By Travis Johnson & Erin Free
A familiar face on big screens and small since her breakthrough role as singer Helen Kane in 1950’s Three Little Words, Debbie Reynolds was an actor, singer, dancer and cabaret performer – and that was just in the public eye. She was also a noted philanthropist (Reynolds worked for sixty years with the charitable organisation, The Thalians, who work on mental health causes), a collector of film memorabilia (she was believed to own Marilyn Monroe’s “subway dress” from The Seven Year Itch, a Charlie Chaplin bowler hat, and the ruby slippers from The Wizard Of Oz), and a canny businesswoman, who for a time ran both her own museum (The Hollywood Movie Museum in Las Vegas) and casino (The Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino, also in Las Vegas).
An all-rounder in the classic Hollywood tradition, Reynolds was one of the finest talents in MGM’s stable of stars in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in such films as the 1952 classic Singin’ In The Rain, the epic western, How The West Was Won, and 1964’s The Unsinkable Molly Brown, which scored her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
A renowned good sport (Reynolds cameoed as herself in The Bodyguard, did voice work for Kim Possible, Family Guy, and Rugrats, and appeared on Will & Grace and The Golden Girls), Debbie Reynolds was obviously crushed by the tragic passing of her daughter just a day ago. “She wanted to be with Carrie,” her son, Todd Fisher, told Variety of his much loved mother, a symbol of how truly good Hollywood can be…
“I was deeply saddened to learn of Debbie Reynold’s passing,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris in an official statement. “We have lost a unique talent and a national treasure. Coming so close to the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher, this is truly a double tragedy. Their imprint on our culture is profound and they both will live on. On behalf of the SAG-AFTRA membership, our hearts go out to their family and loved ones. Debbie received the union’s Life Achievement Award in 2015 for exemplifying the highest ideals of the acting profession, both in front of the camera and in her many philanthropic endeavours.”
