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