Carrie Fisher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carrie Fisher
Fisher in 2013
Born	Carrie Frances Fisher (1956-10-21)October 21, 1956 Burbank, California, U.S.
Died	December 27, 2016(2016-12-27) (aged 60) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, writer, humorist
Years active	1969–2016
Spouse(s)	Paul Simon ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 1984)​
Partner(s)	Bryan Lourd (1991–1994)
Children	Billie Lourd
Parent(s)	Eddie Fisher Debbie Reynolds
Relatives	Todd Fisher (brother) Joely Fisher (half-sister) Tricia Leigh Fisher (half-sister)

Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress, writer and humorist who was best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars film series. Her other film roles included Shampoo (1975), The Blues Brothers (1980), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The 'Burbs (1989), and When Harry Met Sally... (1989).

Fisher wrote several semi-autobiographical novels, including Postcards from the Edge and the screenplay for the film of the book, as well as an autobiographical one-woman play, and its non-fiction book, Wishful Drinking, based on the play. She worked on other writers' screenplays as a script doctor. In later years, she earned praise for speaking publicly about her experiences with bipolar disorder and drug addiction.

Fisher was the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds. Her mother and she appear in Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, a documentary about their relationship. It premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Fisher died of a sudden cardiac arrest on December 27, 2016, at age 60, four days after experiencing a medical emergency during a transatlantic flight from London to Los Angeles. One of her final films, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, was released on December 15, 2017 and is dedicated to her. Fisher will appear in Star Wars: Episode IX through the use of unreleased footage from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

Early life

Carrie Frances Fisher was born on October 21, 1956, in Burbank, California, to actors and singers Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.

Fisher was two years old when her parents divorced in 1959. Her father's third marriage, to actress Connie Stevens, resulted in the births of Fisher's two half-sisters, Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher. In 1960, her mother married Harry Karl, owner of a chain of shoe stores. Reynolds and Karl divorced in 1973, when Fisher was 17 years old.

Fisher "hid in books" as a child, becoming known in her family as "the bookworm". She spent her earliest years reading classic literature, and writing poetry. She attended Beverly Hills High School until age 15, when she appeared as a debutante and singer in the hit Broadway revival Irene (1973), starring her mother. Her time on Broadway interfered with her education, resulting in Fisher's dropping out of high school. In 1973, Fisher enrolled at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, which she attended for 18 months. Following her time there, Fisher applied to and was accepted at Sarah Lawrence College, where she planned to study the arts. She later left without graduating.

Death

After finishing the European leg of her book tour, Fisher was on a December 23, 2016 commercial flight from London to Los Angeles when she suffered a medical emergency around fifteen minutes before the aircraft landed. A passenger seated near Fisher reported that she had stopped breathing; another passenger performed CPR on Fisher until paramedics arrived at the scene. Emergency services in Los Angeles were contacted when the flight crew reported a passenger in distress prior to landing. Fisher was taken by ambulance to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where she was placed on a ventilator.

Following four days in intensive care at UCLA Medical Center, Fisher died on December 27, 2016, at 8:55 a.m. (PST); she was 60 years old. Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, confirmed her mother's death in a statement to the press. Many of her costars and directors from Star Wars and other works also shared their thoughts on her death.

On January 9, 2017, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a death certificate that stated "cardiac arrest/deferred" as the cause of death. More tests were expected. In a June 16, 2017 news release, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said that the exact cause of death could not be determined, but sleep apnea was among the contributing factors.

The day after Fisher's death, her mother Debbie Reynolds suffered a stroke at the home of son Todd, where the family was planning Fisher's burial arrangements. She was taken to hospital, where she died later that afternoon. According to Todd Fisher, Reynolds had said, "I really want to be with Carrie" immediately prior to suffering the stroke. On January 5, 2017, a joint private memorial was held for Fisher and Reynolds. A portion of Fisher's ashes were laid to rest beside Reynolds in a crypt at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills. The remainder of her ashes are held in a giant, novelty pill.

In the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, thousands of fans paid tribute to Fisher by gathering at House Organa on the planet Alderaan where Fisher's character in Star Wars resided. Lightsaber vigils and similar events in Fisher's honor were held at various Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas theaters and other sites. On January 6, 2017, the lights on Broadway in Manhattan were darkened for one minute in honor of Fisher and her mother. Fisher and Reynolds were also both featured in the 89th Academy Awards In Memoriam segment. On March 25, 2017, a public memorial for mother and daughter was held at the Hall of Liberty theater in Forest Lawn Memorial Park. The event was streamed live on Reynolds' website. On April 14, a special tribute to Fisher was held by Mark Hamill during the Star Wars Celebration in Orlando.

Filmography

Film

Television

Images for kids

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  Fisher with Wim Wenders at a private party after the premiere of the movie F.I.S.T. in 1978

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  Fisher at the film premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Leicester Square, London, UK

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  Fisher with Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con promoting Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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  Fisher's fan-made star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame