Teri Garr, the eccentric comedy actress who soared from her days as a background dancer in Elvis Presley's movies to become a co-star in beloved classics like "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," has passed away at the age of 79. Garr's publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, announced that she died on Tuesday, surrounded by her loving family and friends, due to complications from multiple sclerosis. In recent years, Garr had also battled other health issues and underwent surgery in January 2007 to address an aneurysm.
In honor of Garr, admirers flooded social media with tributes. Writer-director Paul Feig hailed her as "truly one of my comedy heroes. I couldn't have admired her more," while screenwriter Cinco Paul remarked, "Never the star, but always shining. She elevated every project she was a part of."
Throughout her lengthy career, Garr, sometimes credited as Terri, Terry, or Terry Ann, seemed destined for a life in show business. Her father, Eddie Garr, was a renowned vaudeville comedian, and her mother, Phyllis Lind, was one of the original high-kicking Rockettes at New York's Radio City Music Hall. From a young age, their daughter exhibited a passion for dance, beginning lessons at 6 and performing with the San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies by 14.
At 16, Garr joined the road company of "West Side Story" in Los Angeles. She once recounted how she secured the role after being rejected in her first audition but returning the next day in different attire and being accepted. This led to steady work as a dancer in movies, including appearing in the chorus of nine Presley films, such as "Viva Las Vegas," "Roustabout," and "Clambake."
Garr's talents also extended to television, where she appeared on shows like "Star Trek," "Dr. Kildare," and "Batman." She was a featured dancer on the rock 'n' roll music show "Shindig," the rock concert performance T.A.M.I., and a cast member of "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour."
Her big break in films came when she was cast as Gene Hackman's girlfriend in Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 thriller "The Conversation." This led to an interview with Mel Brooks, who offered her the role of Gene Wilder's German lab assistant in "Young Frankenstein" if she could perfect a German accent. Garr once recalled learning the accent from Renata, a German woman who made wigs for Cher.
The film cemented Garr's status as a talented comedy performer, with New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael praising her as "the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen." Her infectious smile and quirky charm helped her land roles in films like "Oh, God!" opposite George Burns and John Denver, "Mr. Mom" as Michael Keaton's wife, and "Tootsie," where she played the girlfriend who loses Dustin Hoffman's affections to Jessica Lange after discovering his cross-dressing alter ego. Although she didn't win the Supporting Actress Oscar that year (it went to Lange), Garr's performance was memorable.
While Garr is best known for her comedy roles, she also demonstrated her versatility in dramas such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "The Black Stallion," and "The Escape Artist."
"I have always harbored a desire to portray roles in films like 'Norma Rae' and 'Sophie's Choice,' yet fate never afforded me that opportunity," she once confessed, lamenting that she had been irrevocably pigeonholed as a comedian. Possessing a natural gift for unscripted humor, she frequently served as David Letterman's playful adversary during her guest spots on NBC's fledgling "Late Night With David Letterman." Her appearances became such a staple, and their camaraderie-tinged spats so believable, that whispers of a romantic entanglement between them began to swirl. Years hence, Letterman acknowledged that those early collaborations played a pivotal role in catapulting the show to fame.
It was during those radiant years that Garr first perceived a "delicate humming or whispering" sensation in her right leg. This peculiar feeling, which first emerged in 1983, eventually migrated to her right arm. Yet, she decided to endure it, convinced that it was something she could cope with. Nevertheless, by 1999, the symptoms had intensified to such a dire point that she sought medical attention. The diagnosis was stark and unforgiving: multiple sclerosis.
For three lengthy years, Garr kept her illness under wraps. "I feared that disclosing my condition would shut me out from work opportunities," she elaborated in a 2003 interview. "The mention of MS evokes images of impending doom; people assume, 'Oh, my God, the person has mere days left.'"
After stepping into the public eye, she emerged as a vocal ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, entertaining audiences across the United States and Canada with her humorous addresses. In 2005, she offered a poignant observation: "Navigating life while earning others' sympathy is a challenging endeavor; finding your ground and laughing off setbacks is crucial. Even attempting to assure people that I'm fine becomes exhausting." Her acting career continued to flourish, with notable appearances on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Greetings From Tucson," "Life With Bonnie," and various other television programs. She even had a brief but memorable recurring role as Lisa Kudrow's mother on "Friends" during the 1990s.
In 1993, Garr tied the knot with contractor John O'Neil, and they welcomed their adopted daughter, Molly, into their lives before parting ways in 1996. In her 2005 memoir, titled "Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood," Garr shared her reasoning behind keeping her age a mystery. "My mother instilled in me that those in showbiz never divulge their true ages. Neither she nor my father ever revealed theirs," she penned.
Though Garr claimed Los Angeles as her birthplace, most reference materials list Lakewood, Ohio, as her hometown. As her father's career declined, the Garr family, including Teri's two elder brothers, sought refuge with relatives in the Midwest and East. Eventually, they relocated back to California, settling in the San Fernando Valley, where Teri graduated from North Hollywood High School and pursued studies in speech and drama at California State University, Northridge for two years.
In a 1988 reflection, Garr recounted her father's advice about pursuing a career in Hollywood. "Stay away from this industry," he warned them. "It's the lowest of the low. It brings people to their knees." Garr leaves behind her cherished daughter, Molly O'Neil, and her grandson, Tyryn.
