(CNN)Here’s a look at the life of actress and writer Carrie Fisher, who is best-known for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” movie franchise.
Personal:
Birth date: October 21, 1956
Birth date: October 21, 1956
Birth place: Beverly Hills, California
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Birth name: Carrie Frances Fisher
Father: Eddie Fisher, singer
Mother: Debbie Reynolds, actress and singer
Marriages: Paul Simon (August 1983-July 1984, divorced)
Children: with Bryan Lourd: Billie Catherine Lourd
Education: Attended Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London
Other Facts:
Nominated for two Emmy Awards.
Nominated for two Emmy Awards.
Has acted in film, plays, and television, and written a number of best-selling books.
Fisher has lobbied as an advocate for mental health awareness and treatment and has spoken before the California State Senate.
She was diagnosed as suffering from bipolar disorder, “I was diagnosed at 24, but I had been seeing a therapist since I was about 15. I didn’t like the diagnosis…Then I overdosed at 28, at which point I began to accept the bipolar diagnosis.”
She credits the psychiatric hospital Silver Hill in New Canaan, Connecticut, with helping her get her life back together after treatment for alcohol addiction and bipolar disorder. “It was one of the best places I was ever institutionalized.”
Fisher is the well-respected script-doctor of such movies as “The Wedding Singer” and “Sister Act.”
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