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