Teri Garr, actress known for 'Young Frankenstein,' 'Tootsie' and more, dead at 79
Teri Garr, the actress whose many films included "Young Frankenstein," "Tootsie," "Mr. Mom," and Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," has died at age 79.
Garr's death was confirmed to ABC News by her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, who said Garr passed away Tuesday morning in Los Angeles "peacefully surrounded by family and friends."
No cause of death was shared, though the statement said the actress "was a fierce advocate for MS awareness" following her 2002 announcement that she had been diagnosed with the neuromuscular disease.
Garr initially trained as a dancer and even appeared as such in several Elvis Presley films, as well as in the 1964 seminal concert film "T.A.M.I Show." Her first significant acting role came in the 1968 "Star Trek" episode "Assignment: Earth," which was intended as a pilot episode for a spinoff series that never materialized. She also appeared in series including "Batman," "That Girl" and "The Andy Griffith Show," and was a regular performer on "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour."
But Garr's breakout role, and one in which she best displayed her deft gift for comedy, came in the 1974 Mel Brooks classic horror film satire "Young Frankenstein," in which she played the sexy lab assistant Inga. Garr more than held her own against her more experienced comedy co-stars Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman and Marty Feldman, and delivered her share of the film's eminently quotable lines, beginning with her very first, upon meeting Wilder's Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: "Would you like to have a roll in zee hay?"
Garr was much in demand in the 1970s and '80s, with roles that included "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," playing the exasperated wife of Richard Dreyfuss' character; 1983's "Mr. Mom," co-starring opposite Michael Keaton; and 1982's "Tootsie," opposite Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray, a critically acclaimed turn for which she received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. Later roles included the 1992 comedy "Mom and Dad Save the World."
Garr made regular TV appearances from the 1960s through the 2000s, notably as Phoebe's birth mother on "Friends." Her quick wit also made her a popular late-night talk show guest, with frequent appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and "Late Show with David Letterman." She also hosted "Saturday Night Live" three times.
Garr revealed in 2002 that she'd been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which at times confined her to a wheelchair and required her to essentially go into semi-retirement. She also suffered a brain aneurysm in 2006 that left her in a coma for several weeks but from which she recovered. That same year, she published her autobiography, titled "Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood." In December 2019, Garr was briefly hospitalized for what was described as dehydration.
Garr was married and divorced once and leaves behind a daughter and granddaughter.
