Todd Fisher facts for kids

Todd Emmanuel Fisher, born on February 24, 1958, is an American who works in many fields. He is a business executive, an architect, a sound engineer, and a filmmaker. Todd is the son of famous singer Eddie Fisher and beloved actress Debbie Reynolds. He has a lot of experience in designing buildings and working with sound. This includes creating sound stages, recording studios, and TV facilities. He also led the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino and is the CEO of the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum. This museum is located at Debbie Reynolds Studios in North Hollywood and at his ranch.

Early Life and Family Connections

Todd Fisher was born in Burbank, California, on February 24, 1958. His parents were actors Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Todd's father's parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. His mother's family had roots in Scotland, Ireland, and England. Todd was named after his father's good friend, Mike Todd. He is the younger brother of actress Carrie Fisher (1956–2016).

His parents divorced in 1959. Later, his father married actress Connie Stevens. This marriage brought Todd two half-sisters, Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher. In 1960, his mother married Harry Karl, who owned shoe stores. His mother and stepfather divorced in 1973, when Todd was 15.

Todd went to Beverly Hills High School and graduated in 1976. After high school, he studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles.

In 1980, Todd became a Christian minister in 1982. He started a church called Hiding Place Church with musician Henry Cutrona. The church first met at his mother's studios. Later, it moved to the Beverly Theater in Beverly Hills. By 1986, the church was meeting at Emerson Middle School in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. About 1,000 people attended services there each Sunday.

On February 15, 1981, Todd married his high school girlfriend, Donna Freberg. After their divorce, he married Christi Zabel. Todd became a stepfather to Christi's children, Vanessa, James, and Brandon. Christi passed away from cancer in 2008. Todd then married actress and businesswoman Catherine Hickland on December 22, 2012. They have homes in Las Vegas and California.

Todd Fisher's Career Journey

Todd Fishers journey in the entertainment world began when he was a baby. He appeared in short films and documentaries about his mother. As he grew up, Todd became interested in how movies are made. He focused on filming commercials, short films, and documentaries. He was one of the youngest members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union. As an adult, his technical and creative work started in the 1980s. Todd is also a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.

In the early 1980s, Todd worked with Trinity Broadcasting Network. There, he wrote, produced, and directed a comedy TV show called Nightlight. He starred in it as a funny TV preacher, Reverend Hype. The show was like the famous Saturday Night Live. It featured actors and comedians such as Dan Aykroyd and Rene Russo.

In 1991, he produced his first full-length movie, Twogether. It starred Nick Cassavetes and Brenda Bakke.

Designing and Building for Entertainment

In 1970, Todd's mother, Debbie Reynolds, started collecting Hollywood movie items. She bought many things from a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer auction. This was the start of her huge collection of movie memorabilia. In 1972, she created the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum (HMPM). This museum became known as the largest private collection of Hollywood items in the world.

In 1992, Debbie Reynolds and her husband bought the Paddlewheel Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. They planned to spend millions to fix it up and make it a home for the museum. The hotel reopened in 1993 as The Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino. In 1994, Todd designed the hotel's 500-seat showroom. His mother performed her shows there. This showroom could also be used as a TV production studio. Todd also designed the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum. When his mother faced money problems to finish the project, she decided to make the company public to raise funds. When the museum opened, it was one of the first places in the U.S. to show high-definition video.

Managing the Hotel and Museum

In March 1994, Todd Fisher became the chief financial officer for the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino. He joined his mother, who was the chairman. Todd quickly saw that the hotel and casino were losing money. This was due to poor financial planning and a bad lease with the casino operator.

Todd worked to fix the company's money problems and improve service. The casino part of the hotel stopped operating in March 1996. By the end of 1996, the company was in financial trouble.

In 1997, Todd tried to sell the property. When that deal didn't work out, the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino filed for bankruptcy. This was part of a plan to reorganize the company. They had a deal to merge with another company, which would have saved the hotel. However, the creditors (people owed money) rejected the deal. They chose to auction the property instead. The property was sold in 1998 to the World Wrestling Federation.

By 1999, Debbie Reynolds and Todd planned to move the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum to a new spot in Los Angeles. This new location was near the Kodak Theatre. However, the museum's lender could not fund the project. This meant the museum couldn't finish building. They also couldn't repay a loan, which led to a lawsuit against the museum.

The museum later signed a deal to be part of a new tourist attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. But the developer of that project also faced financial problems. So, the museum itself filed for bankruptcy in June 2009. After more plans to move the museum fell through, Debbie Reynolds and Todd decided to sell the collection of movie items.

Hollywood Memorabilia Auctions

In 2011, Debbie Reynolds and Todd Fisher worked with Profiles in History to auction off the Hollywood memorabilia collection. They needed to sell enough items to pay off their debts. Todd told the press that his mother was "heartbroken" to sell her collection. The collection was valued at over $10 million. The items were sold in a series of auctions from June to December 2011.

On June 18, 2011, Marilyn Monroe's famous "subway dress" from The Seven Year Itch sold for $4.6 million. This was much more than expected. Another dress worn by Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes sold for $1.2 million. A blue cotton dress Judy Garland wore for test shots for The Wizard of Oz sold for $910,000. In total, the first auction made $22.8 million.

In the second auction, held on December 3, 2011, a working Panavision camera used to film Star Wars sold for $520,000. This set new records for Star Wars items and old cameras.

Filmography

Todd Fisher has worked on many projects in the film and TV industry.

Acting Roles

• 1959: A Visit with Debbie Reynolds (short film) – as a baby
• 1969: Debbie Reynolds and the Sound of Children (TV movie) – as a Cub Scout
• 1981: Nightlight (TBN series) – as Reverend Hype
• 2001: These Old Broads (TV movie) – as Timothy

As Himself

• 1963: Hollywood Without Make-Up (documentary)
• 2012: Hollywood Treasure

Cinematography (Camera Work)

• 1988: Find Your Way Back: A Salute to the Space Shuttle (video documentary)
• 1989: Blue Angels: A Backstage Pass (video documentary)
• 2002: Cinerama Adventure (documentary)
• 2013: South Dakota

Directing

• 1991: Movie Memories with Debbie Reynolds (TV series – 12 episodes)

Editing

• 1994: Twogether

Producing

• 1994: Twogether
• 2017: Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (HBO documentary)