Eddie Fisher was born on August 10, 1928, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents, Kate and Joseph Fisher, were Russian Jewish immigrants. He had four siblings: Rose, Jack, David, and Florence. Fisher was raised in a poor neighborhood and dropped out of high school in order to help support his family. He began his career as a singer with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. In 1950, he signed a contract with RCA Victor and released his first hit single, “Thinking of You.”
Fisher’s career took off in the early 1950s. He appeared on numerous television shows and had his own radio program. He also starred in two movies, “Mr. Music” (1950) and “Bundle of Joy” (1956). In 1956, he divorced his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, and married Elizabeth Taylor. The couple had two children together, Liza and Maria.
Fisher’s career began to decline in the 1960s. He divorced Taylor in 1964 and married Connie Stevens in 1967. The couple had two children together, Joely and Tricia Leigh. Fisher’s career continued to decline in the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in a few made-for-television movies and made occasional guest appearances on television shows.
Fisher died on September 22, 2010, at the age of 82. His cause of death was complications from hip surgery. At the time of his death, he was survived by his fourth wife, Betty Lin; his children, Joely, Tricia Leigh, Liza, and Maria; and his grandchildren.
General Info
Full Name
Eddie Fisher
Died
September 22, 2010, Berkeley, California, United States
Height
1.64 m
Profession
Singer, Entertainer, Spokesperson, Oh My Pa-Pa, I'm Walking Behind You, I Need You Now
Education
Thomas Junior High School, South Philadelphia High School, Simon Gratz High School, Oh My Pa-Pa, I'm Walking Behind You, I Need You Now
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Oh My Pa-Pa, I'm Walking Behind You, I Need You Now, Betty Lin, Terry Richard, Connie Stevens, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds
Children
Carrie Fisher, Todd Fisher, Joely Fisher, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Oh My Pa-Pa, I'm Walking Behind You, I Need You Now
Parents
Joseph Fisher, Kate Winokur, Oh My Pa-Pa, I'm Walking Behind You, I Need You Now
Accomplishments
Awards
Golden Globe Award for Television Achievement
Nominations
NME Award for Favourite US Male Singer, Primetime Emmy Award for Best Male Singer, Oh My Pa-Pa, I'm Walking Behind You, I Need You Now
Movies
Bundle of Joy, BUtterfield 8, Nothing Lasts Forever, Eddie Fisher Sings the Hits, In Concert Series: Eddie Fisher
TV Shows
Coke Time with Eddie Fisher, The George Gobel Show
On his service in the United States Army: The Army gave me a lot more than I gave it. Why I did shows I never would have done. In the rain, the mud, off the backs of trucks, without a mike and sometimes without even music.
2
[on Richard Burton] Who could take that scruffy arrogant buffoon seriously?
3
By the time I was thirty-three years old I'd been married to America's sweetheart and America's femme fatale and both marriages had ended in scandal; I'd been one of the most popular singers in America and had given up my career for love; I had fathered two children and adopted two children and rarely saw any of them; I was addicted to methamphetamines and I couldn't sleep at night without a huge dose of Librium. And from all this I had learned one very important lesson: There were no rules for me. I could get away with anything so long as that sound came out of my throat.
4
Debbie Reynolds was indeed the girl next door. But only if you lived next door to a self-centered, totally driven, insecure, untruthful phony.
Facts
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Fact
1
He is survived by six grandchildren.
2
In 1951, he was drafted into the United States Army where he was singing with the Army Band and touring bases overseas.
3
He was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.
He was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard for Television at 1724 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
6
In Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), he appeared uncredited as a street urchin begging for food from Catherine Holly, the character played by his wife at the time, Elizabeth Taylor.
7
Around 1956, Eddie Fisher and his agent Lew Wasserman were discussing roles for Fisher's acting debut. A project being discussed at the time was "What Makes Sammy Run?" by Budd Schulberg and Stuart Schulberg. Fisher wanted to play aggressive producer Sammy Glick, "the ultimate Jewish hustler. I knew a lot of real Sammy Glicks and I felt confident that was a character I could play." Lew Wasserman decided that the character was too much of a classic negative Jewish stereotype and that it would be bad for Fisher to play it. So Fisher went in the complete opposite direction (in retrospect, perhaps too far) with then-wife Debbie Reynolds in the squeaky clean comedy that Fisher hated, Bundle of Joy (1956), a film made to capitalize on the birth of their daughter, future Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) "Princess Leia" Carrie Fisher. The Schulberg project "What Makes Sammy Run?" was eventually produced in two parts for Sunday Showcase (1959): Sunday Showcase: What Makes Sammy Run?: Part 1 (1959) and Sunday Showcase: What Makes Sammy Run?: Part 2 (1959).
8
When he declared bankruptcy in 1970 in San Juan, Puerto Rico he listed $916,300 in debts and $40,000 in assets in municipal bonds held by the Bank of America as security on a loan.
9
Received billing as 'Stage Manager' in the film All About Eve (1950), although his scenes were cut out of the film.
10
During an April 2007 Entertainment Tonight (1981) interview with Mary Hart, ex-wife Elizabeth Taylor revealed that she recently telephoned him and they spoke for the first time in over 40 years.
The first person to ever make a fan club for him was a then thirteen-year old Rona Barrett, who later became his life-long friend.
13
The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, according to Eddie, the family's surname was originally either Tisch or Fisch. Between Ellis Island and Philadelphia, it had become Americanized as Fisher.
14
At the height of his popularity, during the 1950s, Fisher was, along with Perry Como and Elvis Presley, RCA Victor's top-selling pop vocalist. His many hits during this period, all well remembered, include: "Anytime" (his first big hit), "Oh, My Pa-Pa", "Wish You Were Here", "I Need You Now", "Dungaree Doll", "I'm Walking Behind You", "Heart", "Games That Lovers Play" and "Somebody Like You".
