Farewell, Carrie Fisher

Beloved actress and author Carrie Fisher has died at age 60. She will be greatly missed by her legions of fans and admirers. Let's take a brief look back at her career highlights for those still catching up with her or wanting to revisit her work.

Fame came to this daughter of Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds fairly early in her career. Her iconic turn as Princess Leia in Star Wars catapulted her to fame and gave her something to rebel against in later years. As a strong, spirited heroine who was handy with a weapon and leading an insurgence, she became a role model to kids everywhere.

After the initial Star Wars trilogy, she established herself as a comic actress willing to send up her image while demonstrating a charming cosmopolitanism. Her supporting role in the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally was one of the highlights.

But perhaps most impressively, she was the rare Hollywood actor who succeeded as a writer. Her humorous books show off her unique wit and wordplay. (In more recent years she was one of the most original and brilliant users of Twitter.) Her most famous and enduring is the novel Postcards From the Edge, inspired partly by her unique Hollywood upbringing and relationship with her famous mother. She later adapted it into a successful movie (Postcards From the Edge) starring Meryl Streep (in one of her first high-profile comedy roles) and Shirley MacLaine. She wrote further novels as well.

In more recent years, she returned to the role that made her a star and penned a series of humorous memoirs beginning with Wishful Drinking and ending this year with The Princess Diarist. Over the years she was also encouraging to others who shared her struggle with bipolar disorder, as well as other mental health issues. Fisher died today and was taken much too soon.

Do you have a favorite Fisher performance or book? Share in the comments.