Carrie Fisher

Carrie Frances Fisher was born in Beverly Hills in 1956, the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. She grew up in the glare of Hollywood, made her film debut in Shampoo, and at nineteen was cast as Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars, a role that made her one of the most recognizable figures in cinema history.

Beyond the Star Wars trilogy, Fisher built a formidable second career as a writer. Her semi-autobiographical novel Postcards from the Edge became a bestseller and an acclaimed film, and she was one of Hollywood's most sought-after script doctors. In memoirs and her one-woman show Wishful Drinking, she wrote about bipolar disorder and addiction with disarming candor, becoming a pioneering advocate for mental health.

Fisher returned as General Leia in the new Star Wars films, delighting a new generation. She died in December 2016, at sixty, days after suffering a medical emergency on a flight to Los Angeles; her mother died the following day. She is remembered as a princess, a general, a brilliant writer, and a voice that made countless people feel less alone.