Debbie Reynolds Biography | American Actress and Singer

Mary Frances (Debbie) Reynolds

Born: April 1, 1932
Place of Birth: El Paso, Texas

Major Notes:

Debbie Reynolds in the 1950's and 60's could be best classed as America's Sweetheart.
She spent her childhood in the Great Depression where her grandparents, who had four sons, took in the Reynolds family.
Reynolds' parents and grandparents lived day-to-day to support the family as best they could.
By 1939, the Reynolds had moved to California where her father had found work for the local railroad.
In the 40's, Reynolds attended public school and joined the school band.
She developed a skill for lip-syncing songs by music stars of the day.
At age 16, she entered and won a "Miss Burbank" contest with her looks and lip-syncing talent.
There was a talent scout for Warner Brothers in the audience and he arranged for Reynolds to have a movie screen test.
She was signed to a contract and given the studio name "Debbie" but also made to attend school.
Reynolds underwent a period of training for acting, dancing, and singing with Warners and, later, with MGM.
Although Reynolds appeared in two films for Warners, it was MGM who thought she had real talent.
MGM signed her to a seven year studio contact and by 1950, Reynolds had completed another two films for MGM.
In addition, her talent for comical rolls with singing brought life to Two Weeks in Love, a romantic comedy starring Jane Powell.
Still just a teenager, Reynolds successfully graduated from John Burroughs High School
In 1952, Reynolds appeared along with Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connors in Singing in the Rain, proving she could handle a leading role.
Over the next decade, she appeared in many romantic comedies and became one of the most popular movie stars of the time.
Reynolds had several marriages including a much publicized one with Eddie Fisher who broke up with Reynolds to marry Elizabeth Taylor.
Throughout the 70's and 80's, Reynolds starred in many television roles as well as stage plays and movies.
She had unfortunate luck, however, in that a couple of her husbands and poor business judgment left her deeply in debt.
From the 90's to the present Day, Reynolds has continued to work in the media successfully and has operated what is known as Debbie's Hollywood Motion Picture Museum.
Debbie Reynolds has gained many honors over the past including an Oscar, Golden Globes, and Lifetime Achievement awards.

For detailed research and more information, check out the following: Yahoo! Movies Reel Classics IMDb Bio Official Site MSN Movies IMDb Awards List Please report any broken or incorrect links above to:
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Major Notes:

Debbie Reynolds in the 1950's and 60's could be best classed as America's Sweetheart.

She spent her childhood in the Great Depression where her grandparents, who had four sons, took in the Reynolds family.

Reynolds' parents and grandparents lived day-to-day to support the family as best they could.

By 1939, the Reynolds had moved to California where her father had found work for the local railroad.

In the 40's, Reynolds attended public school and joined the school band.

She developed a skill for lip-syncing songs by music stars of the day.

At age 16, she entered and won a "Miss Burbank" contest with her looks and lip-syncing talent.

There was a talent scout for Warner Brothers in the audience and he arranged for Reynolds to have a movie screen test.

She was signed to a contract and given the studio name "Debbie" but also made to attend school.

Reynolds underwent a period of training for acting, dancing, and singing with Warners and, later, with MGM.

Although Reynolds appeared in two films for Warners, it was MGM who thought she had real talent.

MGM signed her to a seven year studio contact and by 1950, Reynolds had completed another two films for MGM.

In addition, her talent for comical rolls with singing brought life to Two Weeks in Love, a romantic comedy starring Jane Powell.

Still just a teenager, Reynolds successfully graduated from John Burroughs High School

In 1952, Reynolds appeared along with Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connors in Singing in the Rain, proving she could handle a leading role.

Over the next decade, she appeared in many romantic comedies and became one of the most popular movie stars of the time.

Reynolds had several marriages including a much publicized one with Eddie Fisher who broke up with Reynolds to marry Elizabeth Taylor.

Throughout the 70's and 80's, Reynolds starred in many television roles as well as stage plays and movies.

She had unfortunate luck, however, in that a couple of her husbands and poor business judgment left her deeply in debt.

From the 90's to the present Day, Reynolds has continued to work in the media successfully and has operated what is known as Debbie's Hollywood Motion Picture Museum.

Debbie Reynolds has gained many honors over the past including an Oscar, Golden Globes, and Lifetime Achievement awards.