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Teri Garr

Teri Garr

Acting

Born December 11, 1944, Lakewood, Ohio, USA

Teri Ann Garr (December 11, 1944 – October 29, 2024) was an American actress, dancer and singer. She frequently appeared in comedic roles throughout her career, which spanned four decades and includes over 140 credits in film and television. Her accolades include one Academy Award nomination, a BAFTA Award nomination, and one National Board of Review Award. Born in Lakewood, Ohio, Garr was raised in North Hollywood. She was the third child of a comedic-actor father and a studio costumer 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 six 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. Her self-described "big break" as an actress was landing a role in the Star Trek episode "Assignment: Earth," after which she said, "I finally started to get real acting work." Garr had a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's thriller "The Conversation" (1974) before having her film breakthrough as Inga in "Young Frankenstein" (1974). In 1977, she was cast in a high-profile role in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Garr continued to appear in various high-profile roles throughout the 1980s, including supporting parts in the comedies "Tootsie" (1982), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Sandra Lester, and then appearing opposite Michael Keaton the next year in "Mr. Mom" (1983). She reunited with Coppola the same year, appearing in his musical "One from the Heart" (1982), followed by a supporting part in Martin Scorsese's black comedy "After Hours" (1985). Her quick banter led to Garr being a regular guest on "The Tonight Show" starring Johnny Carson and "Late Night with David Letterman." In the 1990s, she appeared in two films by Robert Altman: "The Player" (1992) and "Prêt-à-Porter" (1994), followed by supporting roles in "Michael" (1996) and "Ghost World" (2001). She also appeared on television as Phoebe Abbott in three episodes of the sitcom "Friends" (1997–98). In 2002, Garr announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the symptoms of which had negatively affected her ability to perform beginning in the 1990s. After years of declining health, she passed away on October 29, 2024.

Filmography

Appearances as themselves (34)
  • 2018Mel Brooks: Unwrapped — Self (archive footage)
  • 2013Mel Brooks: Make a Noise — Self (archive footage)
  • 2008A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie' — Self
  • 2005The Wiki-Tiki Tail of Aloha Scooby-Doo — Self
  • 2004The Dream Studio — self
  • The Tony Danza Show — Self
  • 2002Searching for Debra Winger — Self
  • 2001The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' — Self
  • Great Drives — Self - Host
  • The Rosie O'Donnell Show — Self - Guest
  • Intimate Portrait — Self
  • 1992Robert Altman's Players — Self
  • 1991The Best of Disney: 50 Years of Magic — Self
  • 1988Jackie Gleason: The Great One — Self
  • 1987Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio — Self
  • 1987Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim — Self
  • 1985Night of 100 Stars II — Self
  • 1985The History of White People in America — Self
  • 1984Steve Martin Live! — Self
  • 1983Do It Debbie's Way — Self
  • 1982The Making of 'Tootsie' — Self
  • Wogan — Self
  • 1981Inside the Coppola Personality — Self
  • 1981Rendez-Vous Video Magazine — Self (segment "Coppola")
  • 1979Mr. Mike's Mondo Video — Self
  • Please Turn the Page — Self
  • 1977Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary — Self
  • The American Film Institute Salute to ... — Self
  • Shindig! — Self - Dancer
  • 1964The T.A.M.I. Show — Self - Go-Go Dancer (uncredited)
  • The Merv Griffin Show — Self
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
  • The Mike Douglas Show — Self
  • Golden Globe Awards — Self
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