Another tragic story out of Hollywood tonight — famed actress Debbie Reynolds has died just one day after her the death of her daughter, Star Wars legend Carrie Fisher. NY1 Film Critic Neil Rosen is here now with a look back at Reynolds' life.
Screen legend Debbie Reynolds could do it all. She was a great actress, dancer and singer.
Born in El Paso, Texas, she first found stardom in the classic 1952 musical "Singin' in the Rain" at only 19 years old. But she didn't really know how to dance when she was cast in that film, and it was master dancer Fred Astaire who gave her lessons on the MGM lot after hours.
Most of her early films were MGM musicals, but it wasn't until 1964 that she received an Oscar nomination for best lead actress in the 1964 movie "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". Other notable films included "How The West Was Won", the comedy "Mother" where she played comedian Albert Brooks mom in 1996 and the HBO award winning biopic "Behind The Candelabra" where she played famed pianist Liberace's mother.
She was married three times but it was her first marriage, to famed singer Eddie Fisher that got the most headlines. He left her for screen queen Elizabeth Taylor in what was a big scandal at that time back in the 1950's. Carrie Fisher, who tragically died on Tuesday, was a product of that union. Real life mother and daughter were very close and they recently starred in an upcoming documentary about their lives which will be released next year.
Reynolds starred on Broadway in the 1973 revival of the musical "Irene", receiving a Tony nomination for her performance.
Debbie Reynolds also had a successful singing career. Her recording of the song Tammy from the 1957 movie "Tammy And The Bachelor" earned her a gold record and she had the best selling single by a female vocalist that year.
A successful business woman, she opened her own hotel in Las Vegas which housed her immense collection of Hollywood memorabilia that included over 3,000 costumes and props.
She continued to work until the very end on TV, film and on stage. Debbie Reynolds was a Hollywood star in the truest sense and she will be missed. She was 84.