thought and expression and a biting wit few could match, Fisher began an impressive career as a top comedy-script doctor, starting with Steven Spielberg’s “Hook” (1991) and polishing such scripts as “The Wedding Singer” (1998) and “Sister Act” (1992). Although she received no onscreen credit, her reputation grew and directors sought out the beloved actress-turned-writer to punch up their dialogue – particularly that of female characters. Even old friend George Lucas tapped Fisher to spruce up scripts for his television series, “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” (ABC, 1992-93).
At the peak of her success as script doctor du jour, Fisher suffered a “psychotic break” in 1997 when she was prescribed new drugs to curb her long-diagnosed mental depression. The allergic reaction landed her in a mental ward in Cedars-Sinai where she remained for six days with her mother and brother by her side. Even Lourd rallied around the mother of his child. She spent a half a year in outpatient care. After surviving the harrowing experience, Fisher grew determined to de-stigmatize mental illness. On talk show after talk show, she made jokes at her own expense, becoming a much sought-after speaker on the mental health lecture circuit – from urging state legislators to increase government spending for mental health issues, to serving as key note speaker for Community Alliance benefits and other mental health organizations. The more it was discussed, she reasoned, the better it would be for anyone suffering in silence or confusion.
Fisher returned to acting intermittently in subsequent years, appearing in “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” (1997), “Scream 3” (2000), “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001), “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (2003), “Wonderland” (2004) and “Undiscovered” (2005) – but the parts were never more than minor or cameo. Her interests now lay elsewhere. She joined the Oxygen network in 2002 for her first venture into serial television – “Conversations from the Edge with Carrie Fisher.” The one-hour talk show allowed fans to view Fisher’s laser wit up close and personal as she interviewed the entertainment industry’s biggest stars. As one of the more well liked personalities in Hollywood circles, it was not difficult to land interviews with Lucas, Lisa Kudrow, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin and other Hollywood A-listers. Fisher also orchestrated the seemingly impossible – bringing her mother and “the other woman,” Elizabeth Taylor, together by co-penning a campy TV movie, “These Old Broads” (2001) specifically for them. The screen legends’ much heralded appearance together was a hit with viewers, but not with critics who thought the whole exercise embarrassing. The women had, in fact, long buried the hatchet, saving their resentment for Eddie Fisher, himself, after the onetime crooner wrote two scathing autobiographies over the years which graphically recalled his love life and struggles with drugs. The books were particularly stinging toward Reynolds, which only served to further drive a wedge between the addict father and his addict daughter.
With the re-release of the Special Edition “Star Wars” films, a new legion of fans joined the veteran obsessed and all lined up to see their favorite characters on the big screen during the winter of 1997. Fisher was no exception. Having made peace with her timeless character years before, she happily joined the commemoration in television retrospectives and on the red carpet at the Hollywood premieres of both Special Edition films and the prequels. In June, 2005, she and fellow co-stars Ford and Hamill appeared onstage together for the first time in decades to help Lucas celebrate his American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award nearly 30 years after he turned them into twentieth century icons.
Never one to waste her personal demons in private, Fisher wrote and performed a one-woman play, "Wishful Drinking," at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles for a few months in 2006, before playing at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in Northern California through April, 2008 and onto engagements in Hartford, CT and Washington, D.C. She remained in demand for voiceover work and TV guest appearances, as well, voicing Peter Griffin's boss, Angela, on the animated sitcom “Family Guy” (Fox, 1999- ) on and off beginning in 2005 and appeared in a book of photographs titled Hollywood Moms (2001), for which she wrote the introduction. In 2007 she was a full-time judge on the filmmaking competition series, “On the Lot” (Fox) and joined Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne on Saturday evenings for “The Essentials” (2001- ) to provide entertaining conversation on Hollywood’s best films. After guesting as herself on “Sex in the City” (HBO, 1998-2004) in 2000, she was given an even meatier role seven years later, playing a boozy former TV writer whom Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) once idolized in the Emmy-nominated episode, “Rosemary’s Baby” on the critically revered sitcom, “30 Rock” (NBC, 2007- ) in which she uttered the reverential line, “Help me Liz Lemon – you’re my only hope!” For this tour de force performance, she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, but lost to Kathryn Joosten for “Desperate Housewives” (ABC, 2004- ).* Also Credited As:
Carrie F. Fisher, Carrie Frances Fisher
* Born:
Carrie Frances Fisher on October 21, 1956 in Beverly Hills, California, USA
* Job Titles:
Actor, Author, Screenwriter, Script doctor, Dancer, Singer
Family
* Brother: Todd Fisher. Born in 1958
* Daughter: Billie Catherine Fisher Lourd. Born July 17, 1992; father, Bryan Lourd
* Father: Eddie Fisher. Married to Debbie Reynolds from 1955-1959; was a teen idol and one of the most popular singers of the 1950s
* Half-sister: Joely Fisher. Born in 1967 to Eddie Fisher and Connie Stevens
* Half-sister: Tricia Leigh Fisher. Born in 1968 to Eddie Fisher and Connie Stevens
* Mother: Debbie Reynolds. Married to Eddie Fisher from 1955-1959
Significant Others
* Companion: Albert Brooks. Had on-again, off-again relationship for many years
* Companion: Bob Tur. Together from 2004-2005
* Companion: Dan Aykroyd. Briefly engaged; no longer together
* Companion: Albert Brooks. had on-again, off-again relatioship for many years
* Companion: Bryan Lourd. works for CAA; originally from Louisiana; no longer together; father of Fisher s daughter
Education
* Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills, CA
Milestones
* 1968 First appeared onstage in her mother s Las Vegas act at age 12
* 1973 Made Broadway debut as chorus girl in a revival of Irene ; starred her mother, Debbie Reynolds
* 1975 Film acting debut in Shampoo
* 1977 Appeared in TV version of Come Back, Little Sheba (NBC)
* 1977 First leading film role as Princess Leia in Star Wars
* 1980 Appeared on Broadway in Censored Scenes From King Kong
* 1980 Reprised role of Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back
* 1982 Assumed title role in the Broadway production of Agnes of God
* 1983 Again played the role of Leia in The Return of the Jedi
* 1986 Appeared in the Woody Allen film Hannah and her Sisters
* 1987 Published first novel, Postcards From the Edge
* 1989 Played Tom Hanks wife in the dark comedy The Burbs
* 1989 Played a major supporting role in When Harry Met Sally
* 1990 Screenwriting debut, adapted her novel for the screen, Postcards From the Edge
* 1991 Published the novel Surrender the Pink
* 1993 Published the semi-autobiographical, Delusions of Grandma
* 1996 Contributed column to Live magazine entitled Travels With Billie
* 1997 Appeared as a therapist in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
* 2000 Played an actress mistaken for Carrie Fisher in Scream 3
* 2001 Played a nun in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
* 2001 Wrote the teleplay for the ABC movie, These Old Broads starring her mother Debbie Reynolds
* 2003 Appeared as Mother Superior in Charlie s Angels: Full Throttle
* 2005 Cast in Undiscovered, a film which follows a group of aspiring entertainers trying to establish careers
* 2006 Performed in a one-woman autobiographical show, Wishful Drinking, at the Geffen Playhouse; also includes songs in the monologue
* 2007 Appeared in several episodes of Showtime s suburban pot comedy Weeds, as Celia s (Elizabeth Perkins) divorce lawyer
* 2007 Garnered an Emmy nomination for her guest starring role on NBC s 30 Rock
* 2009 Earned a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word for the album, Wishful Drinking
* 2009 Will bring her one-woman show Wishful Drinking to Broadway (September)