25 Movie Talents We Lost In 2016
2. Carrie Fisher
2016 was not a good year for Star Wars talents. After losing both R2-D2 actor Kenny Baker, R2-D2 builder Tony Dyson and Admiral Ackbar voice actor Erik Bauersfeld, the franchise suffered the loss of one of its major stars Carrie Fisher in late December.
Born to famous parents, singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds, Fisher made her debut in Robert Towne’s satirical 1975 comedy Shampoo before international fame beckoned with her most iconic role as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy.
She had a knack for elevating films with merely a cameo role, playing a vengeful ex-fiancée in The Blues Brothers and a therapist in Austin Power: International Man of Mystery. She turned her hand to behind-the-scenes roles too, writing the screenplay for Postcards from the Edge – a critically acclaimed film adapted from her own semi-autobiographical novel by director Mike Nichols.
Most recently, Fisher reprised her role as Princess Leia in the first film of the new Star Wars sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens, and will star posthumously in its next instalment Episode VIII later this year.