Oscar nominee and popular actress Debbie Reynolds (Singin’ in the Rain; The Unsinkable Molly Brown) has been named the 51st recipient of the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Life Achievement Award for her career and humanitarian accomplishments.
The award will be presented at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 25.
Reynolds has starred in more than 50 movies, two Broadway shows, two TV series and dozens of TV, cabaret and concert appearances. The 82-year-old Reynolds has been in show business for 66 years.
Her first movie role came in the 1950 musical “the Daughter of Rosie O’Grady” followed by a role as “Boop-Boop-A-Doop” girl Helen Kane in “Three Little Words,” for which she received an MGM contract and the first of five Golden Globe nominations.
She appeared in “Singin’ in the Rain” opposite Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor; “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” for which she was nominated for an Oscar; “How the West Was Won,” “The Tender Trap,” “Mary, Mary,” “Goodbye Charlie,” “Divorce American Style,” “How Sweet It Is,” “The Catered Affair,” “In & Out” and “Mother,” for which received a Golden Globe nomination.
She received a 1970 Golden Globe nomination for her work in the eponymous NBC series “The Debbie Reynolds Show” and headlined ABC’s “Aloha Paradise” in 1981. She joined with Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley MacLaine and Joan Collins in the 2001 ABC telefilm “These Old Broads,” co-written by Reynolds’ daughter, Carrie Fisher.
She debuted her first nightclub act at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas in 1960. Reynolds has been a headliner on the casino circuit and toured often on the average of 44 weeks a year. She headlined her own showroom, the Star Theatre, at the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, which she owned and operated from 1993 to 1998.
SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard said, “I’m thrilled that SAG-AFTRA is presenting our Life Achievement Award to Debbie Reynolds. She is a tremendously talented performer with a diverse body of screen and stage work, live performances and several hit records. Her generous spirit and unforgettable performances have entertained audiences across the globe, moving us all from laughter to tears and back again. Congratulations, Debbie, on your life achievements.”
