Carrie Fisher

AKA Carrie Frances Fisher

Born: 21-Oct-1956

Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA

Died: 27-Dec-2016

Location of death: Los Angeles, CA

Cause of death: Heart Attack



Gender: Female

Religion: Jewish

Race or Ethnicity: White

Sexual orientation: Straight

Occupation: Actor, Novelist

Party Affiliation: Democratic

Nationality: United States

Executive summary: Princess Leia in Star Wars

Carrie Fisher was born to celebrity superstar couple Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Her father deserted the family for Elizabeth Taylor when Fisher was a toddler, and all three women -- Reynolds, Taylor, and Fisher -- are now united in hatred of him. Fisher believes her father has an undiagnosed bipolar disorder, and has said "The best thing Elizabeth Taylor did for me was getting Eddie Fisher out of our house". Fisher grew up surrounded by show business, and started smoking pot when she was hanging around with the gay dancers who worked for her mother. She appeared in her mother's stage show at age 12. At 16, having dropped out of school to pursue acting, Fisher appeared on Broadway in Irene, with her mother and Ruth Warrick. Fisher subsequently spent 18 months in London studying drama before coming to Hollywood.

In 1975 she made her film debut in Shampoo, as a nymphet with whom Warren Beatty has an affair, and two years later, at 19, she became Princess Leia. By this time Fisher was heavily alcohol- and drug-dependent. She reportedly smoked marijuana openly between takes of the first Star Wars movie, and used heavier drugs on weekends. She argued with writer-director George Lucas about her cinnamon-bun hairstyle (hated it) and joked that every day there should be an auction to see which crew member got to yank off the tape restraining her bosom under her flowing gown. While the film made box office history, some critics were not kind to Fisher. She remembers that one described her as "bovine" and said she had "the worst characteristics of both my parents".

During the late 1970s and early 80s Fisher partied with the celebrity crowd, including her Blues Brothers co-stars Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Throughout the filming of Under the Rainbow, with Chevy Chase and Billy Barty, she was stoned. Friends noticed that as they grew older and began to give up their pot and pills, alcohol and acid, Fisher did not. She filmed two Star Wars sequels, and the hair got better and the clothing nearly disappeared at one point, but Fisher's behavior was out of control. She had been in therapy since she was 15, and at 24 was diagnosed as manic-depressive (now referred to as bipolar). She refused to believe it, but her massive intake of drugs, both illicit and licit, were "keeping the monster in the box".

At 28 she woke up in the hospital, having her stomach pumped after overdosing on cocaine and painkillers. She entered rehab, and spent the next year heavily involved in a twelve-step program. She wrote about these experiences in her comic novel Postcards from the Edge, and followed that with a fictionalized account of her marriage to Paul Simon, Surrender the Pink. When Postcards was to be filmed, Fisher wrote the screenplay, and the film, with Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine, was very well received.

Following the birth of her daughter in 1992, Fisher wrote Delusions of Grandma. Her daughter's father was Hollywood agent Bryan Lourd, who ended up leaving Fisher for a man. This plunged Fisher into a morbid depression, barely able to get out of bed. In an effort to lift the depression a physician prescribed a number of drugs to which Fisher reacted badly: she collapsed and briefly stopped breathing. She was told to take a "medication vacation", and after six days without sleeping but with lots of hallucinations, Fisher had a complete psychotic break. In the mental hospital, Fisher was riveted to CNN and believed that she was both murderer Andrew Cunanan and the police who were searching for him. She had other delusions, but after some weeks in the hospital -- she is unsure how long -- she was able to go home and receive treatment on an outpatient basis. Her prescriptions totalled over 20 pills taken daily. She later had another manic jag when she went off her daytime meds, but her condition has since been kept under control. Fisher has said that her writing helps her to stay focused and channel her manic energy onto paper, instead of all over the people around her.

Fisher made the headlines again in 2005, when longtime friend and gay Republican campaign consultant R. Gregory Stevens died in her bed following a pre-Oscars party. The autopsy showed that a combination of cocaine and pain medication had stopped his enlarged heart. Fisher said she did not know he was under the influence of anything that evening. After returning home from one hospital stay, Fisher threw a party for all her friends, featuring a cake shaped like Fisher in bed, complete with icing IV racks. She keeps a sign posted in her front driveway that reads, "Beware of trains", although there are no trains nearby.

Father: Eddie Fisher

Mother: Debbie Reynolds

Brother: Todd Fisher (b. 24-Feb-1958, producer)

Father: Harry Karl (stepfather, married Debbie Reynolds in 1960)

Mother: Elizabeth Taylor (stepmother, married Eddie Fisher 12-May-1959)

Sister: Joely Fisher (actress, half-sister, b. 29-Oct-1967 to Eddie Fisher and Connie Stevens)

Sister: Tricia Leigh Fisher (actress, b. 26-Dec-1968 to Eddie Fisher and Connie Stevens)

Boyfriend: Harrison Ford (actor, dated late 1970s)

Boyfriend: John Belushi (actor, dated 1970s)

Boyfriend: Dan Aykroyd (actor, dated 1970s)

Husband: Paul Simon (singer, m. 16-Aug-1983, div. Jul-1984)

Boyfriend: Bryan Lourd (talent agent, together three years)

Daughter: Billie Catherine Lourd (b. 17-Jul-1992, with Lourd)



High School: Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills, CA

Conservatory: Central School of Speech and Drama, London



Endorsement of Jenny Craig (2010-)



Drug Overdose 1984

Stomach Pumped

Miscarriage 1984

Shock Treatment

unknown detox facility Oct-1988

Heart Attack 23-Dec-2016 (aboard London to Los Angeles flight)

Birthday: Elizabeth Taylor (1992)



Alcoholics Anonymous

Hillary Rodham Clinton for US Senate Committee



Romanian Ancestry

Russian Ancestry

Risk Factors: Bipolar Disorder, Alcoholism, Smoking, Cocaine, Ecstasy, Heroin, LSD, Marijuana, Sleep Apnea



TELEVISION

Catastrophe Mia (2015-17)

Celebrity Poker Showdown Contestant (2004)



FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (9-Dec-2017)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (14-Dec-2015)

Maps to the Stars (19-May-2014)

Sorority Row (9-Sep-2009)

White Lightnin' (9-Jan-2009)

The Women (12-Sep-2008)

Fanboys (31-Jul-2008) · Doctor

Cougar Club (19-May-2007)

Ghost Writer (9-Mar-2007)

Romancing the Bride (3-Dec-2005)

Undiscovered (26-Aug-2005)

The Aristocrats (Jan-2005) · Herself

Stateside (27-Feb-2004) · Mrs. Dubois

Wonderland (8-Sep-2003) · Sally Hansen

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (18-Jun-2003) · Mother Superior

A Midsummer Night's Rave (1-Nov-2002)

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (24-Aug-2001) · Nun

Heartbreakers (23-Mar-2001)

These Old Broads (12-Feb-2001)

Lisa Picard Is Famous (14-May-2000) · Herself

Scream 3 (4-Feb-2000) · Bianca

This Is My Life (21-Feb-1992) · Claudia Curtis

Soapdish (31-May-1991) · Betsy Faye Sharon

Drop Dead Fred (19-Apr-1991)

Sibling Rivalry (26-Oct-1990) · Iris Turner-Hunter

Sweet Revenge (14-May-1990)

When Harry Met Sally (12-Jul-1989)

Loverboy (28-Apr-1989) · Monica Delancy

The 'burbs (17-Feb-1989)

Appointment with Death (15-Apr-1988)

The Time Guardian (3-Dec-1987)

Amazon Women on the Moon (18-Sep-1987)

Sunday Drive (30-Nov-1986)

Hollywood Vice Squad (28-Feb-1986)

Hannah and Her Sisters (7-Feb-1986) · April

The Man with One Red Shoe (19-Jul-1985) · Paula

Garbo Talks (12-Oct-1984) · Lisa Rolfe

Return of the Jedi (25-May-1983)

Under the Rainbow (31-Jul-1981)

The Blues Brothers (16-Jun-1980) · Mystery Woman

The Empire Strikes Back (21-May-1980) · Princess Leia

Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979) · Herself

The Star Wars Holiday Special (17-Nov-1978)

Star Wars (25-May-1977) · Princess Leia

Shampoo (11-Feb-1975)



Official Website:

http://www.carriefisher.com/

Author of books:

Delusions of Grandma

Postcards from the Edge ( 1987 , novel)

Surrender the Pink ( 1990 , novel)

The Best Awful ( 2003 , novel)

Wishful Drinking ( 2008 , memoir)

Shockaholic ( 2010 )







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