Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer who was an MGM contract star. She is also a collector of movie memorabilia.
Reynolds was born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, Texas, the second child of Maxine N. and Raymond Francis Reynolds, who was a carpenter for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Reynolds was a Girl Scout and a troop leader. Her family moved to Burbank, California, in 1939, and she was raised in a strict Nazarene faith. At age 16, while a student at Burbank's John Burroughs High School, Reynolds won the Miss Burbank Beauty Contest, a contract with Warner Brothers, and acquired her new first name.
Debbie Reynolds regularly appeared in movie musicals during the 1950s and had several hit records during the period. Her song "Aba Daba Honeymoon" was a top-three hit in 1951. Her most high-profile film role was in Singin' in the Rain as Kathy Selden. In Bundle of Joy she appeared with her then-husband, Eddie Fisher.
Her recording of the song "Tammy" earned her a gold record, and was the best-selling single by a female vocalist in 1957. It was number one for five weeks on the Billboard pop charts. In the movie she co-starred with Leslie Nielsen.