Teri Garr, star of ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Tootsie,’ dead at 79
By Alli Rosenbloom and Dan Heching, CNN
(CNN) — Teri Garr, an Oscar-nominated actress known for her work in films like “Young Frankenstein,” “Tootsie” and “Mr. Mom,” has died, according to her manager.
She was 79.
Garr died Tuesday in Los Angeles, more than twenty years after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, her manger Marc Gurvitz told CNN.
She first shared her diagnosis publicly in a 2002 interview with CNN in an effort raise awareness for others living with MS.
“I think everybody is scared and frightened when they hear something like that,” Garr recalled of first learning her diagnosis, after visiting 11 doctors and experiencing years of symptoms they couldn’t explain. “That’s because there’s so much – you know, there’s not a lot of information out there about it. And a lot of people don’t know that it’s not that bad. I mean, I’m going on with my life.”
The daughter of a Broadway performer and a Rockette, Garr studied dance growing up and began auditioning soon after she graduated from high school in Los Angeles. Her earliest credits include dancing and appearing as an extra in films like Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas.”
“I finally asked myself, Why am I not in the front?” Garr later reflected. “I didn’t study all those years to be in the back and get no money.”
The 1970s proved to be a prolific time for Garr, who apppeared on several episodes of the sketch comedy series “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour,” “The New Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Odd Couple” and “The Bob Newhart Show,” among many others.
A hilarious move to the big screen
Her big break came in 1974, when she starred as Inga in the Mel Brooks-directed comedy hit “Young Frankenstein” alongside Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldman.
Two years later, Garr played Ronnie Neary, a wife trying to understand her husband’s (Richard Dreyfuss) inexplicable obsession as the result of an alien encounter, in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 sci-fi epic “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
In “Tootsie,” Garr played a put-upon struggling actress who was dating Dustin Hoffman‘s protagonist who in turn goes on to great fame pretending to be a woman on a soap opera. The role scored Garr a nomination for best supporting actress at the 1983 Academy Awards.
“I was proud,” Garr wrote of the nomination in her 2005 memoir, “Speedbumps: Flooring it Through Hollywood.” “The Academy not only knew I existed, they thought I was good!”
In a statement sent to CNN on Tuesday, Hoffman remembered Garr as “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,” added Hoffman.
Also in 1983, she played advertising executive Caroline Butler in the rousing family comedy “Mr. Mom” alongside Michael Keaton. The movie follows a couple who navigate switching their parental roles, when Keaton’s character is suddenly laid off and Garr’s Caroline returns to the workforce.
In a 2012 interview, Garr said she was not surprised two of her most memorable roles dealt with breaking stereotypes about gender norms.
“I resent it when they write the part of a woman who’s just a sexy femme fatale who seduces people to ger her way, perpetrating the myth that that’s how woman have to operate, instead of using their brains or their wit,” Garr reflected.
Later on Tuesday, Keaton honored Garr on Instagram, writing, “this is a day i feared and knew was coming.”
“Forget about how great she was as an actress and comedienne,” he added, continuing to say that “she was a wonderful woman. Not just great to work with but great to be around.”
Garr’s career continued with more film and television work. Throughout the ’90s, she appeared in 1991’s “Good & Evil,” 1994’s “Good Advice” and “Women of the House” in 1995.
‘Comedic acting genius’
Garr was known for her slightly addled and zany comic timing, which naturally made her the perfect candidate to play mother to Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay on “Friends.” Garr appeared in three episodes total over the third and fourth seasons.
“Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that,” Kudrow told CNN in a statement on Tuesday, adding that she feels “so lucky and grateful” that she got to work with the late actress.
Throughout the 2000s, Garr made guest appearances on “Felicity,” “ER” and “Live with Bonnie.” She also delved into voice acting work in the early aughts, voicing the character of Mary McGinnis in the animated “Batman Beyond” TV series, as well as voicing Sandy Gordon in 2003’s “What’s New, Scooby Doo?” animated series.
Garr’s final credit came in 2011 when she appeared on the TV series “How to Marry a Billionaire.”
Through it all, Garr was a vocal advocate for people living with MS.
“I think some people want you to be upset. Not only am I not upset, but I’m okay. I don’t see any profit in being down, I don’t see that it gets you anywhere,” Garr reflected in an interview about the sense of optimism she maintained. “Maybe it has to do with my show-business background. You’re always being told that you’re not right for something, not tall enough, not pretty enough, whatever. I would say, ‘But I’m smart, I’m talented, I’m this, I’m that!!’ I’ve always been able to do that, and I do it now with MS.”
“I’ve always been a feisty person,” she added.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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