Teri Garr, the Oscar-nominated actress celebrated for roles in films like Young Frankenstein, Tootsie, and Mr. Mom, has passed away, her manager confirmed. Garr was 79 years old.
Garr died Tuesday in Los Angeles, more than 20 years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, as her manager Marc Gurvitz shared with CNN. She first publicly revealed her diagnosis in a 2002 interview to raise awareness for others living with MS.
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| pictured above with Dustin Hoffman, left, and Sydney Pollack). Columbia Pictures Industries |
The daughter of a Broadway performer and a Rockette, Garr grew up studying dance and began auditioning right after high school in Los Angeles. She started with small roles, dancing and making appearances in movies like Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas.
“I finally asked myself, why am I not in the front?” Garr later reflected. “I didn’t spend all those years training to be in the background and earn so little.”
The 1970s became a prolific time for Garr, who appeared on popular TV shows such as The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, The Odd Couple, and The Bob Newhart Show.
A Breakthrough in Comedy
Her big break came in 1974 when she starred as Inga in Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein alongside Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, and Marty Feldman.
In Tootsie, Garr portrayed a struggling actress dating Dustin Hoffman’s character, who goes on to fame by pretending to be a woman on a soap opera. This role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1983.
“I was proud,” Garr wrote about the nomination in her 2005 memoir, Speedbumps: Flooring it Through Hollywood. “The Academy not only knew I existed; they thought I was good!”
In a tribute sent to CNN, Hoffman remembered Garr as “brilliant and one-of-a-kind with a heart of gold.” He added, “Working with her was one of the great highs.”
In 1983, Garr also starred in Mr. Mom, where she played Caroline Butler, an ad executive opposite Michael Keaton in a family comedy about shifting parental roles.
In a 2012 interview, Garr noted that she wasn’t surprised her best roles involved challenging gender stereotypes. “I resent it when women are just cast as sexy femmes fatales, perpetuating myths instead of using their brains or wit,” she said.
Later, Keaton honored Garr on Instagram, writing, “This is a day I feared would come.” He praised her not only as an actress but as “a wonderful person to work with and be around.”
A Legacy in Comedic Acting
Known for her quirky, offbeat comic timing, Garr became a fan favorite in various roles, including as Lisa Kudrow’s on-screen mother in Friends. Kudrow shared, “Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius and a huge influence on me. I’m lucky and grateful to have worked with her.”
Throughout her career, Garr remained active on screen, with appearances in the 1990s in Good & Evil, Good Advice, and Women of the House. She later delved into voice acting with roles in Batman Beyond and What’s New, Scooby Doo?
Through it all, Garr was a strong advocate for people living with MS. “Some people want you to feel defeated, but I’m not,” she shared in an interview. “There’s no use in being down. I’ve always been able to keep my head up, and I’m doing the same now with MS.”
“I’ve always been a feisty person,” she added, a quality that defined both her career and her resilience.