Carrie Fisher

Very sad news today...

One of the most iconic figures in modern film history is gone. Carrie Fisher, the actress known worldwide for portraying Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars saga and for her second act reinvention as a novelist, diarist, screenwriter, and in-demand script doctor, has died just days after suffering a heart attack. She was 60. 

The daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds (whose marriage and tumultuous divorce made headlines while she was just a girl), Fisher grew up in Beverly Hills a bookish, reserved child, before embarking on an acting career while still in high school. She would make her first prominent acting appearance as a debutante and singer in the Broadway revival of Irene, which starred her mother. This was followed in 1975 with an acclaimed appearance in Warren Beatty’s hit comedy Shampoo. 

But it was of course her second film role that would catapult her to permanent and worldwide fame. Co-starring alongside Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill in the George Lucas-directed Star Wars – since retitled Star Wars: A New Hope – Fisher portrayed Leia Organa, Princess, Senator and in the most recent film, General. One of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance, Leia as portrayed by Fisher is a hard-as-nails, uncompromising freedom fighter despite losing her family and homeworld. Fisher would go on to portray Leia in the Star Wars sequels The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and 2015’s The Force Awakens, as well as the much-derided 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special.

Though as an actress her non-Star Wars roles were vastly overshadowed by the intergalactic Princess, Fisher continued to pursue varied and interesting roles in front of the camera. Among them, she notably appeared in The Blues Brothers, The Man with One Red Shoe, Hannah and Her Sisters, When Harry Met Sally…, and a slew of other films, often referencing her most well-known role.

Fisher is also known for her book, Postcards From The Edge, and wrote the screenplay for the movie from her novel. She was previously married to Paul Simon.

She was a very talented writer and actress with a colorful career and personal life and will certainly be missed.