Carrie Fisher celebrates 59th birthday and upcoming Star Wars release

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The star shot to fame at age 21, when she first appeared as the sexy Princess Leia in the original franchise
Carrie, whose parents are musican Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds, has dealt with bipolar disorder and drug addiction over the years
Her weight has fluctuated in the past decade, but she recently lost 40 pounds for the new Star Wars movie

Published: 18:55 EST, 21 October 2015 | Updated: 20:10 EST, 21 October 2015

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From being a movie icon to struggling with alcohol and drug addiction and being left by her husband for a man, Carrie Fisher has certainly had an eventful life - and she hasn't even reached age 60 yet.

The actress, who is best know for her famous portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, is also a novelist, screenwriter, performance artist, and vocal sufferer of bipolar disorder.

In honor of her 59th birthday today, Femail is celebrating Carrie's colorful life in photos, charting her initial rise to fame, from her now-infamous gold Princess Leia bikini, to the present day, where she is reprising her role in the franchise's latest installment.

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Rise to fame: Carrie Fisher is best known for her portrayal of the beautiful Princess Leia in the first Star Wars trilogy (pictured). She reprises the iconic role for the new installment of the franchise, due out in December

Firm friends: Carrie, pictured with Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill in April, celebrated her 59th birthday on Wednesday

Carrie, who was just 21 when the first Star Wars movie came out, grew up in a glamorous - yet tumultuous - Hollywood household in Beverly Hills.

Her father, film star Eddie Fisher, left her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds, for her best friend Elizabeth Taylor, when Carrie was just two years old.

But despite this, it was as though Carrie was born for a life on the stage and the screen and she made her acting debut in 1973, appearing as a debutante alongside her mom in the Broadway revival Irene.

It was her role as Princess Leia in George Lucas' Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, released in 1977, that really shot her into the spotlight however. Carrie was praised for her portrayal of the feisty Princess, and quickly earned herself a reputation as one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses.

Family ties: Carrie grew up in a glamorous - yet tumultuous - Hollywood household in Beverly Hills. Her father was singer Eddie Fisher, and her mother was actress Debbie Reynolds. The family is pictured in 1957

Star in the making: The actress, who is pictured left in 1970 and right in 1975, made her acting debut in 1973, appearing as a debutante alongside her mom in the Broadway revival Irene

Moving on up: It was her role as Princess Leia in the first Star Wars trilogy, the first of which came out in 1977 when Carrie was just 21, that really shot her to fame

That bikini: After donning this gold two-piece in the third installment of the movie series, which came out in 1983, Carrie cemented her status as one of Hollywood's most desirable actresses

Infamous: To this day the outfit remains one of the country's most popular Halloween costumes

And her star just continued to rise with each new Star Wars movie; the gold bikini she donned for the third movie in the trilogy, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi became an instant cult classic and has remained one of the industry's most recognizable costumes.

She continued to star alongside Harrison Ford in the film's next two installments, and became a pin-up girl that men lusted after.

The young actress briefly married Paul Simon from 1983-1984, and subsequently became involved Hollywood agent Bryan Lourd, with whom she had a child, daughter Billie Lord, in 1992.

But after the birth of their daughter, Bryan came out as bisexual, and Carrie ended the relationship; soon after he became involved with a man.

Natural beauty: Carrie's stunning features made her the envy of women everywhere

On-screen romance: Carrie's Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford was the envy of men all over the world thanks to his love scenes with the actress. The duo are pictured in The Empire Strikes Back, released in 1980

Turbulent relationships: Carrie married musician Paul Simon in 1983 (left), but the pair split just one year later and the actress went on to have a relationship with casting agent Bryan Lourd (right)

Putting it down in words: Carrie has found great success as an author; after releasing her semi-biographical novel, Postcards from the Edge, in 1987, she released romance novel Surrender the Pink in 1990

While her personal life was the subject of much scrutiny however, Carrie achieved professional success with the 1987 release of her semi-autobiographical novel, Postcards from the Edge, which was later turned into a movie starring Meryl Streep.

But Carrie's success was mixed with a troubled personal life as she suffered from bipolar disorder and an ongoing addiction to cocaine, prescription pills, and alcohol.

She went on to appear in a number of huge movies, such as When Harry Met Sally, but struggled all the while with addiction and mental illness.

Carrie turned her personal problems into art by writing and starring in a hit one-woman show, Wishful Drinking, in 2006.

The book documented the toll her personal demons had on her family and friends, with the actress admitting that her former partner Bryan said that it was her codeine addiction that drove him to come out as bisexual.

Personal demons: The star's success was tainted by her personal demons. Carrie, pictured left in 1997, struggled with bipolar disorder for years, as well as an ongoing addiction to cocaine and prescription pills

Dealing with her problems: Carrie, who is pictured in 2001, turned her personal issues into art by writing and starring in a hit one-woman show, Wishful Drinking, in 2006

Taking its toll: Carrie's drug addiction and battle with bipolar disorder began to have an impact on her appearance. She is pictured in 2005

Personal demons: In 2009, the once-svelte Carrie's weight swelled to 180 pounds (pictured) and she checked into a psychiatric hospital to deal with her bipolar disorder

'He told me later that I had turned him gay... by taking codeine again,' she wrote. 'And I said, "You know, I never read that warning on the label." I thought it said "heavy machinery", not homosexuality – turns out I could have been driving those tractors all along!'

In 2009, the once-svelte Carrie's weight swelled to 180 pounds and she subsequently checked into a psychiatric hospital to deal with her bipolar disorder, making few public appearances during this time.

However, in 2010, Carrie was named a Jenny Craig spokeswoman and lost 50 pounds in just one year. At the time, she explained that she shed the weight so she could 'get into the metal bikini and just walk around the house like an idiot'.

She once again put on the weight in the following years, but in 2014, it was announced she would reprise her role of Princess Leia in the latest Star Wars film - alongside her daughter Billie, now 23, who has an as-yet unspecified role in the feature film and at the time, her mother Debbie admitted that this had spurred her daughter on to shed the weight that had plagued her for years.

Weight gain: In 2010 Carrie, pictured left in 2009, was named as a spokesperson for healthy eating organization Jenny Craig (right)

Slimming down: After watching her weight yo-yo for a few years, Carrie, pictured alongside her mother Debbie Reynolds, debuted a svelte new figure in 2014

Motherly bond: Carrie has one child, daughter Billie Lourd, pictured together in 2011, who is following in her mother's footsteps and carving out a career for herself as an actress

Like mother, like daughter: Billie (left), now 23, is set to appear alongside her mother in the upcoming Star Wars movie. She also stars in hit TV series Scream Queens (pictured)

Back to the start: Carrie's appearance in the new Star Wars movie is hotly-anticipated by fans who are eager to see what has happened to Princess Leia in the years since her last appearance on screen

'She’s been on a diet ever since [she was cast in the film], because you know they have to be up to par, so she looks terrific,' the Singing In The Rain star revealed while talking to Extra's Mario Lopez. 'She's very excited, as we all are, because we all love Star Wars.'

And is seems that the spotlight is agreeing with Carrie; her brief appearance in the hotly-anticipated trailer for The Force Awakens has been met with much excitement from fans of the franchise, many of whom have praised the actress for her 'naturally aged' appearance in the clip.

But while she may appear with grey hair, Carrie looks healthy and happy in the trailer; after being thrust back into the spotlight,she lost 40 pounds and appears svelte and trim in the brief scenes that have been released.

Viewers will be able to catch her on-screen when much-anticipated sequel hits theaters on December 18.