Here’s a look at the life of actress and writer Carrie Fisher, who was best-known for her portrayal of Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” movie franchise.
Personal:
Birth date: October 21, 1956
Death date: December 27, 2016
Birth place: Beverly Hills, California
Birth name: Carrie Frances Fisher
Father: Eddie Fisher, singer
Mother: Debbie Reynolds, actress and singer
Marriages: Paul Simon (August 1983-July 1984, divorced)
Children: with Bryan Lourd: Billie Catherine Lourd
Education: Attended Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London
Other Facts:
Was nominated for two Grammy Awards and won one posthumously; nominated for threeEmmy Awards.
Acted in film, plays, and television, and wrote a number of best-selling books.
Fisher lobbied as an advocate for mental health awareness and treatment and had spoken before the California State Senate.
She was diagnosed as suffering from bipolar disorder, “I was diagnosed at 24, but I had been seeing a therapist since I was about 15. I didn’t like the diagnosis…Then I overdosed at 28, at which point I began to accept the bipolar diagnosis.”
She credited the psychiatric hospital Silver Hill in New Canaan, Connecticut, with helping her get her life back together after treatment for alcohol addiction and bipolar disorder. “It was one of the best places I was ever institutionalized.”
Fisher was the well-respected script-doctor of such movies as “The Wedding Singer” and “Sister Act.”
Timeline:
1972 – Drops out of high school at age 15 to appear on Broadway in the musical, “Irene,” starring her mother, Debbie Reynolds.
1975 – Film debut in the movie, “Shampoo,” starring Warren Beatty.
1977 – Stars as Princess Leia in the first “Star Wars” film.
1980 – Stars in “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.”
1983 – Stars in “Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi.”
1990 – Release of the film adaptation of Fisher’s novel, “Postcards from the Edge,” starring Meryl Streep. The screenplay is also written by Fisher.
February 26, 2005 – Friend and Republican media adviser R. Gregory “Greg” Stevens is found dead in Fisher’s home.
November 15, 2006 – Her one-woman biographical play, “Wishful Drinking,” is produced in Los Angeles.
December 2008 – Publishes the memoir, “Wishful Drinking,” based on her 2006 one-woman play.
December 12, 2010 – Fisher’s documentary, “Wishful Drinking,” airs on HBO.
November 2011 – Her memoir, “Shockaholic,” is published.
December 14, 2015 – “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” premieres, with Fisher, Mark Hamill (“Luke Skywalker”), and Harrison Ford (“Han Solo”) reprising their original 1977 roles.
November 16, 2016 – Fisher reveals to People magazine she and co-star Harrison “Han Solo” Ford had an affairduring the 1976 filming of “Star Wars.”
December 27, 2016 – Fisher dies four days after suffering a cardiac event on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
June 16, 2017 – The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner concludes that “sleep apnea and other undetermined factors” contributed to Fisher’s death in December at the age of 60. The autopsy report notes the significance of the “multiple substances that were detected in Fisher’s blood and tissue,” but the cause of death could not be established.
January 28, 2018 – Posthumously wins the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album with her audiobook recording of her 2016 memoir, “The Princess Diarist,” which chronicled her experiences making the original “Star Wars.”
July 27, 2018 – Disney announces the cast for “Star Wars: Episode IX”will include Fisher. Director J.J. Abrams reports that with “the support and blessing” from Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, the film found a way “to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in ‘Episode IX’ by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.”
