Debbie Reynolds

Entertainer Debbie Reynolds embodied the cheerful bounce and youthful innocence of the post-World War II era, enetergizing her films through sincere charm and energy. One of a long line of girls-next-door like Doris Day and June Allyson, Reynolds was never as sultry as Day could be, and was less of a tomboy than either. In her most successful films, like "Tammy and the Bachelor" (1957) and "Singin' in the Rain" (1952), she was often cast as a sincere young adult in the throes of puppy love rather than the virgin chased by rogues like Day or the placid housewife like Allyson. Her squeaky-clean image came in handy when, in the biggest Hollywood scandal of the 1950s, her then-husband Eddie Fisher left her and their two children, Carrie and Todd, for sultry screen goddess, Elizabeth Taylor. Not surprisingly, the public was more than on Reynolds' side as the jilted wife. Once that furor died down, Reynolds was left to reinvent herself. In the late 1960s, when new sexual mores suddenly rendered the docile suburban female image a thing of the past, Reynolds shifted her focus to nightclub and theatrical stages. She was absent from the big screen for decades but settled into a comfortable presence in the American fabric by returning to film in the 1990s with funny mom roles in films like "Mother" (1996) and "In and Out" (1997), hysterical guest appearances as the over-the-top mother of Grace Adler (Debra Messing) on "Will & Grace" (NBC, 1998-2006), and a clever turn as Frances Liberace in Steven Soderbergh's biopic "Behind the Candelabra" (HBO 2013). Reynolds brought both self-deprecating wit and nostalgic charm to these and other well-received comedic outings, using her persona as a perennially perky throwback to mine genuine laughs into her 80s. Tragically, Debbie Reynolds died on December 28, 2016, only one day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher. She was 84 years old.