Teri Garr, the distinctive and unique actress who transitioned from being a background dancer in films to co-starring in beloved classics like Young Frankenstein and Tootsie, has passed away at the age of 79.
Garr passed away on Tuesday due to complications from multiple sclerosis, as confirmed by her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, who said she was “surrounded by family and friends.” In recent years, Garr faced various health challenges, including undergoing surgery in January 2007 to address an aneurysm.
Teri Garr: Her Life and Career in Hollywood
Teri Garr grew up in Los Angeles in a show business family, with two older brothers. Her mother, Phyllis, was a former dancer, while her father, Eddie, was a traveling comedian and gambler who passed away when Ann was just 11 years old.
At the age of 16, she joined the touring company of West Side Story in Los Angeles, and by 1963, she was landing small film roles. In a 1988 interview, she shared how she secured her part in West Side Story: after being rejected at her first audition, she came back the next day in a new outfit and was offered the role.
Following that, Teri Garr enjoyed a consistent career as a background dancer in movies, performing in the chorus of nine Elvis Presley films, including Viva Las Vegas, Clambake and more.
Her major breakthrough in film occurred when she played Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in the 1974 thriller The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This role opened the door for an interview with Mel Brooks, who subsequently cast her as Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant in the same year’s Young Frankenstein.
Sydney Pollack’s Tootsie earned Garr an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In the film, she portrayed a neurotic acting student whose heart is shattered by Dustin Hoffman’s character, a struggling artist who disguises himself as a woman to secure a role on a soap opera. Garr went on to have a fruitful career in Hollywood that spanned decades.
In late 2006, Garr experienced a brain aneurysm that affected her speech and motor skills. She retired from acting in 2011, but her influence remained significant in the comedy world, inspiring a new generation of female comedians.
Terri was all smiles at the Meet Joe Black premiere in 1998.
Teri posing at The King and I premiere in 1999.
Teri and her daughter in 1999.
More Like This:
- Gene Wilder, ‘Willy Wonka’ Star, Dies At 83
- Remembering Shelley Duvall’s Life and Career in Hollywood
