Mary Frances Reynolds
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Awards
Debbie Reynolds, born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, Texas in 1932, became a star at 19 as Gene Kelly’s partner in Singin’ in the Rain. She earned an Academy Award nomination for The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1964. After her daughter Carrie Fisher died in December 2016, Reynolds suffered a stroke and died the next day.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Debbie Reynolds — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Debbie Reynolds by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Debbie Reynolds — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
At 16, Debbie Reynolds won the Miss Burbank Contest in 1948, earning a screen test at Warner Bros. She was born Mary Frances Reynolds on April 1, 1932 in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in Burbank where her father worked as a carpenter for the Southern Pacific Railroad. She attended Burbank High School and John Burroughs High School. Though the Church of the Nazarene forbade acting, her parents supported her talent.
In 1952, Debbie Reynolds was cast opposite Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain. She was not a trained dancer but learned quickly. She had signed with MGM after winning the Miss Burbank contest in 1948. In 1964, she received an Academy Award nomination for The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She later appeared on the TV series Will & Grace and opened a Hollywood memorabilia museum.
In 1955, Debbie Reynolds married Eddie Fisher. The couple had two children: Carrie Fisher born 1956 and Todd Fisher born 1958. Fisher left her for Elizabeth Taylor in 1959. She married shoe magnate Harry Karl in 1960; he gambled away her fortune. Her third marriage was to Richard Hamlett from 1984 to 1996. During her marriage to Karl, she suffered two stillbirths. Reynolds died of a stroke on December 28, 2016, one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher’s death.
Her performance in Singin’ in the Rain remains a classic. She received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2014. Reynolds collected over 3,000 costumes and props, displayed in a Hollywood museum she opened. She is also remembered as the mother of writer and actress Carrie Fisher. Her death, one day after her daughter’s, drew attention to broken heart syndrome.
The complete filmography of Debbie Reynolds — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Debbie Reynolds — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Debbie Reynolds — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
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.
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 ‘Em 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.
I Do 20 Minutes Every Time the Refrigerator Door Opens and the Light Comes On.
I Only Had Radio Growing Up, so I Loved Going to the Movies. I Always Had a Thing for a Fairy Tale Ending.
Little-known facts about Debbie Reynolds — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
She reconciled with her old enemy, Elizabeth Taylor, to work on the made-for-TV film These Old Broads 2001, written by Debbie’s daughter, Carrie Fisher, with Taylor, Shirley MacLaine and Joan Collins. Debbie and Taylor were best friends until the late 1950s when Debbie’s first ex-husband, Eddie Fisher, began having an affair with Taylor, then left Debbie and married Taylor. When they began working on the film together, Taylor told Debbie, I owe you a lot. Debbie said she got a lump in her throat.
Opened the Hollywood Motion Picture Collection near the Kodak Theatre. The collection, 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.
Won the Miss Burbank Contest of 1948 and was offered a screen test by Warner Bros. the day after she won. She originally entered the contest because everyone got a blouse, a silk scarf, and a free lunch.
Considered herself a movie-holic and had an extensive collection of memorabilia, with over 4,000 costumes ranging from the silent film era to the 1970s. She was known to gather theatrical release posters from her collection of 3,000 and drive to homes of actor friends for autographs. In the 1990s she turned her collection into a Las Vegas movie museum, but had to shut it down in 1997 due to financial problems.
She appeared as Dan’s mother, fresh out of the mental ward, in an episode of the TV series 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, Roseanne accidentally broke one of her ribs.
Has two children: a daughter, Carrie Fisher October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016 and a son, Todd Fisher b. February 24, 1958 with her first ex-husband, Eddie Fisher.
On the British game show QI after its host, Stephen Fry, confirmed with Debbie’s daughter, Carrie Fisher, that on the set of Singin’ in the Rain 1952 its star, Gene Kelly, made her rehearse until her feet bled. Fisher then revealed that Kelly French kissed her and she vomited.
One of the few actresses to have danced with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly on screen. Other actresses who have done this include Judy Garland, Cyd Charisse, Vera-Ellen, Rita Hayworth and Leslie Caron.
In one of her guest appearances on Will & Grace 1998, she entered a room humming a bit of the song Good Morning, which she had sung in her most famous musical, Singin’ in the Rain 1952.
Had planned to go into teaching physical education before she won the Miss Burbank Contest of 1948.
At one particularly low point in her career, she confessed to finding herself homeless and living in her car, a Cadillac.
In 1969 she followed Doris Day and some of her contemporaries in releasing a TV sitcom that had her name in its title. When its pilot included an advertisement for cigarettes, a violation of her contract, she made such a fuss that NBC canceled it.
Although she wanted to be in show business, the Reynolds’ family church, the Church of the Nazarene, forbade acting. However, her father saw her talent and gave his support, seeing it as a means of paying for college. Her mother then also gave her support.
Made her Broadway debut in 1973 in the revival of Irene. Although reviews for the show were mixed, her reviews were raves and she received a Tony Award nomination in 1974 for Best Actress in a Musical. The production ran some 20 months. In 1976, she appeared in a one-woman short run named Debbie! at the Minskoff Theatre. Her only other Broadway appearance came when she succeeded Lauren Bacall in Woman of the Year in 1983.
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.
She died just less than 36 hours after her daughter, Carrie Fisher. After her death, several physicians pointed out that it was likely a case of broken heart syndrome.
President of the Thalians, an organization for the treatment of mental health at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles, California. Ruta Lee is its chairman. Both have been actively involved for over 30 years.
She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6654 Hollywood Boulevard on January 13, 1997.
In the process of relocating her museum to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. A new Hollywood Motion Picture Museum was constructed there by Debbie and her children. It opened in April 2005.
In 1984, with friends like Shelley Winters and Terry Moore, she made a restrained exercise video for women of a certain age.
At the time of her death, she was scheduled to attend Zsa Zsa Gabor’s funeral.
Played the French horn in high school and was a member of the Burbank Youth Symphony.
She was an accomplished musician on the French horn, bass and violin and was a fashion designer in her spare time.
In 1964 she went into the hospital business, purchasing Oceanside Hospital in Oceanside, California, for $1,000,000 with plans to turn it into a profitable venture.
Her first appearance on Will & Grace 1998 was in an episode titled The Unsinkable Mommy Adler, a play on words of her film The Unsinkable Molly Brown 1964. She played the title roles in both.
Was friends with Jane Powell; they shared the same birthday.
She was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2014.
She has appeared in two films selected for the National Film Registry: Singin’ in the Rain 1952 and How the West Was Won 1962.
Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for her Las Vegas hotel.
Ex-mother-in-law of Paul Simon.
In Singin’ in the Rain 1952, Debbie dubbed Jean Hagen, but she was dubbed by Betty Noye.
Her personal favorite among her films was The Unsinkable Molly Brown 1964.
Was both a member of the International Order of Job’s Daughters and a Past Honored Queen of Bethel No. 97, Burbank, California.
Was Elizabeth Taylor’s matron of honor at Taylor’s wedding to director Mike Todd.
Became pregnant by her second ex-husband, Harry Karl, twice in both 1961 and 1963; on both occasions, she suffered stillbirths.
She made her first appearance at the Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show on April 6 and 7, 2002, at Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, California.
Was close friends with Hugh O’Brian. Serenaded O’Brian and his bride at their wedding on June 25, 2006.
She had English, Scottish, Scotch-Irish Northern Irish, German, and distant French ancestry.
Grandmother of Billie Lourd.
Mother-in-law of Catherine Hickland.
Her singing of the song I Want To Be Loved By You in Three Little Words 1950 was dubbed by Helen Kane.
In Postcards from the Edge 1990, based on her daughter Carrie Fisher’s autobiographical novel, the character thought to be based on her was played by Shirley MacLaine.
Is played by Judith Jones in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story 1995.
She dedicated the Holland-America Line cruise ship the MS Veendam.
As a result of publicity from her humiliating divorce from Eddie Fisher who left her for Elizabeth Taylor, she ranked #5 in the Top Ten Box Office Stars list for both 1959 and 1960.
In 1975, she sold the Beverly Hills mansion she had lived in with Harry Karl for over $1,000,000.
During her divorce from Eddie Fisher, news crews camped on her lawn. She regularly granted interviews with diaper pins on her blouse and her two toddlers in her arms.
Has two great-grandchildren via her granddaughter Billie Lourd: Kingston Fisher Lourd Rydell b. September 24, 2020 and Jackson Joanne Lourd Rydell b. December 12, 2022.
Her son Todd Fisher, named after director Mike Todd, married Donna Freberg, daughter of comedian Stan Freberg.
Daughter of Raymond 1903-1986, born in Texas, and Maxene née Harman Reynolds 1912-1999, born in Oklahoma.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Debbie Reynolds.
Celebrities similar to Debbie Reynolds — same craft, ranked by reach.
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