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{{Short description|American actress (1944–2024)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
|name = Teri Garr | name = Teri Garr
|image = Teri Garr - signed.jpg | image = Teri Garr - signed.jpg
|imagesize = | imagesize =
|alt = | alt =
|caption = Signed photo of Garr in the 1970s | caption = Garr in the early 1980s
|birth_name = Teri Ann Garr | birth_name = Terry Ann Garr
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|12|11|}} | birth_date = {{birth date|1944|12|11}}
| birth_place = ], California, U.S.{{efn|name = Place|Many sources place Garr's birth in the Cleveland suburb of ], but others say she was born in Los Angeles, matching the 1950 US Census, which lists her as born in California.<ref name = Gates>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/29/arts/teri-garr-dead.html|title = Teri Garr, Comic Actress in Offbeat Roles, Is Dead at 79|last = Gates|first = Anita|date = October 29, 2024|accessdate = October 29, 2024|newspaper = ]|url-access = limited|quote = Terry Ann Garr was born on Dec. 11, 1944, in Los Angeles}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-10-29/teri-garr-dead-tootsie-young-frankenstein-multiple-sclerosis|title = Teri Garr, comedic actor in 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Tootsie,' dies at 79|last = Nelson|first = Valerie J.|date = October 29, 2024|accessdate = October 29, 2024|newspaper = ]|url-access = limited|quote = Teri Ann Garr was born into a show-business family in Los Angeles but spent her early years moving around the country}}</ref><ref name = Census/> Garr herself said she was born in Los Angeles.<ref name=apnews>{{cite news|url = https://apnews.com/article/teri-garr-dies-be39482a60724c5bb81bbd8f34dfaf2d|title = Teri Garr, the offbeat comic actor of 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Tootsie,' has died|last = Thomas|first = Bob|date = October 29, 2024|accessdate = October 29, 2024|work = ]|quote = She said she was born in Los Angeles, although most reference books list Lakewood, Ohio.}}</ref>}}
|birth_place = ], U.S.
|death_date = | death_date = {{death date and age|2024|10|29|1944|12|11}}
|death_place = | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|occupation = Actress, dancer, singer, comedian | occupation = Actress
|years_active = 1963–2011 | years_active = 1963–2011
|spouse = {{marriage|John O'Neil <br>|1993|1996|end=divorced}} | spouse = {{marriage|John O'Neil|1993|1996|end=divorced}}
|partner = ] (1979–1983)<br />David Kipper (1983–1990)}} | partner = {{Plain list|
* ] (1979–1983)
* David Kipper (1983–1990)
}}
| alma_mater = {{Plain list|
* ]
* ]
}}
| children = 1
}}


'''Terry Ann Garr''' (December 11, 1944 – October 29, 2024), known as '''Teri Garr''', was an American ]. Known for her comedic roles in film and television in the 1970s and 1980s,<ref name=hodgman>{{cite news|work=]|title=How to Be Funny|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/magazine/12hodgman.html|date=November 12, 2006|author=Hodgman, John|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824125933/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/magazine/12hodgman.html|archive-date=August 24, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=afloat/> she often played women struggling to cope with the life-changing experiences of their husbands, children or boyfriends. She received nominations for an ] and a ] for her performance in '']'' (1982), playing a struggling actress who loses the soap opera role of a female hospital administrator to her male friend and acting coach.
'''Teri Ann Garr''' (born December 11, 1944), is a retired American actress, singer, dancer and voice artist.


She began her career as a teenager with small roles in television and film, in the early 1960s including appearances as a dancer in nine ] musicals. She is perhaps best known for appearing in comedy films, including '']'' (1974), '']'' (1983) and '']'' (1982) which earned her a nomination for the ] for her role Sandra "Sandy" Lester.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983|title=The 55th Academy Awards {{!}} 1983|work=Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=2018-04-30|language=en}}</ref> Garr was raised primarily in ]. She was the third child of a comedic-actor father and a studio costumier mother. In her youth, Garr trained in ] and other forms of dance. She began her career as a teenager with small roles in television and film in the early 1960s, including appearances as a dancer in nine ] musicals.<ref name=apnews/> After spending two years attending college, Garr left Los Angeles and studied acting at the ] in New York City. She had her breakthrough appearing in the episode ] of '']'' in 1968.<ref name="Garr-2005">{{Cite book |last1=Garr |first1=Teri |last2=Mantel |first2=Henriette |date=2005 |title=Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood |location=Waterville, Maine |publisher=Thorndike Press |isbn=0786282010 |oclc=61499903 }}</ref>{{rp|61–64}}


After gaining attention for her 1974 roles in ]'s thriller '']'' and ]'s comedy horror '']'', Garr became increasingly successful with major roles in ]'s comedy '']'' and ]'s science fiction film '']'' (both 1977) and '']'' (1979). In the 1980s, she was nominated for the ] for her comedic role as an acting student in ]'s romantic comedy ''Tootsie'', and enjoyed leading roles in Coppola's musical drama '']'' (1982), '']'' (1983), and '']'' (1984). She later acted in films such as ]'s black comedy '']'' (1985), '']'' (1989), '']'' (1994), '']'' (1994), '']'' (1996) and '']'' (2001).
Her quick banter led to Garr being a regular guest on '']'' and ]'s late night talk shows. She also appeared on television as ] in three episodes of the sitcom '']'' (1997–98). Garr has been largely retired from performing since 2007.{{cn|date=January 2018}}


Garr's quick wit and charming banter made her a sought-after guest on late-night shows such as '']'' and '']''. On television, she took a guest role as ] in the sitcom '']'' (1997–98). In 2002, Garr announced that she had been diagnosed with ], the symptoms of which had affected her ability to perform.<ref>{{Cite web|work=E! Online|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/54084/garr-better-after-brain-aneurysm|title=Garr Better After Brain Aneurysm|author=Grossberg, Josh|date=January 3, 2007|access-date=October 21, 2018}}</ref> She retired from acting in 2011 and died in 2024.
==Early life==
Teri Ann Garr was born in ], a suburb of ]. Her father, Eddie Garr (born Edward Leo Gonnoud, 1900-1956),<ref name="name"/> was a ] performer, comedian, and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the ] drama '']''. He changed his surname before Teri's birth. Her mother, Phyllis Lind Garr (1909-1999) (born Emma Schmotzer),<ref name=name/> was a dancer, a ], ], and model.<ref name=filmreference>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/22/Teri-Garr.html|title=Teri Garr profile|website=Filmreference.com|accessdate=December 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Edward|last=Guthmann|date=January 7, 2004|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/01/07/DDGD343TKC1.DTL&type=printable|title=As acting jobs dwindle, Teri Garr takes up her pen|work=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/BG/lib00065,0EADEAD18E1E4492.html|website=Boston.com|title=Local Search|publisher=newsbank.com|accessdate=September 5, 2017}}</ref> Her father was of Irish descent and her maternal grandparents were Austrian immigrants.<ref name=name>{{cite book|last1=Garr|first1=Teri|first2=Henriette|last2=Mantel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=la32abcC6_4C&pg=PA68|title=Speedbumps: Flooring it Through Hollywood|publisher=Hudson Street Press|date=November 2005|page=68|isbn=1-59463-007-0|quote=Autobiography by Teri Garr}}</ref>


==Early career== ==Early life and education==
Terry Ann Garr was born in Los Angeles, California, on December 11, 1944.<ref name=birthdate>{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/actor/teri-garr|title=Teri Garr (1944–)|publisher=]|access-date=December 31, 2019|archive-date=July 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707010326/https://www.biography.com/actor/teri-garr|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Starr |first=Jimmy |author-link=Jimmy Starr |date=December 13, 1944 |title=Daily Diary: Eddie Garr |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/garr-daughter/uwgdzdvznfydgccedxfzlbubtydihtzx_ip-10-166-46-120_1730498155091 |work=] |location=Los Angeles, California |page=B6 |via=] |quote="Eddie Garr, back a second time to celebrate the birth of a new daughter&nbsp;..."}}</ref>{{efn|Various sources have cited numerous years for Garr's date of birth, though the date is always given as December 11. At the start of chapter 2 of her memoir ''Speedbumps'', Garr declines to give her age. A few pages later, she indicates that she was 11 when her father died in September 1956. This fact places her birth year as 1944.<ref name="Garr-2005"/>{{rp|9–10, 19}} In addition, the April 1950 U.S. Census entry for the Eddie Garr family indicates that Teri was five years old, which also places her year of birth as 1944. The same census gives her birthplace as California.<ref name = Census>{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/165542897:62308 |title=1950 United States Federal Census, Entry for Edward and Phyllis Garr Family |date=April 24, 1950 |website=Ancestry.com |publisher=Ancestry.com, LLC |location=Lehi, UT |access-date=April 1, 2023 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>}} She spent her early years in ], and ], before her family settled in Los Angeles.{{efn|name = Place}}<ref name = Census/><ref name=ct/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Welsh |first1=James M. |last2=Phillips |first2=Gene D. |last3=Hill |first3=Rodney F. |date=2010 |title=The Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3m5SrXs42YEC&pg=PA100 |location=Lanham, MD |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=100 |isbn=978-0-8108-7650-7 |via=]}}</ref> Her father, Eddie Garr (born Edward Leo Gonnoud),<ref name="Garr-2005"/>{{rp|68}} was a ] performer, comedian, and actor, whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the ] drama '']''.<ref>{{cite news |agency=] |date=September 6, 1956 |title=Eddie Garr Dead at 56 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/09/06/archives/eddie-garr-dead-at-56-nightclub-comedian-was-on-stage-and-in-movies.html |work=] |location=New York, NY |page=25 |via=]}}</ref> Her mother, Phyllis Lind Garr (born Emma Schmotzer),<ref name="Garr-2005"/>{{rp|68}} was a dancer, a ], ], and model.<ref name=LATimes2008>{{Cite news|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-30-et-garr30-story.html|title=Garr back on her feet, back on the big screen|last=King|first=Susan|date=June 30, 2008|work=]|access-date=February 28, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|archive-date=December 31, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191231192205/http://web.archive.org/screenshot/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-30-et-garr30-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Edward|last=Guthmann|date=January 7, 2004|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/01/07/DDGD343TKC1.DTL&type=printable|title=As acting jobs dwindle, Teri Garr takes up her pen|work=]|archive-date=June 20, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190620140137/https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/As-acting-jobs-dwindle-Teri-Garr-takes-up-her-pen-2815614.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Her father was of Irish descent and her maternal grandparents were Austrian immigrants.<ref name="Garr-2005"/>{{rp|68}} Garr had two older brothers, Ed and Phil.<ref name=birthdate /><ref name=ct/>
Early in her career she was credited as '''Terri Garr''', '''Terry Garr''', '''Teri Hope''', or '''Terry Carr'''. Her movie debut was as an extra in ''A Swingin' Affair'' (1963). During her senior year she auditioned for the cast of the Los Angeles road company production of '']'', where she met one of the most important people in her early career, ], who became her friend, dance teacher, and mentor. Winters cast her in many of his early movies and projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Garr/teri_garr.html|title=Teri Garr - My Life So Far|work=Ability Magazine|access-date=April 7, 2014|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220532/http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Garr/teri_garr.html|archivedate=September 27, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="winters archive2"/>
] on the set of '']'' with director ]]]


When Garr was 11, her father died in Los Angeles of a heart attack.<ref name=ct/> She recalled that his death "left us bereft, without any kind of income. And I saw my mother be this incredibly strong, creative woman who put three kids through college—one of my brothers is a surgeon. Any kind of lessons we wanted, we had to have scholarships or sweep the floors. It had to be free. And so we always had to try harder. That was instilled in me very early."<ref name=ct/> During her youth, Garr expressed interest in dancing and trained extensively in ballet.<ref name=ct/> "I'd go for three, four hours a day; my feet would be bleeding", she recalled. "I'd take buses all over the city just to go to the best dancing schools. You could just stand there and be quiet and beat yourself up, push the body."<ref name=ct/> Garr graduated from ], and attended San Fernando Valley State College (now ]) for two years before dropping out and relocating to New York City to further pursue acting.<ref name=ct/> In New York City, she studied at the ]<ref name=ct>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-10-30-8802110709-story.html|work=]|location=Chicago, Illinois|title=Is Teri Garr Serious When|author=Steinmetz, Johanna|date=October 30, 1988|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021151447/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-10-30-8802110709-story.html|archive-date=October 21, 2018|access-date=October 21, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the ].<ref>{{cite news|work=]|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20031028/terigarr28/an-ms-diagnosis-curbed-teri-garrs-film-career-151-but-not-her-morale|title=An MS diagnosis curbed Teri Garr's film career — but not her morale|author=Johnston, Steve|location=Seattle, Washington|date=October 28, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073634/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20031028&slug=terigarr28|archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
Garr began as a background ] in uncredited roles in youth-oriented films and TV shows choreographed by Winters,<ref name="imdb winters">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935916|title=David Winters biodata|website=IMDb.com|publisher=Internet Movie Database|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref> including '']'' (a ]), the '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and nine Elvis Presley features (many of which were also choreographed by Winters, including Presley's most profitable film, '']''.<ref name="imdb"/>


==Career==
When asked in a magazine interview about how she landed jobs in so many Presley films, Garr answered, "One of the dancers in the road show of '']'' (]) started to choreograph movies, and whatever job he got, I was one of the girls he'd hire. So he was chosen to do ''Viva Las Vegas''. That was my first movie."<ref name="winters archive2">{{cite web|url=http://www.davidwinters.net/archives2.htm|date=2004|title=Talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation|website=David Winters.net|access-date=April 7, 2014|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040302004146/http://www.davidwinters.net/archives2.htm|archivedate=March 2, 2004|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
===Early films and stage===
Early in her career, she was credited as Terry Garr.<ref name=":0" /> She later recalled changing her first name to "Teri" on the advice of a ], who said she would be unsuccessful if she had repeating letters in her first and last names.<ref name = Gates/> Her movie debut was as an ] in ''A Swingin' Affair'' (1963). During her senior year, she auditioned for the cast of the Los Angeles road company production of '']'', where she met one of the most important people in her early career, ], who became her friend, dance teacher, and mentor.{{sfn|Eichenbaum|2011|p=143}} Winters cast her in many of his early movies and projects.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Garr/teri_garr.html|title=Teri Garr – My Life So Far|work=Ability Magazine|access-date=April 7, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220532/http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Garr/teri_garr.html|archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref><ref name="winters archive2"/>


Garr began as a background ] in uncredited roles in youth-oriented films and TV shows choreographed by Winters, including '']'' (a ]), the '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'' and nine Elvis Presley features<ref name=apnews/> (many of which were also choreographed by Winters, including Presley's most profitable film, '']'').{{sfn|Leszcak|2014|p=52}} When asked in a magazine interview about how she landed jobs in so many Presley films, Garr answered, "One of the dancers in the road show of ''West Side Story'' (David Winters) started to choreograph movies, and whatever job he got, I was one of the girls he'd hire. So he was chosen to do ''Viva Las Vegas''. That was my first movie."<ref name="winters archive2">{{cite web|url=http://www.davidwinters.net/archives2.htm|date=2004|title=Talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation|website=David Winters.net|access-date=April 7, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040302004146/http://www.davidwinters.net/archives2.htm|archive-date=March 2, 2004}}</ref>
==Film and television==
Her first speaking role in a motion picture was a brief appearance as a ] in the ] film '']'' (1968), written by ]. She landed her first significant motion picture role in ]'s '']'' (1974). Her career breakthrough came in the ] comedy '']'' (also 1974) as Inga.<ref name="imdb"/>


She often appeared on television during this time, performing as a go-go dancer on several musical variety shows, along with friend ], such as '']'' and '']''. In 1966, Garr made one appearance on '']'' (episode seven, uncredited). In 1968, she appeared in both '']'' and '']<ref>{{cite episode|season=01|number=12|series=]|date=1968}}</ref>'' and was in two episodes of '']''.<ref name=thief-guess>{{IMDb title|0612739|It Takes a Thief|S2.E13 – "Guess Who's Coming to Rio" (as Terry Garr)}}</ref><ref name=thief-beautiful>{{IMDb title|0612755|It Takes a Thief|S3.E3 – "The Beautiful People" (as Terry Garr)}}</ref>
She appeared in a string of highly successful films, including '']'' (1977) as the wife of ]'s character, '']'' (1977) as the wife of ]'s character, '']'' (1979) as the mother of ]'s character, '']'' (1983) as the wife of ]'s character, '']'' (1985), and '']'' (1989), also opposite Dreyfuss. Garr was nominated for an ] for her supporting role as ]'s character's actress friend in '']'' (1982).<ref name="imdb">{{IMDb name|414|Teri Garr}}</ref>


===Film and television; critical acclaim===
She often appeared on television. She began as a go-go dancer on several musical ]s, along with friend ], such as '']'' and '']''. In 1966 Garr made one appearance on '']'' (episode 7, uncredited). In 1968, she appeared in both '']'' and '']<ref>{{cite episode|season=01|number=12|series=]|date=1968}}</ref>'' and was in two episodes of '']''.<ref name="imdb"/>
]'' in 1982]]
Her first speaking role in a motion picture was a brief appearance as a ] in ]' film '']'' (1968), written by ]; Garr got the role after meeting Nicholson in an acting class.<ref name=av /> "He wrote the script for ''Head'', so all of us in the class got little tiny parts in the movie," she recalled. "I was&nbsp;... Who was I? Oh yes, I was the girl dying of a snakebite, who falls off the ] and says, 'Quick, suck it before the venom reaches my heart!' "<ref name=av /> Earlier in that year, she landed her first significant TV role, featured as secretary Roberta Lincoln in the '']'' episode "]", designed as a ] episode for a new series that was not commissioned. "''Star Trek'' was the first job where I had a fairly big (for me) speaking part," Garr related in her memoir, "I played Roberta Lincoln, a dippy secretary in a pink and orange costume with a very short skirt. Had the spin-off succeeded, I would have continued on as an earthling agent, working to preserve humanity. In a very short skirt." This led to her being, in her words, "cast as birdbrained lasses," in episodes of other TV shows.<ref name="Garr-2005" />


In 1968, she was featured as secretary Roberta Lincoln in the '']'' episode "]", designed as a ] episode for a new series which was not commissioned. In the early 1970s, she was a regular cast member on '']'', dancing and acting in comedy sketches.<ref name="imdb"/> In 1972, she landed a regular role in ''The Ken Berry "WOW" Show'', a summer replacement series. Afterward, she was a regular cast member on '']'', dancing and acting in comedy sketches.{{sfn|Lisanti|2015|p=134}}


Garr appeared in a string of highly successful films in the mid-to-late 1970s, including a supporting role in ]'s thriller '']'' (1974).<ref name=afi>{{cite web|work=]|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/persondetails/167050?sid=86bc0b55-e62a-4942-8cd3-167717896713&sr=2.7823553&cp=1&pos=0&cxt=Cast2|title=Teri Garr Filmography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021111757/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/persondetails/167050?sid=86bc0b55-e62a-4942-8cd3-167717896713&sr=2.7823553&cp=1&pos=0&cxt=Cast2|archive-date=October 21, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> This was followed with her role as Inga, an assistant to Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, in the ] ] '']'' (1974), which marked a career breakthrough.<ref>{{cite web|work=]|url=http://www.papermag.com/talking-young-frankenstein-with-teri-garr-1425479181.html|title=Talking Young Frankenstein With Teri Garr|author=Murrin, Tom|date=September 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022074140/http://www.papermag.com/talking-young-frankenstein-with-teri-garr-1425479181.html|archive-date=October 22, 2018|publisher=Paper Communications|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> She then appeared in a dramatic role in ]'s science-fiction film '']'' (1977) as the wife of ]'s character;<ref name=afi /> in '']'' (1977) as the wife of ]'s character; and the drama '']'' (1979) as the mother of the boy protagonist.<ref name=afi />
She had a recurring role on '']'', and appeared on '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''. She hosted '']'' three times (in 1980, 1983, and 1985), and was a frequent visitor on '']''.<ref name="imdb"/>


In 1978, Garr appeared ] in a production of ''One Crack Out'' by Canadian playwright ], playing the wife of Charlie, a pool hustler in ].<ref name=crack>{{cite web|work=]|title=Stage: Phoenix's 'One Crack Out'|date=January 17, 1978|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/17/archives/stage-phoenixs-one-crack-out-david-frenchs-drama-shows-climactic.html|author=Eder, Richard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022113321/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/17/archives/stage-phoenixs-one-crack-out-david-frenchs-drama-shows-climactic.html|archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> ] of '']'' noted that Garr "manages an attractive uncertainty and devotion as Charlie's wife."<ref name=crack />
As a recurring guest on '']'', she was renowned for her unscripted banter with ], who once goaded her into showering in his office while the camera rolled.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Garr/teri_garr.html|title=Teri Garr–My Life So Far|publisher=Ability Magazine|year=2007|issue=1|accessdate=June 21, 2007|first=Jacob|last=Wascalus|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220532/http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Garr/teri_garr.html|archivedate=September 27, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/show_info/pants/Letterman25.pdf|title=David Letterman - 25 Years and Still Going Strong |publisher=]|accessdate=June 21, 2007| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620154551/http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/show_info/pants/Letterman25.pdf|archivedate=June 20, 2007}}</ref> She landed a role as recurring character ] in '']'', the estranged birth mother of ].<ref name="imdb"/>

In 1982, she starred opposite ] in the comedy '']'' (1982), playing an actress whose actor friend (Hoffman) disguises himself as a woman to further his career.<ref>{{cite web|work=]|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55197|title=Tootsie (1982)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073618/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55197|archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> For her role, she was nominated for an ].<ref name=varietyobit/> She then appeared in the comedy '']'' (1983) as the wife of ]'s character, followed by a supporting role in ]'s '']'' (1985).<ref>{{AFI film | 67023 | After Hours (1985) {{noitalic|credits list}} }}</ref>

===Later work and television===
] on the set of '']'' (1995) with director ]]]
In the 1970s, Garr had a recurring role on '']'', and appeared on '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''. She hosted '']'' three times (in 1980, 1983, and 1985), and was a frequent visitor on '']'', appearing over 40 times.<ref name=tvg>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/teri-garr/credits/176448/|work=]|title=Teri Garr Credits|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073551/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/teri-garr/credits/176448/|archive-date=October 22, 2018|publisher=NTVB Media|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As a recurring guest on '']'', Garr was renowned for her unscripted banter with ],<ref>{{cite web|work=]|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/551865/Letterman-invites-Teri-Garr-back---finally.html|title=Letterman invites Teri Garr back – finally|author=Pierce, Scott D.|date=March 28, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073544/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/551865/Letterman-invites-Teri-Garr-back---finally.html|archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> who once goaded her into showering in his office while the camera rolled.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Garr/teri_garr.html|title=Teri Garr–My Life So Far|publisher=Ability Magazine|year=2007|issue=1|access-date=June 21, 2007|first=Jacob|last=Wascalus|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220532/http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Garr/teri_garr.html|archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/show_info/pants/Letterman25.pdf|title=David Letterman – 25 Years and Still Going Strong |publisher=]|access-date=June 21, 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620154551/http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/show_info/pants/Letterman25.pdf|archive-date=June 20, 2007}}</ref> Letterman later apologized to Garr, stating that he came to realize the constant requests for her to shower were "maybe kind of a sexist thing to do."<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Teri Garr Collection on Letterman, Part 2 of 5: 1985–1986 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCL_DKKG-mU |time=1:07:40 |publisher=YouTube}}</ref> In 1986, Garr appeared in episode 2223 of '']'' as Amelia Adams, a student of ]'s school, Oscar's New School For Grouch Research.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Garr had several prominent dramatic roles on television in the 1980s, starring opposite ] in an adaptation of ]'s '']'' (1983), in the parody miniseries '']'' (1986), and opposite ] in an adaptation of the play '']'' (1987), which earned an Emmy nomination for ].{{cn|date=October 2024}}

In 1989, Garr appeared in '']'', also opposite Dreyfuss.<ref name=afi/> Her film roles during the 1990s included the role of Marge Nelson in the comedy '']'' (1992), a parody of science fiction films, the stepmother of ]'s character in the comedy '']'' (1994), the wife of ]'s character in ]'s ensemble film ] (1994), and a judge in the fantasy comedy '']'' (1996). In the late 1990s, Garr landed a role as recurring character ] in '']'', the estranged birth mother of ].<ref>{{cite web|work=Bustle|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/136721-what-the-parents-from-friends-look-like-now-vs-their-90s-looks|title=What The Parents From 'Friends' Look Like Now Vs. Their '90s Looks|author=Callegari, Caitlyn|date=January 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022113148/https://www.bustle.com/articles/136721-what-the-parents-from-friends-look-like-now-vs-their-90s-looks|archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Garr's career began to slow in the late 1990s after a ] informed her that symptoms she had been experiencing for many years were those of ].<ref name=restricted>{{cite web|work=]|url=https://people.com/archive/restricted-teri-garrs-odyssey-vol-64-no-19/|date=November 7, 2005|title=RESTRICTED: Teri Garr's Odyssey|author=''People'' Staff|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073601/https://people.com/archive/restricted-teri-garrs-odyssey-vol-64-no-19/|archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> In film, she appeared in minor supporting roles, including a witch in the children's film '']'' (1998) and the mother of ] in the political comedy '']'' (1999).<ref>{{cite web|work=]|author=Holden, Stephen|author-link=Stephen Holden|title=FILM REVIEW; That Gap in the Nixon Tapes? Maybe a Teen-Age Cry of Love|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/04/movies/film-review-that-gap-in-the-nixon-tapes-maybe-a-teen-age-cry-of-love.html|date=August 4, 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022113155/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/04/movies/film-review-that-gap-in-the-nixon-tapes-maybe-a-teen-age-cry-of-love.html|archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> This was followed by an uncredited role in ]'s '']'' (2001).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/awards/ghost-world-1200468688/|work=]|publisher=]|title=Ghost World|author=Eisner, Ken|date=June 21, 2001}}</ref> She also provided the voice of Mary McGinnis, ]'s mother, in '']'' (1999–2001).<ref name=tvg/>

Garr returned to the stage in the fall of 2000, appearing in numerous ] performances of '']'' opposite ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|work=]|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/shields-ruehl-and-garr-booked-for-obs-monologues-com-90935|title=Shields, Ruehl and Garr Booked for OB's Monologues|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073444/http://www.playbill.com/article/shields-ruehl-and-garr-booked-for-obs-monologues-com-90935|archive-date=October 22, 2018|date=July 31, 2000|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> She subsequently had minor supporting roles in the Christmas comedy film '']'' (2006),<ref>{{cite web|work=]|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/teri-garr-writes-about-movies-men-ms-wbna15413628|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073551/https://www.today.com/popculture/teri-garr-writes-about-movies-men-ms-wbna15413628|archive-date=October 22, 2018|title=Teri Garr writes about movies, men and MS|date=October 25, 2006|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the independent comedies '']'' and '']'' (both 2007).<ref name=post/>

===Retirement===
In 2006, Garr published an autobiography, '']'', which details her career and health struggles after her diagnosis of ].<ref name=afloat>{{cite news|work=]|via=]|url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Humor-keeps-comedy-actress-Teri-Garr-afloat-1664453.php|location=Houston, Texas|title=Humor keeps comedy actress Teri Garr afloat|date=April 19, 2008|access-date=October 21, 2018|archive-date=April 9, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190409172440/https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Humor-keeps-comedy-actress-Teri-Garr-afloat-1664453.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Garr appeared on ''] Radio Hour'' broadcast of December 9, 2009, to tell a humorous reminiscence, "Wake Up Call".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://themoth.org/stories/wake-up-call|title=Wake Up Call|publisher=]|access-date=January 13, 2018|date=December 9, 2009}}</ref>

Garr last acted on television in 2011. She appeared at the 19th Annual Race to Erase MS event in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/teri-garr-and-nancy-davis-attend-the-19th-annual-race-to-news-photo/144765017|title=19th Annual Race To Erase MS|publisher=]|date=May 18, 2012|access-date=December 11, 2016}}</ref> In 2019, it was revealed Garr had retired from acting in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Tootsie' Actress Teri Garr 'Fine' After Brief Hospitalization for Dehydration {{!}} Entertainment Tonight |url=https://www.etonline.com/tootsie-actress-teri-garr-fine-after-brief-hospitalization-for-dehydration-138590 |access-date=September 5, 2022 |website=www.etonline.com |date=December 30, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Teri Garr OK After Hospitalization |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/teri-garr-ok-hospitalization-011101594.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |website=www.yahoo.com |date=January 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref>


==Personal life== ==Personal life==
=== Marriage and relationships ===
] (APLA) benefit, September 1990]]
] (APLA) benefit, September 1990]]
Garr's daughter, Molly O'Neil, was born in November 1993. Garr married contractor John O'Neil on the day their adopted daughter was born. Garr and O'Neil divorced in 1996.<ref name="imdb"/>


In the early 1980s, Garr was in a seven-year relationship with film executive ].<ref name=bricker>{{cite web|work=]|url=https://people.com/archive/teri-garr-is-no-dizzy-blonde-but-acting-like-one-in-tootsie-hasnt-hurt-vol-19-no-7/|title=Teri Garr Is No Dizzy Blonde, but Acting Like One in Tootsie Hasn't Hurt|author=Bricker, Rebecca|date=February 21, 1983|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073647/https://people.com/archive/teri-garr-is-no-dizzy-blonde-but-acting-like-one-in-tootsie-hasnt-hurt-vol-19-no-7/|archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-10-30/features/8802110709_1_teri-garr-honky-tonk-freeway-black-stallion|work= ]|title=Is Teri Garr Serious When She Says She Isn't Serious? On Tour, The Actress Drops Her Comedic Guard|first= Teri|last= Garr|interviewer= Johanna Steinmetz|date= October 30, 1988|quote= Well, I lived with two men, one for seven years, the other for five. I was with Birnbaum (Roger Birnbaum, an independent producer) for seven. That was like a marriage.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328175553/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-10-30/features/8802110709_1_teri-garr-honky-tonk-freeway-black-stallion|archive-date=March 28, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> After separating from Birnbaum, Garr was in a seven-year relationship with David Kipper, a physician, to whom she was introduced by ].<ref>Garr 2006 p141, 152–155</ref> In 1993, Garr married ] John O'Neil, and that same year, in November, they adopted daughter Molly O'Neil. The couple divorced in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|work=]|location= Salt Lake City, Utah |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/470410/ACTRESS-WANTS-A-DIVORCE---ALONG-WITH-ALL-EARNINGS.html |title=Actress Wants A Divorce – Along With All Earnings |date=February 8, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022113205/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/470410/ACTRESS-WANTS-A-DIVORCE---ALONG-WITH-ALL-EARNINGS.html |archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Health===
In October 2002, Garr publicly confirmed that she had been diagnosed with ].<ref name="multiplesclerosis">{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/10/08/teri.garr.ms|title=Teri Garr reveals she has multiple sclerosis|date=October 9, 2002|accessdate=June 5, 2007|work=CNN|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6AGWfZ8xB?url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/10/08/teri.garr.ms|archivedate=August 28, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>


=== Stalking incident ===
After years of uncertainty and secrecy surrounding her diagnosis, Garr explained her reasons for deciding to go public: "I'm telling my story for the first time so I can help people. I can help people know they aren't alone and tell them there are reasons to be optimistic because, today, treatment options are available."<ref name="multiplesclerosis"/>
In July 1990, a Los Angeles County judge ordered a woman charged with ] Garr to cease contacting her and to remain {{convert|100|yd|m}} away from Garr, her home, and her work locations for three years.<ref>{{cite web|work=]|date=July 17, 1990|title=Judge Orders Woman to Leave Actress Alone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020170140/http://articles.latimes.com/1990-07-17/local/me-119_1_judge-orders-woman|archive-date=October 20, 2015|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-17-me-119-story.html|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>


===Political activism===
In interviews, she has commented that she first started noticing symptoms while in New York filming '']''. After disclosing her condition, she became a National Ambassador for the ] and National Chair for the Society's Women Against MS program (WAMS).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news-medical.net/?id=1021|title=Actress Teri Garr named as multiple sclerosis national chairwoman|accessdate=June 5, 2007|date=April 29, 2004|work=News-Medical.net}}</ref> In November 2005, Garr was honored as the society's Ambassador of the Year. This honor had been given only four times since the society was founded.{{cn|date=September 2017}}
In March 1988, Garr was arrested for ] in ], Nevada, during a protest against ] in the area.<ref>{{Cite web|work=]|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/03/13/Nations-nuclear-weapons-center-penetrated/9515574232400/|title=Nation's nuclear weapons center penetrated|date=March 13, 1988|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073553/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/03/13/Nations-nuclear-weapons-center-penetrated/9515574232400/|archive-date=October 22, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>


She participated in events for ], a nonprofit ] youth ] organization.<ref>{{cite web|work=]|url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Wisecracking-Teri-Garr-At-Gay-Hotline-Benefit-2692905.php|title=Wisecracking Teri Garr At Gay Hotline Benefit / Olivia Newton John in tears at fund-raiser|author=Smith, Liz|date=December 5, 2000|access-date=October 21, 2018|location=San Francisco, California}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-nov-29-wk-sun29-story.html|work=]|date=November 29, 2001|title=All day Art|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208023449/http://articles.latimes.com/2001/nov/29/news/wk-sun29|archive-date=December 8, 2015|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
''Closer'' reported in 2015 that she credited her positive attitude and support of her family as helping her fight the disease.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.closerweekly.com/posts/exclusive-teri-garr-battles-multiple-sclerosis-stays-positive-67607|title=Teri Garr Battles Multiple Sclerosis With a Positive Outlook With the Help of Her Family|work=Closer Weekly|date=August 23, 2015|accessdate=December 11, 2016}}</ref>


===Illness and death===
In 2006, Garr suffered a ruptured ].<ref>{{cite web|first=Michelle|last=Tan|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20005817,00.html|title=Teri Garr Recovering from Brain Aneurysm|accessdate=June 5, 2007|work=People|date=January 2, 2007}}</ref> After therapy, she regained speech and motor skills, and, in 2008 appeared on '']'' to promote '']'', a 2007 film in which she played a set of twins.<ref>{{cite web|title=David Letterman-Teri Garr-June-19-2008|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYq5fk69dIY|publisher=Youtube|accessdate=7 November 2017}}</ref>
In October 2002, Garr confirmed that she had been diagnosed with ].<ref name="multiplesclerosis">{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/10/08/teri.garr.ms|title=Teri Garr reveals she has multiple sclerosis|date=October 9, 2002|access-date=June 5, 2007|work=CNN|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420073350/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/10/08/teri.garr.ms/|archive-date=April 20, 2010}}</ref> After years of uncertainty and secrecy about her diagnosis, Garr explained her reasons for deciding to go public: "I'm telling my story for the first time so I can help people. I can help people know they aren't alone and tell them there are reasons to be optimistic because, today, treatment options are available."<ref name="multiplesclerosis"/>


In interviews, Garr said that she first started noticing symptoms while she was in New York filming '']'' around 1982. After disclosing her condition, she became a National Ambassador for the ] and National Chair for the Society's Women Against MS program (WAMS).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news-medical.net/?id=1021|title=Actress Teri Garr named as multiple sclerosis national chairwoman|access-date=June 5, 2007|date=April 29, 2004|work=News-Medical.net}}</ref> In November 2005, Garr was honored as the society's Ambassador of the Year. The same year, she revealed her treatment regimen for the disease, which included regular ] injections to help manage symptoms.<ref name=restricted/> ''Closer'' reported in 2015 that she credited her positive attitude and her family's support with helping her fight the disease.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.closerweekly.com/posts/exclusive-teri-garr-battles-multiple-sclerosis-stays-positive-67607|title=Teri Garr Battles Multiple Sclerosis With a Positive Outlook With the Help of Her Family|work=Closer Weekly|date=August 23, 2015|access-date=December 11, 2016}}</ref>
==Retirement==
Garr has not acted in films or television since 2007, though she did publicly appear at the 19th Annual Race to Erase MS (multiple sclerosis) event in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/teri-garr-and-nancy-davis-attend-the-19th-annual-race-to-news-photo/144765017|title=19th Annual Race To Erase MS|publisher=]|date=May 18, 2012|accessdate=December 11, 2016}}</ref>


In December 2006, Garr had a ruptured ].<ref>{{cite web|first=Michelle|last=Tan|url=https://people.com/celebrity/teri-garr-recovering-from-brain-aneurysm/|title=Teri Garr Recovering from Brain Aneurysm|access-date=August 28, 2021|work=]|date=January 2, 2007}}</ref> The aneurysm left her in a coma for a week,<ref name=post>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/08/06/garr.aneurysm/index.html|work=]|title=Teri Garr: Post-aneurysm, comedy keeps her going|author=Gajilan, A. Chris|date=August 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021151557/http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/08/06/garr.aneurysm/index.html|archive-date=October 21, 2018|access-date=October 21, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> but after therapy, she regained speech and motor skills, and in 2008 she appeared on '']'' to promote '']'', a 2007 film in which she played one of a set of twins.<ref>{{cite web|title=David Letterman-Teri Garr-June-19-2008| date=August 5, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYq5fk69dIY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211109/XYq5fk69dIY| archive-date=November 9, 2021 | url-status=live|publisher=YouTube|access-date= November 7, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Garr appeared on ''] Radio Hour'' broadcast of December 9, 2009 to tell a humorous reminiscence entitled "Wake Up Call".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://themoth.org/stories/wake-up-call|title=Wake Up Call|publisher='']''|accessdate=January 13, 2018|date=December 9, 2009}}</ref>


Garr died from complications of multiple sclerosis at her home in Los Angeles surrounded by family and friends, on October 29, 2024, at the age of 79.<ref name = Gates/><ref name=varietyobit>{{cite news|url = https://variety.com/2024/film/news/teri-garr-dead-young-frankenstein-tootsie-1236193831/|title = Teri Garr, Star of 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Tootsie,' Dies at 79|last = Saperstein|first = Pat|date = October 29, 2024|accessdate = October 29, 2024|work = ]}}</ref> She is interred at ], in ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Garr |first1=Teri |title=Celebrity Funerals |url=https://funeralhomesnearby.com/teri-garr-funeral-illness-legacy/ |website=funeralhomesnearby |access-date=November 17, 2024}}</ref>
==Awards and nominations==
;Academy Award (Oscar)
*1983: Nominated for "]" in '']''
;British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
*1984: Nominated for "]" in ''Tootsie''
;National Society of Film Critics, USA
*1983: Third Place "]" in ''Tootsie''
;National Board of Review, USA
*1994 Winner: "]" in '']''
;Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
*1978: Nominated for "]" in '']''
;CableACE Awards
*1983 Nominated for "]" in '']'' For episode "The Tale of the Frog Prince".


==Legacy and reception==
==Selected filmography==
Garr has been called a "comedic legend."<ref name=hodgman/> In 1982, film critic ] called her "the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen."<ref name=bricker/> Numerous performers have cited her as an influence, including ]<ref>{{cite web|work=]|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/04/funny_fischer200804|title=Chicks with Schticks|author=Windolf, Jim|date=April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024100109/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/04/funny_fischer200804#~o|archive-date=October 24, 2020|publisher=]|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and ].<ref name=av>{{cite web|work=]|publisher=Onion, Inc.|title=Teri Garr|date=July 22, 2008|author=O'Neal, Sean|url=https://www.avclub.com/teri-garr-1798214431|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002202043/https://film.avclub.com/teri-garr-1798214431|archive-date=October 2, 2018|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{colbegin}}
*'']'' (1963), backup dancer
*'']'' (1964), backup dancer
*'']'' (1964), backup dancer
*'']'' (1964), backup dancer
*'']'' (1964), backup dancer
*'']'' (1964), backup dancer
*'']'' (1964), backup dancer
*'']'' (1965)
*'']'' (1965)
*'']'' (1965), backup dancer
*'']'' (1967), backup dancer
*'']'' (1968) -- her first speaking role
*'']'' (1969)
*'']'' (1970)
*'']'' (1974)
*'']'' (1974)
*'']'' (1976)
*'']'' (1977)
*'']'' (1977)
*'']'' (1979)
*'']'' (1979)
*'']'' (1980)
*'']'' (1981)
*'']'' (1982)
*'']'' (1982)
*'']'' (1982)
*'']'' (1983)
*'']'' (1983)
*'']'' (1983)
*'']'' (1983)
*'']'' (1984)
*'']'' (1985)
*'']'' (1986)
*'']'' (1988)
*'']'' (1989)
*'']'' (1989)
*'']'' (1990)
*'']'' (1990)
*'']'' (1992)
*'']'' (1992)
*'']'' (VHS released 1993)
*'']'' (1994)
*'']'' (1994)
* '']'' (1995)
*'']'' (1996)
*'']'' (1997)
*'']'' (1999)
*'']'' (2000)
*'']'' (2001)
*'']'' (2002)
*'']'' (2006)
*'']'' (2007)
*'']'' (2007)
{{colend}}


Upon her death, talk show host ] called her "one of '']'' all-time favorite guests" adding, "Teri Garr's many appearances on '']'' gave it a cachet and importance not possible without her. She was a first class actor and comedian and a lovely human being. She elevated all, and I'm sad she is gone."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://people.com/david-letterman-honors-late-teri-garr-all-time-favorite-guests-after-her-death-8736409|title= David Letterman Calls Late Teri Garr 'One Of Our All-Time Favorite Guests' as He Honors Actress After Her Death|website= People Magazine|accessdate= November 1, 2024}}</ref> Director ] wrote, "She was so talented and so funny. Her humor and lively spirit made the '']'' set a pleasure to work on".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://deadline.com/2024/10/mel-brooks-teri-garr-young-frankenstein-1236162396/|title= Mel Brooks Recalls The German Accent That Won Teri Garr Her Immortal 'Young Frankenstein' Role|website= ]|accessdate= November 1, 2024}}</ref> Her '']'' co-star ] released a statement in part reading "Teri was brilliant and singular in all she did, and had a heart of gold. Working with her was one of the great highs. There was no one like her".<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://ew.com/michael-keaton-mel-brooks-more-stars-pay-tribute-teri-garr-8736416|title= Michael Keaton, Mel Brooks, more stars honor late actress Teri Garr: 'Man, was she great!'|magazine= ]|accessdate= November 1, 2024}}</ref> Numerous figures in the entertainment industry also paid tribute including ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://deadline.com/2024/10/teri-garr-hollywood-reactions-1236161174/|title= David Letterman, Michael Keaton, Richard Dreyfuss, Steve Martin Among Hollywood Stars Remembering Comedy Legend Teri Garr: "This Is A Day I Feared"|website= ]|accessdate= November 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje09595v5ko|title= Lisa Kudrow pays tribute to Friends mother Teri Garr|website= ]|accessdate= November 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/teri-garr-dead-hollywood-tributes-1236047984/|title= Michael Keaton, David Letterman, Mel Brooks and More Mourn Teri Garr: "So Talented and So Funny"|website= ]|accessdate= November 1, 2024}}</ref>
===Short subjects===
*''Where Is the Bus?'' (1966)
*'']'' (1977)
*''Java Junkie'' (1979), shown on ''Saturday Night Live''
*''Save the Rabbits'' (1994)
*''God Out the Window'' (2007)


==Acting credits and accolades ==
===Television===
{{Main|Teri Garr filmography}}
{{colbegin}}
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
*'']'' (1 episode, 1964)
|-
*'']'' (1 episode, 1965)
! width=2%|Year
*'']'' (episode 7, uncredited, 1966)
! style="width:23%"|Institution
*'']'' (1 episode, 1967)
! style="width:20%;"| Category
*'']'' (1 episode, 1968)
! style="width:26%;"| Nominated work
*'']'' ("]", 1968)
! style="width:10%;"| Result
*'']'' (1 episode, 1968)
! width=3%|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}}
*'']'' (1 episode, 1969)
|-
*'']'' (2 episodes, 1969)
| 1978 || ] || ] || '']'' || {{nominated}} || align=center|<ref name="GD1">{{cite news |last1=Dixon |first1=Marcus |title=Teri Garr dead at 79: American actress received an Oscar nomination for 'Tootsie' |url=https://www.goldderby.com/feature/teri-garr-dead-1205999832/ |access-date=November 5, 2024 |work=GoldDerby |date=October 29, 2024}}</ref>
*'']'' (1 episode, 1969)
|-
*'']'' (13 episodes, 1971–72)
| 1983 || ] || ] || rowspan="2" | '']'' || {{nominated}} || align=center|<ref name=LATimes2008 />
*'']'' (1 episode, 1972)
|-
*'']'' (1 episode, 1986)
| 1983 || ] || ] || {{draw|3rd Place}} || align=center|<ref name="GD1"/>
*'']'' (1 episode, 1973)
|-
*''The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour'' (1973) (unknown episodes)
| 1983 || ] || Best Dramatic Actress || '']'' <br/>{{small|(Episode: "The Tale of the Frog Prince")}} || {{nominated}} || align=center|<ref name="GD1"/>
*'']'' (4 episodes, 1973–74)
|-
*'']'' (2 episodes, 1973–74)
| 1984 || ] || ] || ''Tootsie'' || {{nominated}} || align=center|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1984/film|work=]|title=Film in 1984|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722130021/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1984/film|archive-date=July 22, 2018|access-date=October 21, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*'']'' (5 episodes, 1973–75)
|-
*'']'' (2 episodes, 1973–78)
| 1994 || ] || ] || '']'' || {{won}} || align=center|<ref>{{cite web|work=]|series=Archive|url=http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-names/best-ensemble-cast/|title=Best Ensemble Cast|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021190727/http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-names/best-ensemble-cast/|archive-date=October 21, 2018|access-date=October 21, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*'']'' (1 episode, 1974)
|}
*'']'' (1 episode, 1974)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1974)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1975)
*''Cher'' (1 episode, 1975)
*'']'' (unknown episodes, 1976–77)
*''Law and Order'' (1976)
*'']'' (1977)
*''Hunter'' (1 episode, 1977)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1979)
*''Doctor Franken'' (1980)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1982)
*'']'' (1982)
*'']'' (2 episodes, 1983–87)
*'']'' (1984)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1984)
*'']'' (1986)
*''Intimate Strangers'' (1986)
*''Trying Times'' (1 episode, 1987)
*''Paul Reiser Out on a Whim'' (1987)
*''Teri Garr in Flapjack Floozie'' (1988)
*''Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio'' (1988)
*''A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder'' (1990)
*'']'' (1990)
*''Stranger in the Family'' (1991)
*'']'' (1991) (unknown episodes)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1991)
*'']'' (1992)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1992)
*''Deliver Them from Evil: The Taking of Alta View'' (1992)
*''Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert'' (1993)
*''The General Motors Playwrights Theater'' (1 episode, 1993)
*''Murphy Brown (Season 5) Bump in the Night" (1993)
*'']'' (1993) (unknown episodes, 1994)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1994)
*''Aliens for Breakfast'' (1994)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1995)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1995)
*'']'' (12 episodes, 1995)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1996)
*''Double Jeopardy'' (1996)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1997)
*''NightScream'' (1997)
*''Ronnie & Julie'' (1997)
*''Murder Live!'' (1997)
*'']'' (3 episodes, 1997–98)
*'']'' (1998)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1998 or 1999)
*'']'' (1999) (voice)
*'']'' (1999) (unknown episodes)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1999) (voice, as self)
*'']'' (1 episode, 1999)
*'']'' (1999)
*'']'' (8 episodes, 1999–2000)
*'']'' (1 episode, 2000)
*'']'' (1 episode, 2001)
*''A Colder Kind of Death'' (2001)
*'']'' (1 episode, 2001)
*'']'' (1 episode, 2003)
*'']'' (1 episode, 2003)
*'']'' (1 episode, 2003)
*'']'' (1 episode, 2005)
*'']'' (1 episode, 2006)
{{colend}}


==See also== ==Bibliography==
* '']'', 2006
{{Portal bar|Biography|Ohio|Los Angeles|California|Film|Television|Comedy}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|30em}} {{Reflist|30em}}

==Works cited==
*{{cite book|last=Eichenbaum|first=Rose|title=The Actor Within: Intimate Conversations with Great Actors|url=https://archive.org/details/actorwithinintim00eich|url-access=registration|publisher=]|location=Middletown, Connecticut|year=2011|isbn=978-0-819-57165-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Garr|first=Teri|year=2006|title=Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood|location=New York|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-452-28571-2}}
*{{cite book|last=Hellmann|first=Paul T.|title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|isbn= 978-1-135-94858-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Leszcak|first=Bob|title=The Odd Couple on Stage and Screen: A History with Cast and Crew Profiles and an Episode Guide|date=August 23, 2014|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-476-61539-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Lisanti|first=Thomas|title=Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959–1969|year=2015|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-476-60142-7}}
*{{cite book|last=Willis|first=John|title=Screen World|volume=55|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|year=2005|location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-557-83638-0}}


==External links== ==External links==
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{{commons}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{Amg name|26007}}
* {{IMDb name|414|Teri Garr}}
* {{iobdb name|9292}}
* {{YouTube|Sv45lxFLwGk|"The Films of Teri Garr"}}, a movie clip compilation on YouTube
* , '']'' (podcast, December 12, 2005)
* , worldcatlibraries.org; accessed April 7, 2014.


{{Authority control}} * {{IMDb name}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* {{Discogs artist|Teri Garr}}

{{Authority control|state=collapsed}}


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Latest revision as of 16:59, 13 December 2024

American actress (1944–2024)

Teri Garr
Garr in the early 1980s
BornTerry Ann Garr
(1944-12-11)December 11, 1944
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedOctober 29, 2024(2024-10-29) (aged 79)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater
OccupationActress
Years active1963–2011
Spouse John O'Neil ​ ​(m. 1993; div. 1996)
Partners
Children1

Terry Ann Garr (December 11, 1944 – October 29, 2024), known as Teri Garr, was an American actress. Known for her comedic roles in film and television in the 1970s and 1980s, she often played women struggling to cope with the life-changing experiences of their husbands, children or boyfriends. She received nominations for an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award for her performance in Tootsie (1982), playing a struggling actress who loses the soap opera role of a female hospital administrator to her male friend and acting coach.

Garr was raised primarily in North Hollywood, California. She was the third child of a comedic-actor father and a studio costumier mother. In her youth, Garr trained in ballet and other forms of dance. She began her career as a teenager with small roles in television and film in the early 1960s, including appearances as a dancer in nine Elvis Presley musicals. After spending two years attending college, Garr left Los Angeles and studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City. She had her breakthrough appearing in the episode Assignment: Earth of Star Trek in 1968.

After gaining attention for her 1974 roles in Francis Ford Coppola's thriller The Conversation and Mel Brooks's comedy horror Young Frankenstein, Garr became increasingly successful with major roles in Carl Reiner's comedy Oh, God! and Steven Spielberg's science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (both 1977) and The Black Stallion (1979). In the 1980s, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her comedic role as an acting student in Sydney Pollack's romantic comedy Tootsie, and enjoyed leading roles in Coppola's musical drama One from the Heart (1982), Mr. Mom (1983), and Firstborn (1984). She later acted in films such as Martin Scorsese's black comedy After Hours (1985), Let It Ride (1989), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Prêt-à-Porter (1994), Michael (1996) and Ghost World (2001).

Garr's quick wit and charming banter made her a sought-after guest on late-night shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. On television, she took a guest role as Phoebe Abbott in the sitcom Friends (1997–98). In 2002, Garr announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the symptoms of which had affected her ability to perform. She retired from acting in 2011 and died in 2024.

Early life and education

Terry Ann Garr was born in Los Angeles, California, on December 11, 1944. She spent her early years in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, and Lakewood, Ohio, before her family settled in Los Angeles. Her father, Eddie Garr (born Edward Leo Gonnoud), was a vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor, whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road. Her mother, Phyllis Lind Garr (born Emma Schmotzer), was a dancer, a Rockette, wardrobe mistress, and model. Her father was of Irish descent and her maternal grandparents were Austrian immigrants. Garr had two older brothers, Ed and Phil.

When Garr was 11, her father died in Los Angeles of a heart attack. She recalled that his death "left us bereft, without any kind of income. And I saw my mother be this incredibly strong, creative woman who put three kids through college—one of my brothers is a surgeon. Any kind of lessons we wanted, we had to have scholarships or sweep the floors. It had to be free. And so we always had to try harder. That was instilled in me very early." During her youth, Garr expressed interest in dancing and trained extensively in ballet. "I'd go for three, four hours a day; my feet would be bleeding", she recalled. "I'd take buses all over the city just to go to the best dancing schools. You could just stand there and be quiet and beat yourself up, push the body." Garr graduated from North Hollywood High School, and attended San Fernando Valley State College (now California State University, Northridge) for two years before dropping out and relocating to New York City to further pursue acting. In New York City, she studied at the Actors Studio and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Career

Early films and stage

Early in her career, she was credited as Terry Garr. She later recalled changing her first name to "Teri" on the advice of a numerologist, who said she would be unsuccessful if she had repeating letters in her first and last names. Her movie debut was as an extra in A Swingin' Affair (1963). During her senior year, she auditioned for the cast of the Los Angeles road company production of West Side Story, where she met one of the most important people in her early career, David Winters, who became her friend, dance teacher, and mentor. Winters cast her in many of his early movies and projects.

Garr began as a background go-go dancer in uncredited roles in youth-oriented films and TV shows choreographed by Winters, including Pajama Party (a beach party film), the T.A.M.I. Show, Shivaree, Hullabaloo, Movin' with Nancy, Shindig! and nine Elvis Presley features (many of which were also choreographed by Winters, including Presley's most profitable film, Viva Las Vegas). When asked in a magazine interview about how she landed jobs in so many Presley films, Garr answered, "One of the dancers in the road show of West Side Story (David Winters) started to choreograph movies, and whatever job he got, I was one of the girls he'd hire. So he was chosen to do Viva Las Vegas. That was my first movie."

She often appeared on television during this time, performing as a go-go dancer on several musical variety shows, along with friend Toni Basil, such as Shindig! and Hullabaloo. In 1966, Garr made one appearance on Batman (episode seven, uncredited). In 1968, she appeared in both The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. and was in two episodes of It Takes a Thief.

Film and television; critical acclaim

Garr on Late Night with David Letterman in 1982

Her first speaking role in a motion picture was a brief appearance as a damsel in distress in The Monkees' film Head (1968), written by Jack Nicholson; Garr got the role after meeting Nicholson in an acting class. "He wrote the script for Head, so all of us in the class got little tiny parts in the movie," she recalled. "I was ... Who was I? Oh yes, I was the girl dying of a snakebite, who falls off the Conestoga wagon and says, 'Quick, suck it before the venom reaches my heart!' " Earlier in that year, she landed her first significant TV role, featured as secretary Roberta Lincoln in the Star Trek episode "Assignment: Earth", designed as a backdoor pilot episode for a new series that was not commissioned. "Star Trek was the first job where I had a fairly big (for me) speaking part," Garr related in her memoir, "I played Roberta Lincoln, a dippy secretary in a pink and orange costume with a very short skirt. Had the spin-off succeeded, I would have continued on as an earthling agent, working to preserve humanity. In a very short skirt." This led to her being, in her words, "cast as birdbrained lasses," in episodes of other TV shows.

In 1972, she landed a regular role in The Ken Berry "WOW" Show, a summer replacement series. Afterward, she was a regular cast member on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, dancing and acting in comedy sketches.

Garr appeared in a string of highly successful films in the mid-to-late 1970s, including a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's thriller The Conversation (1974). This was followed with her role as Inga, an assistant to Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, in the Mel Brooks horror comedy Young Frankenstein (1974), which marked a career breakthrough. She then appeared in a dramatic role in Steven Spielberg's science-fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) as the wife of Richard Dreyfuss's character; in Oh, God! (1977) as the wife of John Denver's character; and the drama The Black Stallion (1979) as the mother of the boy protagonist.

In 1978, Garr appeared off-Broadway in a production of One Crack Out by Canadian playwright David French, playing the wife of Charlie, a pool hustler in Toronto. Richard Eder of The New York Times noted that Garr "manages an attractive uncertainty and devotion as Charlie's wife."

In 1982, she starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in the comedy Tootsie (1982), playing an actress whose actor friend (Hoffman) disguises himself as a woman to further his career. For her role, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She then appeared in the comedy Mr. Mom (1983) as the wife of Michael Keaton's character, followed by a supporting role in Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985).

Later work and television

Garr and Hector Elizondo on the set of Perfect Alibi (1995) with director Kevin Meyer

In the 1970s, Garr had a recurring role on McCloud, and appeared on M*A*S*H, The Bob Newhart Show, The Odd Couple, Maude, Barnaby Jones, and Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers. She hosted Saturday Night Live three times (in 1980, 1983, and 1985), and was a frequent visitor on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, appearing over 40 times.

As a recurring guest on Late Night with David Letterman, Garr was renowned for her unscripted banter with David Letterman, who once goaded her into showering in his office while the camera rolled. Letterman later apologized to Garr, stating that he came to realize the constant requests for her to shower were "maybe kind of a sexist thing to do." In 1986, Garr appeared in episode 2223 of Sesame Street as Amelia Adams, a student of Oscar the Grouch's school, Oscar's New School For Grouch Research.

Garr had several prominent dramatic roles on television in the 1980s, starring opposite Donald Sutherland in an adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Winter of Our Discontent (1983), in the parody miniseries Fresno (1986), and opposite Ellen Burstyn in an adaptation of the play Pack of Lies (1987), which earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama or Comedy Special.

In 1989, Garr appeared in Let It Ride, also opposite Dreyfuss. Her film roles during the 1990s included the role of Marge Nelson in the comedy Mom and Dad Save the World (1992), a parody of science fiction films, the stepmother of Lauren Holly's character in the comedy Dumb and Dumber (1994), the wife of Danny Aiello's character in Robert Altman's ensemble film Prêt-à-Porter (1994), and a judge in the fantasy comedy Michael (1996). In the late 1990s, Garr landed a role as recurring character Phoebe Abbott in Friends, the estranged birth mother of Phoebe Buffay.

Garr's career began to slow in the late 1990s after a neurologist informed her that symptoms she had been experiencing for many years were those of multiple sclerosis. In film, she appeared in minor supporting roles, including a witch in the children's film Casper Meets Wendy (1998) and the mother of Michelle Williams in the political comedy Dick (1999). This was followed by an uncredited role in Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World (2001). She also provided the voice of Mary McGinnis, Terry McGinnis's mother, in Batman Beyond (1999–2001).

Garr returned to the stage in the fall of 2000, appearing in numerous off-Broadway performances of The Vagina Monologues opposite Sanaa Lathan and Julianna Margulies. She subsequently had minor supporting roles in the Christmas comedy film Unaccompanied Minors (2006), and the independent comedies Expired and Kabluey (both 2007).

Retirement

In 2006, Garr published an autobiography, Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood, which details her career and health struggles after her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Garr appeared on The Moth Radio Hour broadcast of December 9, 2009, to tell a humorous reminiscence, "Wake Up Call".

Garr last acted on television in 2011. She appeared at the 19th Annual Race to Erase MS event in 2012. In 2019, it was revealed Garr had retired from acting in 2011.

Personal life

Marriage and relationships

Garr at the AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) benefit, September 1990

In the early 1980s, Garr was in a seven-year relationship with film executive Roger Birnbaum. After separating from Birnbaum, Garr was in a seven-year relationship with David Kipper, a physician, to whom she was introduced by Carrie Fisher. In 1993, Garr married building contractor John O'Neil, and that same year, in November, they adopted daughter Molly O'Neil. The couple divorced in 1996.

Stalking incident

In July 1990, a Los Angeles County judge ordered a woman charged with stalking Garr to cease contacting her and to remain 100 yards (91 m) away from Garr, her home, and her work locations for three years.

Political activism

In March 1988, Garr was arrested for trespassing in Mercury, Nevada, during a protest against nuclear weapons testing in the area.

She participated in events for The Trevor Project, a nonprofit LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization.

Illness and death

In October 2002, Garr confirmed that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. After years of uncertainty and secrecy about her diagnosis, Garr explained her reasons for deciding to go public: "I'm telling my story for the first time so I can help people. I can help people know they aren't alone and tell them there are reasons to be optimistic because, today, treatment options are available."

In interviews, Garr said that she first started noticing symptoms while she was in New York filming Tootsie around 1982. After disclosing her condition, she became a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and National Chair for the Society's Women Against MS program (WAMS). In November 2005, Garr was honored as the society's Ambassador of the Year. The same year, she revealed her treatment regimen for the disease, which included regular steroid injections to help manage symptoms. Closer reported in 2015 that she credited her positive attitude and her family's support with helping her fight the disease.

In December 2006, Garr had a ruptured brain aneurysm. The aneurysm left her in a coma for a week, but after therapy, she regained speech and motor skills, and in 2008 she appeared on Late Show with David Letterman to promote Expired, a 2007 film in which she played one of a set of twins.

Garr died from complications of multiple sclerosis at her home in Los Angeles surrounded by family and friends, on October 29, 2024, at the age of 79. She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Hollywood Hills, California.

Legacy and reception

Garr has been called a "comedic legend." In 1982, film critic Pauline Kael called her "the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen." Numerous performers have cited her as an influence, including Jenna Fischer and Tina Fey.

Upon her death, talk show host David Letterman called her "one of The Late Show's all-time favorite guests" adding, "Teri Garr's many appearances on Late Night gave it a cachet and importance not possible without her. She was a first class actor and comedian and a lovely human being. She elevated all, and I'm sad she is gone." Director Mel Brooks wrote, "She was so talented and so funny. Her humor and lively spirit made the Young Frankenstein set a pleasure to work on". Her Tootsie co-star Dustin Hoffman released a statement in part reading "Teri was brilliant and singular in all she did, and had a heart of gold. Working with her was one of the great highs. There was no one like her". Numerous figures in the entertainment industry also paid tribute including Steve Martin, Michael Keaton, Richard Dreyfus, Lisa Kudrow, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael McKean, Paul Feig and Francis Ford Coppola.

Acting credits and accolades

Main article: Teri Garr filmography
Year Institution Category Nominated work Result Ref.
1978 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress Close Encounters of the Third Kind Nominated
1983 Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Tootsie Nominated
1983 National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress 3rd Place
1983 CableACE Awards Best Dramatic Actress Faerie Tale Theatre
(Episode: "The Tale of the Frog Prince")
Nominated
1984 BAFTA Awards Best Supporting Actress Tootsie Nominated
1994 National Board of Review Best Acting Ensemble Prêt-à-Porter Won

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ^ Many sources place Garr's birth in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, Ohio, but others say she was born in Los Angeles, matching the 1950 US Census, which lists her as born in California. Garr herself said she was born in Los Angeles.
  2. Various sources have cited numerous years for Garr's date of birth, though the date is always given as December 11. At the start of chapter 2 of her memoir Speedbumps, Garr declines to give her age. A few pages later, she indicates that she was 11 when her father died in September 1956. This fact places her birth year as 1944. In addition, the April 1950 U.S. Census entry for the Eddie Garr family indicates that Teri was five years old, which also places her year of birth as 1944. The same census gives her birthplace as California.

References

  1. ^ Gates, Anita (October 29, 2024). "Teri Garr, Comic Actress in Offbeat Roles, Is Dead at 79". The New York Times. Retrieved October 29, 2024. Terry Ann Garr was born on Dec. 11, 1944, in Los Angeles
  2. Nelson, Valerie J. (October 29, 2024). "Teri Garr, comedic actor in 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Tootsie,' dies at 79". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2024. Teri Ann Garr was born into a show-business family in Los Angeles but spent her early years moving around the country
  3. ^ "1950 United States Federal Census, Entry for Edward and Phyllis Garr Family". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. April 24, 1950. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  4. ^ Thomas, Bob (October 29, 2024). "Teri Garr, the offbeat comic actor of 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Tootsie,' has died". Associated Press. Retrieved October 29, 2024. She said she was born in Los Angeles, although most reference books list Lakewood, Ohio.
  5. ^ Hodgman, John (November 12, 2006). "How to Be Funny". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "Humor keeps comedy actress Teri Garr afloat". Los Angeles Daily News. Houston, Texas. April 19, 2008. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2018 – via Houston Chronicle.
  7. ^ Garr, Teri; Mantel, Henriette (2005). Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood. Waterville, Maine: Thorndike Press. ISBN 0786282010. OCLC 61499903.
  8. Grossberg, Josh (January 3, 2007). "Garr Better After Brain Aneurysm". E! Online. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  9. ^ "Teri Garr (1944–)". Biography.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  10. Starr, Jimmy (December 13, 1944). "Daily Diary: Eddie Garr". Evening Herald-Express. Los Angeles, California. p. B6 – via GenealogyBank.com. Eddie Garr, back a second time to celebrate the birth of a new daughter ...
  11. ^ Steinmetz, Johanna (October 30, 1988). "Is Teri Garr Serious When". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  12. Welsh, James M.; Phillips, Gene D.; Hill, Rodney F. (2010). The Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-8108-7650-7 – via Google Books.
  13. "Eddie Garr Dead at 56". The New York Times. New York, NY. Associated Press. September 6, 1956. p. 25 – via TimesMachine.
  14. ^ King, Susan (June 30, 2008). "Garr back on her feet, back on the big screen". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  15. Guthmann, Edward (January 7, 2004). "As acting jobs dwindle, Teri Garr takes up her pen". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019.
  16. Johnston, Steve (October 28, 2003). "An MS diagnosis curbed Teri Garr's film career — but not her morale". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  17. ^ "Teri Garr – My Life So Far". Ability Magazine. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  18. Eichenbaum 2011, p. 143.
  19. ^ "Talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation". David Winters.net. 2004. Archived from the original on March 2, 2004. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  20. Leszcak 2014, p. 52.
  21. Mayberry R.F.D. Season 01. Episode 12. 1968.
  22. It Takes a Thief S2.E13 – "Guess Who's Coming to Rio" (as Terry Garr) at IMDb
  23. It Takes a Thief S3.E3 – "The Beautiful People" (as Terry Garr) at IMDb
  24. ^ O'Neal, Sean (July 22, 2008). "Teri Garr". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  25. Lisanti 2015, p. 134.
  26. ^ "Teri Garr Filmography". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  27. Murrin, Tom (September 30, 2008). "Talking Young Frankenstein With Teri Garr". Paper. Paper Communications. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  28. ^ Eder, Richard (January 17, 1978). "Stage: Phoenix's 'One Crack Out'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  29. "Tootsie (1982)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  30. ^ Saperstein, Pat (October 29, 2024). "Teri Garr, Star of 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Tootsie,' Dies at 79". Variety. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  31. After Hours (1985) credits list at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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Works cited

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