Teri Garr
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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.
Known for
Credits
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
as Helen Swanson
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
as Ronnie Neary
Young Frankenstein (1974)
as Inga
The Conversation (1974)
as Amy Fredericks
Tootsie (1982)
as Sandy Lester
The Player (1992)
as Teri Garr
After Hours (1985)
as Julie
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)
as Mary McGinnis (voice)
Prêt-à-Porter (1994)
as Louise Hamilton
Unaccompanied Minors (2006)
as Aunt Judy (uncredited)
The Black Stallion (1979)
as Alec's Mother
Michael (1996)
as Judge Esther Newberg
Mr. Mom (1983)
as Caroline
Aloha Scooby-Doo! (2005)
as Mayor Molly Quinn (voice)
Ghost World (2001)
as Maxine (uncredited)
Batman Beyond: The Movie (1999)
as Mary McGinnis (voice)
Casper Meets Wendy (1998)
as Fanny
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
as Dancer (uncredited)
A Simple Wish (1997)
as Rena
Dick (1999)
as Helen Lorenzo
What a Way to Go! (1964)
as Shipboard Number Dancer (uncredited)
Clambake (1967)
as Dancer (uncredited)
One from the Heart (1982)
as Frannie
Oh, God! (1977)
as Bobbie Landers
Kabluey (2007)
as Suze
Fun in Acapulco (1963)
as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Let It Ride (1989)
as Pam
NightScream (1997)
as Julie Ordwell
Mom and Dad Save the World (1992)
as Marge Nelson
Roustabout (1964)
as Carnival Dancer (uncredited)
Honky Tonk Freeway (1981)
as Ericka
Pajama Party (1964)
as Pajama Girl
Short Time (1990)
as Carolyn Simpson
Firstborn (1984)
as Wendy
Kissin' Cousins (1964)
as Hillbilly Dancer (uncredited)
Head (1968)
as Testy True
The Black Stallion Returns (1983)
as Alec Ramsay's Mother
The Sting II (1983)
as Veronica
Life Without Dick (2002)
as Madame Hugonaut
Red Line 7000 (1965)
as Nightclub Dancer (uncredited)
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
as Fluffy Peters
Out Cold (1989)
as Sunny
Searching for Debra Winger (2002)
as Self
Full Moon in Blue Water (1988)
as Louise
Waiting for the Light (1990)
as Kay
Night of 100 Stars II (1985)
as Self
Pack of Lies (1987)
as Helen Schaefer
The Escape Artist (1982)
as Arlene
The Moonshine War (1970)
as Young Wife
The Sky is Falling (2001)
as Mona Hall
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990)
as Jill (of Jack and Jill)
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped (2018)
as Self (archive footage)
Double Jeopardy (1996)
as Cindy Dubroski
The History of White People in America (1985)
as Self
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (2001)
as Self
Witches' Brew (1980)
as Margaret Lightman
Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary (1977)
as Self
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise (2013)
as Self (archive footage)
Miracles (1986)
as Jean
Doctor Franken (1980)
as Kelli Fisher
The Best of Disney: 50 Years of Magic (1991)
as Self
Murder Live! (1997)
as JoAnn McGrath
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979)
as Self
The Tale of the Frog Prince (1982)
as Princess
Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim (1987)
as Self
A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder (1990)
as Marsha Pegler
The Cool Ones (1967)
as Whiz Girl
The Winter of Our Discontent (1983)
as Mary Hawley
Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert (1993)
as Brita Burrows
The Definite Maybe (1997)
as Dionne Waters
Steve Martin Live! (1984)
as Self
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
as Harem Girl (uncredited)
Robert Altman's Players (1992)
as Self
A Taste Of Jupiter (2005)
as Ginnie
Kill the Man (1999)
as Mrs. Livingston
Ronnie and Julie (1997)
as Elizabeth Monroe
To Catch a King (1984)
as Hannah Winter
Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein (1996)
as Inga (archive footage)
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk (1967)
as Susie
Prime Suspect (1982)
as Amy McCleary
The T.A.M.I. Show (1964)
as Self - Go-Go Dancer (uncredited)
Perfect Alibi (1995)
as Laney Tolbert
Deliver Them from Evil: The Taking of Alta View (1992)
as Susan Woolley
Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio (1987)
as Self
The Wiki-Tiki Tail of Aloha Scooby-Doo (2005)
as Self
A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie' (2008)
as Self
Changing Habits (1997)
as Connie
The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977)
as Susan Cates
Stranger in the Family (1991)
as Randi Thompson
Maryjane (1968)
as Teri
Summertree (1971)
as Bennie's Girlfriend (uncredited)
Once Upon a Brothers Grimm (1977)
as Frog Princess
Half a Dozen Babies (1999)
as Lee Dilley
Aliens for Breakfast (1994)
as Mrs. Bickerstaff
A Colder Kind of Death (2001)
as Tess Malone
A Swingin' Affair (1963)
Actor
Jackie Gleason: The Great One (1988)
as Self
Law and Order (1976)
as Rita Wasinski
Changes (1969)
as Waitress
The Making of 'Tootsie' (1982)
as Self
Do It Debbie's Way (1983)
as Self
For Pete's Sake (1966)
as MarJean
Inside the Coppola Personality (1981)
as Self
The Dream Studio (2004)
as self
Expired (2007)
as Claire's Mother / Aunt Tilde
You Haven't Changed a Bit (1970)
as Corinne
Rendez-Vous Video Magazine (1981)
as Self (segment "Coppola")
Shining Time Station: One of the Family (1995)
as Sister Conductor
Intimate Strangers (1986)
as Sally Bierston
Flapjack Floozie (1988)
as Helen Eagles
Java Junkie (1979)
as Waitress
Where's the Bus? (1966)
as Girl