Image Source: Wikipedia

Debbie Reynolds

Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s.

She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer with her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words. Her breakout role was her first leading role, as Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain (1952). Her other successes include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Susan Slept Here (1954), Bundle of Joy (1956 Golden Globe nomination), The Catered Affair (1956 National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress Winner), and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), in which her performance of the song "Tammy" topped the Billboard music charts. In 1959, she starred in The Mating Game with Tony Randall, and released Debbie, her first pop music album. She starred in Singin' in the Rain (1952) with Gene Kelly, How the West Was Won (1962), and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), where her performance as the famously boisterous Titanic passenger Margaret "Molly" Brown earned Reynolds an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her other films include: The Singing Nun (1966), Divorce American Style (1967), What's the Matter with Helen? (1971), Mother (1996; Golden Globe nomination) and In & Out (1997). She was known for voicing Charlotte A. Cavatica in Charlotte's Web (1973). Reynolds was also known as a cabaret performer; in 1979, she opened the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in North Hollywood.

Her television series The Debbie Reynolds Show earned her a Golden Globe nomination in 1969. She starred in the 1973 Broadway revival of the musical Irene, which earned her a Tony Award nomination for "Best Leading Actress in a Musical." She was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in A Gift of Love (1999). After appearing in the popular early-2000s sitcom Will & Grace, Reynolds was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series" for her role as Bobbi, the mother of Grace Adler. Reynolds would reach a new, younger audience with her role as Aggie Cromwell in Disney's Halloweentown series.

Reynolds also had several business ventures besides her dance studio, including a Las Vegas hotel and casino; she was also an avid collector of film memorabilia, beginning with items purchased at the landmark 1970 MGM auction. She served as president of The Thalians, an organization dedicated to mental health causes. After receiving the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2015 and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2016, she made her final film performance in the biographical retrospective Bright Lights. Reynolds died following a hemorrhagic stroke on December 28, 2016, one day after the death of her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher.

Birth and Death Data: Born El Paso (city in and county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States), Died December 28, 2016 (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (hospital in Los Angeles, California, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1957 - 1960

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, speaker

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 102566 5/28/1957 French heels Debbie Reynolds vocalist  
Decca 102567 5/28/1957 [Unknown title(s)] Debbie Reynolds vocalist  
Decca 103370 9/20/1957 [Unknown title(s)] Debbie Reynolds vocalist  
Decca 103371 9/20/1957 A very special love Debbie Reynolds vocalist  
Decca 103372 9/20/1957 I saw a country boy Debbie Reynolds vocalist  
Decca 103373 9/20/1957 Hungry eyes Debbie Reynolds vocalist  
Decca 108789 3/2/1960 Saturday Evening Post interview Debbie Reynolds speaker  
Decca L 10036 4/19/1957 Tammy Debbie Reynolds vocalist  
Decca L 10894 4/2/1958 This happy feeling Debbie Reynolds vocalist  
Decca L 10895 4/2/1958 Faces there are fairer Debbie Reynolds vocalist  
Decca L 10896 4/2/1958 Hillside in Scotland Debbie Reynolds vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Reynolds, Debbie," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/208449.

Reynolds, Debbie. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/208449.

"Reynolds, Debbie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/208449

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.