Debbie Reynolds was the stage name of Mary Frances Reynolds, an American actress, singer, and entrepreneur. Her career lasted for over 70 years. Reynolds’ depiction of Helen Kane in the 1950 movie Three Little Words earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Her breakthrough performance as Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain was her first main role.
Reynolds went on to play the infamously rowdy Molly Brown in the biographical film The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She also starred in How the West Was Won. Reynolds was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her work as Molly Brown. Later, she played roles in Mother, In & Out, and Charlotte’s Web. When she played Aggie Cromwell in the Disney Halloweentown series of movies from 1998 to 2006, her talents were rediscovered by a younger generation.
In addition to her acting talents, Reynolds had a number of business endeavors, including ownership of a dance studio and a hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Reynolds was also a fervent collector of movie memorabilia, starting with pieces bought at the historic 1970 MGM auction. She presided for years over The Thalians, a group that supports causes related to mental health. Reynolds maintained a solid career well into her advanced age. Reynolds tragically passed away in 2016 after a stroke at the age of 84. She had two famous children: Todd Fisher, a director and producer, and Carrie Fisher, an actress known for playing Princess Leia in Star Wars, who has also passed away. Here is a list of Debbie Reynolds’ greatest film roles.
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6 In & Out
Spelling Films
In the 1997 movie In & Out, the fictitious actor Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon), upon receiving an award, honors Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline), his high school teacher, by revealing his sexual orientation in front of millions of people. This is a surprise to Brackett’s parents (Wilford Brimley and Debbie Reynolds), his principal (Bob Newhart), and especially his fiancée (Joan Cusack). Brackett comically tries to persuade everyone that he is your typical heterosexual American guy as a media blitz comes upon his little Indiana community.
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5 Three Little Words
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The 1950 American musical film Three Little Words is a biopic of Kalmar and Ruby’s Tin Pan Alley songwriting duo. Along with Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl as their spouses, it features Fred Astaire as lyricist Bert Kalmar and Red Skelton as composer Harry Ruby. Helen Kane, a singer, is played by Reynolds in a brief but noteworthy appearance. The American Film Institute honored the movie by nominating it for inclusion on their list of the Greatest Movie Musicals in 2006.
4 Charlotte’s Web
Hanna-Barbera Produductions
This 1973 animated movie Charlotte’s Web, produced by Hannah-Barbera Productions, adapts the well-known children’s tale by E.B. White, in which the young farm pig Wilbur, voiced by Henry Gibson, tries to avert a terrible fate. Charlotte, voiced by Reynolds, a smart spider who develops a fascinating strategy to prevent the kind little pig from being slaughtered, is Wilbur’s most steadfast ally of all the barnyard animals. Although Charlotte’s attempts, which entail writing words in her fine web, appear improbable, they could actually succeed. Reynolds phoned Joseph Barbera and stated she was prepared to join the movie even if she wouldn’t get paid since she liked the original story so much, according to Joseph Barbera’s autobiography.
3 The Unsinkable Molly Brown
The Unsinkable Molly Brown is a 1964 film based on the book by Richard Morris, which is in turn based on a 1960s musical of the same name. The story is based on the fictitious life of Margaret “Molly” Brown, who escaped the RMS Titanic’s sinking in 1912. Reynolds’ character, Molly Brown, is a rural girl who wants to leave her roots and marry a wealthy guy.
Johnny Brown (Harve Presnell), who recently sold up his profitable claim on a Colorado silver mine, is the person she finds. Molly inadvertently sets the concealed cash on fire in a stove. But Johnny quickly finds gold, elevating the duo to royal status in Denver. However, having money doesn’t guarantee happiness, and with their relationship in trouble, Molly leaves for Europe before taking an unbelievable voyage back on the Titanic.
2 Singin’ in the Rain
A musical romantic comedy from 1952, Singin’ in the Rain features Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Reynolds. The three stars play actors caught up in the transition from silent films to talkies, providing a playful portrayal of Hollywood in the late-1920s. The movie subsequently gained popularity and has since been used as a reference in innumerable other movies, TV series, plays, and even in a comic book. One of the first 25 movies chosen by the US Library of Congress in 1989 for preservation in the National Film Registry, per LA Times, because it was “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
1 Halloweentown Series
Disney
The 1998 Disney Channel original film Halloweentown would serve as the first chapter in the Halloweentown franchise. The story revolves around Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown), who learns she’s a witch on her 13th birthday, finds a hidden portal, and travels to Halloweentown, a magical location where her grandmother Aggie (Reynolds) also resides and where ghosts, ghouls, witches, and werewolves live apart from the human world. Reynolds did a great job of portraying the somewhat sassy and sarcastic older witch who really seems to care about her family and wishes her daughter Gwen (Judith Hoag) would embrace her roots. Marnie quickly finds herself engaged in a battle against evil warlocks, curses, and never-ending twists. The movie was so successful that three others, including one with a different lead actress, were made after it: Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge in 2001, Halloweentown High in 2004, and Return to Halloweentown in 2006. Rumors of a fifth film surfaced in 2017, according to E! News, but no official announcement has been made.
