Carrie Fisher’s 70th Birthday — Remembering the ‘Star Wars’ Icon With Photos From Then Until the End

Tragically, on the morning of December 27, 2016, following a medical emergency on a flight on December 23, and after four days in intensive care at UCLA Medical Center, Fisher passed away at the age of just 60. Multiple causes were found to have contributed to her death, including sleep apnea, atherosclerotic heart disease, and years of substance addiction.

Actress and writer Fisher was undoubtedly best known for her iconic role as Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” movies. She played Leia in 1977’s “Star Wars,” 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back,” 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” and 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” (the latter using unused footage from the previous film).

But “Star Wars” was far from Fisher’s only work. Other movies she appeared in include 1980’s “The Blues Brothers,” 1986’s “Hannah and Her Sisters,” 1989’s “The ‘Burbs” and “When Harry Met Sally…” and 2009’s “The Women.” On television, she appeared in the likes of “Sex and the City,” “Smallville,” “30 Rock,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Catastrophe.”

To remember the star on the day she would have become a septuagenarian, let’s take a photographic look back at Carrie Fisher from her childhood and early career until the end.

Above is a social media post featuring four pictures of Fisher from her 9th birthday party in 1965.

In the 1970s, Fisher’s career as an actress took off. While she made her on-screen debut in 1969 alongside her mother in the television movie “Debbie Reynolds and the Sound of Children,” her next credit came in 1975, when she starred in the comedy movie “Shampoo.”

Of course, in 1977, she landed a role in George Lucas’ “Star Wars” and the rest, as they say, is history. The above picture shows Fisher that same year.

Fisher appeared in two more “Star Wars” movies in the 1980s. They were, of course, the aforementioned “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and”Return of the Jedi” in 1983.

Additional roles through the decade included the above-mentioned “The Blues Brothers” in 1980 and both “The ‘Burbs” and “When Harry Met Sally…” in 1989.

In the above picture, she is promoting “Return of the Jedi” in her iconic metal Princess Leia bikini.

In the 1990s, Fisher’s main role was as a mother. Through her relationship with talent agent Bryan Lourd, she gave birth to a daughter in 1992. Billie Lourd is now 34 and an actress herself. Most recently, she appeared in Netflix’s “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” and FX’s “American Horror Story: 13.”

Fisher’s credits in the 1990s included the 1991 movies “Drop Dead Fred” and “Soapdish,” 1992’s “This Is My Life,” and one-off appearances on television shows like “Frasier” and “Ellen.”

Above, she can be seen in 1999 with her daughter.

In the 2000s, Fisher’s movie credits included the likes of 2001’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” 2003’s “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” and “Wonderland,” 2004’s “Stateside,” 2005’s “Undiscovered,” 2007’s “Cougar Club,” 2008’s “The Women,” and 2009’s “Sorority Row.”

On the small screen, she appeared in the likes of “Sex and the City,” “Biography,” “Smallville,” “Weeds,” and “30 Rock.” She also began voicing Angela in “Family Guy.”

Above, she can be seen at the Fox 2007 Programming presentation in Central Park.

Movie-wise, in the 2010s, Fisher’s credits included 2014’s “Maps the to Stars” and the aforementioned “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2015, 2017, and 2019, respectively. She also starred in the 2016 documentary film “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.”

Television roles included “Entourage,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Legit,” “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,” and “Catastrophe.”

Her final credited acting role was a posthumous one in the 2023 film “Wonderwell.”

Above, you can see a pictures of Fisher with Gary, her beloved French bulldog and emotional support service animal who managed her bipolar disorder. The photo was taken at the 54th New York Film Festival in 2016, the same year she tragically passed away.

On what would have been Carrie Fisher’s 70th birthday, our thoughts are with everyone who loved the “Star Wars” icon. May her memory forever be a blessing to them. Moreover, may she continue to rest in eternal peace.

Carrie Fisher’s filmography info was courtesy of IMDb.

Kevin Stewart Kevin Stewart has been a full-time writer and editor since 2013. He’s produced content (news stories, listicles, feature articles, opinion pieces, reviews, quizzes, viral content, and voice-over scripts) for various prominent entertainment websites and YouTube channels, accumulating thousands of published pieces and hundreds of millions of views. He’s a member of the UK Film Critics Association. As an EntertainmentNow contributor, he writes trending entertainment news and feature articles. He covers celebrities, movies, television, and more. More about Kevin Stewart