Edwin John Fisher
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In 1953, Eddie Fisher launched his own TV show Coke Time, sponsored by Coca-Cola, which made him a national star. He scored hits like Anytime and Oh, My Pa-Pa. His affair with Elizabeth Taylor, begun after her husband’s death, sparked scandal and damaged his career. He died in 2010 at age 82.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Eddie Fisher — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Eddie Fisher by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Eddie Fisher — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Eddie Fisher was born Edwin John Fisher on August 10, 1928, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Russian Jewish immigrant parents Katherine Tisch and Joseph Tisch. The family name changed from Tisch or Fisch to Fisher during immigration. He attended South Philadelphia High School and later Simon Gratz High School. He began singing at a young age and was drafted into the Army in 1951, where he performed with the Army Band.
In 1953, Eddie Fisher launched his own 15-minute TV show Coke Time, sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company. The show was so popular that Coca-Cola offered him a $1 million contract to be their national spokesperson, pushing Fisher to become one of the most popular singers by 1954. He scored multiple hits including Anytime, Oh, My Pa-Pa, and I Need You Now. In 1955 he married Debbie Reynolds, and they had daughter Carrie Fisher in 1956 and son Todd Fisher in 1958. The scandal of his affair with Elizabeth Taylor, the widow of his best friend Mike Todd, broke in 1958, causing immense damage to his career. He co-starred with Taylor in the film BUtterfield 8 1960, which earned her an Academy Award. After his TV show ended and hit records dried up, his career shifted to stage performances in Las Vegas and New York.
Eddie Fisher was married five times. His first marriage to Debbie Reynolds on September 26, 1955 produced two children: Carrie and Todd. They divorced in May 1959. Just three and a half hours later, he married Elizabeth Taylor, who had been widowed after the death of Mike Todd. That marriage ended in 1964. He married Connie Stevens in 1967, and they had daughters Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher before divorcing in 1969. His fourth marriage to Terry Richard lasted from 1975 to 1976. His fifth marriage to Betty Lin lasted from 1993 until her death from lung cancer in 2001. He also had relationships with Stefanie Powers, Lana Wood, Ann-Margret, and allegedly Michelle Phillips. He was the father of actress Carrie Fisher, who became famous as Princess Leia.
Eddie Fisher’s legacy is as a top-selling pop vocalist of the 1950s, alongside Perry Como and Elvis Presley. He was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording and television. His scandalous affair with Elizabeth Taylor overshadowed his musical talent and led to his professional decline. He is remembered for his hits like Anytime and Oh, My Pa-Pa. He is also the father of the late Carrie Fisher, whose death in 2016 mourned by fans worldwide. His autobiographies, especially Been There, Done That, chronicled his life with controversy. Despite his fall from grace, he remains a figure of early television and pop music.
The complete filmography of Eddie Fisher — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Eddie Fisher — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Eddie Fisher — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Debbie Reynolds Was Indeed the Girl Next Door. but Only If You Lived Next Door to a Self-centered, Totally Driven, Insecure, Untruthful Phony.
By the Time I Was Thirty-three Years Old I’d Been Married to America’s Sweetheart and America’s Femme Fatale and Both Marriages Had Ended in Scandal; I’d Been One of the Most Popular Singers in America and Had Given up My Career for Love; I Had Fathered Two Children and Adopted Two Children and Rarely Saw Any of Them; I Was Addicted to Methamphetamines and I Couldn’t Sleep at Night Without a Huge Dose of Librium. and from All This I Had Learned One Very Important Lesson: There Were No Rules for Me. I Could Get Away with Anything so Long as That Sound Came Out of My Throat.
On His Service in the United States Army: the Army Gave Me a Lot More Than I Gave It. Why I Did Shows I Never Would Have Done. in the Rain, the Mud, off the Backs of Trucks, Without a Mike and Sometimes Without Even Music.
Little-known facts about Eddie Fisher — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Had four children: daughter Carrie Fisher October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016 and son Todd Fisher b. February 24, 1958 with first ex-wife Debbie Reynolds, and daughters Joely Fisher b. October 29, 1967 and Tricia Leigh Fisher b. December 26, 1968 with third ex-wife Connie Stevens.
Married Elizabeth Taylor three and a half hours after divorcing Debbie Reynolds. Taylor was the widow of his close friend Mike Todd.
When he declared bankruptcy in 1970 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he listed $916,300 in debts and $40,000 in assets in municipal bonds held by the Bank of America as security on a loan.
During an April 2007 Entertainment Tonight interview with Mary Hart, ex-wife Elizabeth Taylor revealed that she recently telephoned him and they spoke for the first time in over 40 years.
The first person to ever make a fan club for him was a then thirteen-year-old Rona Barrett, who later became his life-long friend.
Ex-father-in-law of Paul Simon.
In 1951, he was drafted into the United States Army where he sang with the Army Band and toured bases overseas.
In Suddenly, Last Summer 1959, he appeared uncredited as a street urchin begging for food from Catherine Holly, the character played by his wife at the time, Elizabeth Taylor.
He is survived by six grandchildren.
According to his daughter Carrie Fisher, he once slept with Princess Margaret.
At the height of his popularity during the 1950s, Fisher was, along with Perry Como and Elvis Presley, RCA Victor’s top-selling pop vocalist. His many hits include: Anytime his first big hit, Oh, My Pa-Pa, Wish You Were Here, I Need You Now, Dungaree Doll, I’m Walking Behind You, Heart, Games That Lovers Play and Somebody Like You.
The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, according to Eddie, the family’s surname was originally either Tisch or Fisch. Between Ellis Island and Philadelphia, it had become Americanized as Fisher.
Around 1956, Eddie Fisher and his agent Lew Wasserman discussed roles for his acting debut. One project was What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg and Stuart Schulberg. Fisher wanted to play Sammy Glick, but Wasserman decided the character was too much of a negative Jewish stereotype, so Fisher instead starred with then-wife Debbie Reynolds in Bundle of Joy 1956, a film he hated. What Makes Sammy Run? was eventually produced for television in 1959.
He was interred next to the ashes of his last wife, Betty Lin, at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, California.
Has two great grandchildren: Kingston Fisher Lourd Rydell b. September 24, 2020 and Jackson Joanne Lourd Rydell b. December 12, 2022 via granddaughter Billie and her husband Austen Rydell.
Dated Stefanie Powers, Lana Wood and Ann-Margret in the 1960s. In his autobiography he claimed to have had an affair with Michelle Phillips, which she categorically denied.
He was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard and for Television at 1724 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
Born on the same date as country/western impresario Jimmy Dean.
Received billing as Stage Manager in the film All About Eve 1950, although his scenes were cut out of the film.
Died a week before Tony Curtis.
Ex-brother-in-law of John Megna.
His manager was Bill Trowbridge.
Fisher’s image as a serial philanderer overshadowed his musical talent and ruined his public standing. As a consequence, he lost his popular television show and was largely shunned by the public. He was never able to recover his earlier fame, and his later career was marked by a decline exacerbated by drug addiction.
Father-in-law of Christopher Duddy.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Eddie Fisher.
Celebrities similar to Eddie Fisher — same craft, ranked by reach.
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