Carrie Fisher
The sharp-witted actress who turned Princess Leia into a feminist icon, then fearlessly documented her own battles with addiction and mental health.
1956–2016 (age 60)·American actress and writer·Birthday: October 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Carrie Fisher was Hollywood royalty from the start, the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, but she carved her own path with a sardonic wit that cut through the industry's glitter. Cast as Princess Leia at 19, she transformed a damsel-in-distress role into a commanding leader, wielding a blaster and a withering glare. The sudden, galactic fame was disorienting, fueling struggles with bipolar disorder and drug addiction that she later mined for darkly comic material as a novelist and screenwriter. Her one-woman show and subsequent memoir, 'Wishful Drinking,' reframed her public persona from a Star Wars figure to a brutally honest chronicler of recovery and family dysfunction. In her final years, she became a vocal advocate for mental health, her candidness making her more beloved than ever.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Carrie was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Carrie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Carrie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Created the defining role of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, reshaping the archetype of a sci-fi heroine.
- Authored the semi-autobiographical novel 'Postcards from the Edge,' which was adapted into a successful film.
- Became a powerful advocate for mental health awareness, speaking openly about her life with bipolar disorder.
- Received a posthumous Grammy Award in 2018 for the audiobook recording of her memoir 'The Princess Diarist.'
Did You Know?
She was a highly sought-after script doctor, working on films like 'Hook,' 'Sister Act,' and 'The Wedding Singer.'
She once dated musician Paul Simon and was briefly married to him in the 1980s.
She owned a French bulldog named Gary who frequently accompanied her to interviews and public events.
Her ashes were buried in a giant Prozac pill-shaped urn.
“Take your broken heart, make it into art.”
