Carrie Francis Fisher
(This information was obtained at Carrie's Site. Click here to go there now.)
born October 21, 1956 in Los Angles, CA. The first child of singer
Eddie Fisher, and actress Debbie Reynolds. The first few months
after Carrie was born, Eddie stayed around in Beverly Hills to
be with his daughter and wife. According to Debbie Reynolds,
Eddie was very interested in Carrie and all that Debbie did for
her. After those few months, Eddie went back to work in New York,
and Debbie was again alone. Carrie would stand on the couch watching
out the window to see when her daddy was going to come home.
Sometimes she would stand there for hours until her mother could
lure her into a game.
When Carrie was a year and a half old. Her younger brother Todd
Fisher was born. Eddie and Debbie had always been good friends
with Liz Taylor and her husband. When Liz's husbands plane, The
Lucky Liz crashed in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and everyone
on board was killed, Eddie was right there to comfort her. At
the funeral, it was apparent that Eddie was doing more than just
comforting her. Carrie, then at the age of two, saw her father
leave. And never come back.
During the time between Eddie Fisher and Harry Karl, Debbie would
play both mother and father. Eddie would never call, write or
send presents to his two children. Carrie's mother would often
say that her father called, and at Christmas, would buy an extra
present and put it under the tree, with a card saying, "Love,
Daddy." Carrie soon figured out that mommy, daddy and santa
had the same handwriting.
Debbie then found Harry Karl, and married him. She said that
she had already tried the "falling in love, da da da"
and that she was looking more for a father for her children then
a husband. At first Carrie and Todd didn't mind him. As Carrie
got older things started to change. Carrie said, "he was
described as distinguished. Which means not handsome, but wealthy
enough.." Harry Karl was a shoe tycoon who had a soft spot
for alligator shoes and diamond rings. According to Todd, Carrie
could wrap Harry Karl around her finger. Carrie knew how to get
anything out of him, all she would have to do is say "Daddy,
can you get.... whatever." And he would just melt.
Carrie was making more appearances with her mother, and she was
known as Debbie Reynolds daughter. Not Carrie. She was in Girl
Scouts, and she hated it. Her mother was a leader, and she loved
it. Every Wednesday afternoon, no matter what movie Ms. Reynolds
was working on, she would come back to Beverly Hills and be a
leader for Carrie's troupe. According to Fisher, "the Girl
Scouting thing was a nightmare."
When Carrie was in her early teens, Harry Karl had hired manicurists
to come to the house. But they weren't manicurists at all, they
were hookers who were "helping him with more than his nails,"
said Fisher. He also started drinking. He became a crabby old
man that no longer cared for Debbie's children. Harry Karl started
taking Debbie's jewelry and using it to gamble. Carrie hated
him. She used to write letters to her mother telling her to get
a divorce. Debbie simply couldn't bear to face the truth, she
couldn't get another divorce. It would be to hard on her.
When Carrie was a teenager, she started helping her mother in
her Vegas nightclub acts with her brother.
At the age of 17, she was
taken to New York, along with her brother, to be in the Broadway
revival of "Irene" with their mother. Harry Karl was
left at home in Beverly Hills.
While Carrie was in New York, The Central School of Speech and
Drama in London, accepted her. Debbie thought this was a wonderful
opportunity for Carrie. But Carrie decided she didn't want to
go, she wanted to stay in Beverly Hills and play with her friends.
Her mother told her that since she was an American being accepted
into an English school, she had to go. So Carrie went. She was
glad she went and she had lots of fun in England (don't tell
her mother).
When Carrie came back to America, she was in Shampoo, along with
Warren Beaty. Debbie didn't want her to do the role because it
called for her to cuss, along with other things that any mother
wouldn't approve of. Warren called Ms. Reynolds assuring her
that he would look out for Carrie and make sure she didn't get
into any trouble. Debbie said al right even though she wasn't
sure of what was going to happen. But he kept his promise. Two
years later, Carrie was offered a role her mother did approve
of - Princess Leia in Star Wars. Sissy Spacek was originally
going to do the role, and Carrie was going to play Carrie in
Brian DePalma's version of a Stephen King novel. But Fisher had
a problem with the nude scenes in "Carrie" so she and
Sissy swapped scripts.
Carrie then went to work with George Lucas, Harrison Ford, and
Mark Hamill to film Star Wars. They traveled to London, and to
Guatemala to do the Yavin Base scenes. Carrie couldn't believe
how big the film had become.
On November 18, 1978 Carrie hosted Saturday Night Live. She was
thrown in with a crowd of people different than she'd ever been
in before. She started hanging around with John Belushi, which
is when she got into trouble. She started doing drugs with him.
He said to her, "You're just like me." Those words
would later haunt her.
During the filming of Blues Brothers, the director would constantly
ask her not to do drugs with John. She had a drug meltdown in
the late 70's, which she later wrote a book about called "Postcards
from the Edge" which was published in 1987.
She also had trouble with drugs during the filming of Empire
Strikes Back: the sequel to Star Wars. Harrison Ford would often
have to help her with her lines. She was constantly forgetting
what she was supposed to say. That's when Harrison changed his
line of, "I love you too." to "I know."
In 1982 John Belushi's words started to haunt her when John died
of an overdose of cocaine. That's when she realized she'd gone
a little to far.
1983 was a big year for Carrie. She did the final installment
in Star Wars - Return of the Jedi where she finds out that her
co-star, Mark Hamill, playing the role of Luke Skywalker. Is
her characters twin brother. That was also the year that she
married the man she had been living with. The singer, Paul Simon.
They toured together and Carrie would sometimes sing back up
for him. But it ended later that year, when Paul had finally
had enough of Carrie's drug problem. In 1987 Carrie's first novel,
"Postcards from the Edge" came out. She was now recognized
as a writer as well as an actress. Her novel was appraised by
such people as Steve Martin, who said it made Moby Dick seem
like a big fat dumb book. Candice Bergen also recognized her
book as hilarious. It gained praise from newspapers, writers,
and other actors and actresses across the nation.
"Postcards," as it was nicknamed was turned into a
movie in 1989. Meryl Streep, who was a close personal friend
of Fisher's, played the lead role of Suzanne Vale. A struggling
actress because she had to spend time in a rehab unit. Debbie
Reynolds originally wanted the part of Suzanne's mother, but
director Mike Nichols, wouldn't let her. Ultimately - Shirley
MacLaine was chosen for the part. The film was a success. It
was said to be a wickedly witty expose of life in the Hollywood
fast lane. Meryl Streep earned an Oscar nomination for the part.
And this all pleased Carrie very much.
Surrender the Pink, Carrie's second novel came out in 1990. "Surrender"
showed off many more of Fisher's talents. Surrender is about
her brief relationship with Paul Simon. Dinah Koffman, the main
character in her book, has had a lopsided love life, since she
was born.
Billie Catherine, Carrie's first and only child was born July
12, 1992. Fisher was then seeing Bryan Lourd. Lourd was an ex-CAA
agent. After Billie was born, Bryan gave Carrie some devastating
news. Lourd was leaving his girlfriend and daughter for a man.
Carrie was then left with a million dollar ranch house, and a
child to raise all by herself. Since then, she's been afraid
to have another relationship because she's afraid the person
will be hiding something from her. Carrie's latest novel - Delusions
of Grandma - was published in 1993. Carrie was now becoming a
well recognized writer for her wit, and humor. Delusions of Grandma
is about screen writer Cora (l can't remember the last name),
writing letters to her unborn child, Esme. Who her friend Bud
thinks sounds like a noise your nose makes. Esme's name is changed
at the last minute.
Between 1993 and 1997 Carrie worked as a screen writer and script
doctor. She has worked on such films as Lethal Weapon 3, Hook,
and Sister Act 2. She's also script doctored a new Sandra Bullock
film entitled Kate and Lepold.
In 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is the
first movie she's been in since 1992's This is My life. She has
taken the break to raise her child and to concentrate on her
writing.
Since the Special Edition of Star Wars, Carrie has been on many
talk shows and other television programs. Such as Ellen, where
she worked with her half-sister Joely Fisher.
She is currently helping Lucas in writing Episode one of the
Star Wars Prequels. (ED. note: This is the first I've ever
heard of this, so I wonder about it's veracity) Fisher is
working to strengthen female roles, so the actresses who will
be in the movie won't have to deal with what she went through.
And her fourth novel - Billie's Holiday is on it's way to publication.
Fisher also has signed a multi-year comedy development deal with
Universal Television. Fisher will develop and script comedy projects
for the studio. |
