Trivia

She died only one day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher.

She reconciled with old nemesis Elizabeth Taylor to work on the made-for-TV movie These Old Broads (2001), written by Debbie's daughter, Carrie Fisher, with Taylor, Shirley MacLaine and Joan Collins. Debbie and Taylor were friends until the late 1950s when Debbie's then-husband, Eddie Fisher, began having an affair with Liz, then left Debbie and married Taylor. When they began working on "These Old Broads" together, Taylor told Debbie, "I owe you a lot". Debbie said, "I just got a lump in my throat when she said that".

Opened the Hollywood Motion Picture Collection near the Kodak Theatre. The collection, which was collected and preserved primarily by Reynolds herself, features over 3,000 costumes including Carmen Miranda's turbans, a pair of Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz (1939), John Wayne's guns and Marilyn Monroe's windswept dress from The Seven Year Itch (1955). (April 2002)

Won the 1948 Miss Burbank contest and was offered a screen test by Warner Bros. the day after her win. She initially entered the contest because everyone who entered received a silk scarf, blouse and free lunch.

Considered herself a "movie-oholic" and has an extensive collection of memorabilia, with over 4,000 costumes from the silent screen period to the 1970s. She had been known to gather posters from her collection of 3,000 and drive to homes of actor pals for autographs. In the 1990s she turned her collection into a Las Vegas movie museum, but had to shut it down in 1997 because of financial problems. Recently she had looked into the possibility of opening up a hall of fame museum in Hollywood near Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

She appeared as Dan's mother, fresh out of the mental ward, during an episode of the sitcom Roseanne (1988). When she later appeared on Roseanne Barr's talk show, she revealed that during the filming of that episode, while she and Roseanne were wrestling in the back yard, Roseanne, quite unknowingly, accidentally broke one of her ribs.

Had 2 children: daughter, Carrie Fisher (October 21, 1956 - December 27, 2016) & son, Todd Fisher (b. February 24, 1958) with ex-husband, Eddie Fisher.

One of the few actresses to have danced with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly on screen. Other actresses who have done this include: Judy Garland, Cyd Charisse, Vera-Ellen, Rita Hayworth and Leslie Caron.

In one of her guest appearances on Will & Grace (1998), she entered a room humming a bit of "Good Morning", which was a song she sang in her most famous musical, Singin' in the Rain (1952).

Had planned to go into the education field (teaching physical education) before she won the Miss Burbank contest.

At one particularly low point in her career, she confessed to literally living in her car, a Cadillac.

In 1969 she followed Doris Day and some of her contemporaries in launching a sitcom bearing her name. When the debut episode included an advertisement for cigarettes, a direct violation of one of her contractual stipulations, she made such a fuss about it that NBC ended up canceling the series.

On the British game show QI, after Host Stephen Fry confirmed with Carrie Fisher that on the set of Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly rehearsed Debbie until her feet bled. Fisher then revealed "She also said that Gene Kelly french kissed her and she vomited.".

Although she wanted to be in show business, the Reynolds' family church, the Nazarene, forbade acting. However, Reynolds' father saw her talent and gave his support, seeing it as a means of paying her college costs. Her mother then gave her support knowing that there would be no "evil" going on in her movies.

Made her Broadway debut in 1973 in the revival of "Irene". Although the reviews for the show itself were mixed, hers were all raves and she wound up with a Tony Award nomination the following year for Best Actress in a Musical. The production ultimately ran some 20 months. In 1976, she appeared in a one-woman, short-run (10 days - 14 performances) review named "Debbie!" at the Minskoff Theatre. Her only other Broadway appearance to date came when she succeeded Lauren Bacall in "Woman of the Year" in 1983.

Her father entered her in a beauty pageant once when she was very young. She wore a bathing suit that her mother had mended that morning and a pair of her sister's high heels.

President of The Thalians, an organization for the treatment of mental health at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. Ruta Lee is the chairman. Both have been actively involved in building this celebrity run organization for over 30 years.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6654 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 13, 1997.

Was Elizabeth Taylor's Matron of Honor at Taylor's wedding to Mike Todd.

In the process of relocating her museum to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. A new Hollywood Motion Picture Museum is being constructed there by Debbie and her children Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher. It opened in April 2005. (July 2004)

In 1984, with friends like Shelley Winters and Terry Moore, she made a rather restrained exercise video for "women of a certain age".

At the time of her death, she was scheduled to attend Zsa Zsa Gabor's funeral.

Played the French horn in high school and was a member of the Burbank Youth Symphony.

In 1964 she went into the hospital business, purchasing Oceanside Hospital in Oceanside, CA, for $1,000,000 with plans to turn it into a profitable business venture.

Her first appearance on Will & Grace (1998) was in the episode entitled "The Unsinkable Mommy Adler", a play on the title of the movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). She played both title roles.

Accomplished musician on french horn, bass and violin and was a fashion designer in her spare time.

She was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2014.

Was friends with Jane Powell; they shared the same birthday.

Died just less than 36 hours (about 30 to be exact) after her daughter, Carrie Fisher. After her passing, several physicians pointed out that it was likely -- not a coincidence, but a case of 'broken heart' syndrome.

She has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Singin' in the Rain (1952) and How the West Was Won (1962).

Ex-mother-in-law of Paul Simon.

Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for her Las Vegas hotel. (July 1997)

In the film 'Singing in the Rain' Debbie Reynolds was dubbing Jean Hagen but she herself was dubbed by Betty Noye.

Her personal favorite film of hers was The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964).

Was a member of the International Order of Job's Daughters. Is a past honored Queen of Bethel No. 97, Burbank, California.

Became pregnant by her 2nd husband Harry Karl in 1961 and 1963; on both occasions she suffered stillbirths.

Was close friends with Hugh O'Brian. Serenaded O'Brien and his bride Virginia at their wedding on June 25, 2006.

Campaigned for the role of Doris Mann in Postcards from the Edge (1990), but Shirley MacLaine was cast instead.

She made her first appearance at the Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show on April 6th and 7th, 2002, at Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, California.

She had English, some Scottish, Scots-Irish (Northern Irish), and German, and distant French, ancestry.

Grandmother of Billie Lourd.

Mother-in-law of Catherine Hickland.

Her singing of "I Want To Be Loved By You", in the film Three Little Words (1950), was dubbed by Helen Kane.

She dedicated the Holland-America Line cruise ship the MS Veendam. (January 1996)

In the movie version of her daughter Carrie Fisher's autobiographical novel Postcards from the Edge, the character thought to be based on Debbie Reynolds was played by Shirley MacLaine.

Is portrayed by Judith Jones in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story (1995).

As a result of the publicity (and sympathy) generated by her humiliating divorce from Eddie Fisher (who abandoned her to marry her best friend Elizabeth Taylor) Reynolds ranked #5 among the Top Ten Box Office Stars list for both 1959 and 1960.

In 1975 she sold the Beverly Hills mansion she had lived in with Harry Karl. The house was reputed to be worth over $1,000,000. The buyer was Jim Randall, an industrialist who made aircraft rivets. When he married Marisa Berenson, the wedding was held in the redecorated home and his best man was his friend George Hamilton.

When Reynolds was going through her highly publicized divorce from Eddie Fisher, news crews were camped out around the clock on Reynolds' front lawn. To ingratiate herself to reporters (and engender public sympathy for her role as the "wronged wife") Reynolds would regularly grant interviews in front of the house, often with diaper pins on her blouse and her two toddler aged children, Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher, in her arms.

Son Todd, named after director Mike Todd, married Donna Freberg, daughter of comedian Stan Freberg.