Profile of the Day: Debbie Reynolds

On this day in 1932, actress Debbie Reynolds was born.

Image: Debbie Reynolds / Wikimedia Commons

She was born Mary Frances Reynolds on April 1, 1932 in El Paso, Texas. She was the second child of Maxine “Minnie” Harmon and Raymond Francis Reynolds, a carpenter for the Southern Pacific Railroad. A proud supporter of scouting, Reynolds was once a Girl Scout herself and a troop leader.

After winning Miss Burbank at the age of 16, Reynolds signed her first film contract. She soon landed what would become her most memorable role in Singin’ in the Rain alongside Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor. In 1955, she married actor Eddie Fisher and together they had two children, Todd and actress Carrie Fisher. The marriage ultimately ended in scandal after it was revealed that Fisher had been having an affair with Reynold’s good friend, Elizabeth Taylor.

Over the course of her long career, Reynolds was nominated for multiple awards, including an Academy Award, an Emmy, and a Tony. Sadly, Reynolds died on December 28, 2016, one day after her daughter Carrie passed away. She was 84 years old.

View Debbie Reynolds’s Geni Profile