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Death

‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Tootsie’ Star Teri Garr Dies at 79

CultureCelebs
By Craig Garrett
October 30, 2024 | 8:28 a.m. CDT
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Photo by Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

Teri Garr, the Oscar-nominated actress beloved by generations of fans for comedic turns in Young Frankenstein and Friends, has died. She was 79.

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Garr passed away on Tuesday from multiple sclerosis, “surrounded by family and friends,” according to publicist Heidi Schaeffer per Variety. In recent years, Garr faced various health challenges, including an operation in January 2007 to repair an aneurysm.

Garr, the daughter of a Broadway performer and a Rockette, grew up studying dance and started auditioning after graduating from high school in Los Angeles. Her early credits include dancing and appearing as an extra in films like Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas.

The 1970s were a prolific era for Garr, during which she made appearances on various episodes of popular comedy shows, including The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The Odd Couple, and The Bob Newhart Show, among many others.

Of course, her major breakthrough occurred in 1974 when she played the role of Inga in Mel Brooks’ comedic classic, Young Frankenstein, alongside other comedy heavy hitters Gene Wilder, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, and Marty Feldman.

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Mel Brooks, Teri Garr, and Cloris Leachman celebrated the 40th anniversary of “Young Frankenstein” at the AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, on September 9, 2014. (Photo by Araya Doheny/WireImage)

Two years later, Garr played Ronnie Neary in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 sci-fi film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In the film, she deals with her husband’s (Richard Dreyfuss) obsession after an alien encounter.

In Tootsie, Garr portrayed a beleaguered struggling actress romantically involved with Dustin Hoffman’s character, who achieves significant fame by impersonating a woman on a soap opera. This performance earned Garr a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 1983 Academy Awards.

Also in 1983, she played advertising executive Caroline Butler in the family comedy Mr. Mom, alongside Michael Keaton. The film follows a couple who swap parental roles after Keaton’s character loses his job, leading Garr’s character to go back to work.

Garr’s career flourished with numerous film and television projects. During the 1990s, she featured in notable works such as Good & Evil in 1991, Good Advice in 1994, and Women of the House in 1995.

Garr’s last credited appearance was in 2011 when she starred in the television series How to Marry a Billionaire.

Friends and Fans Pay Tribute to Teri Garr

Of course, colleagues, friends, and fans alike took to social media to mourn the loss of the beloved comic actress.

Among them was Garr’s Young Frankenstein director, Mel Brooks.

“So very sorry to hear about Teri Garr’s passing,” Brooks wrote on X. “She was so talented and so funny. Her humor and lively spirit made the YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN set a pleasure to work on. Her “German” accent had us all in stitches! She will be greatly missed.”

Meanwhile, Michael Keaton, who co-starred with Garr in the 1983 comedy Mr. Mom, was among the first to respond following the news of her death from multiple sclerosis on Tuesday.

“This is a day i feared and knew was coming,” Keaton wrote on Instagram. “Forget about how great she was as an actress and comedienne. she was a wonderful woman. not just great to work with but great to be around. AND go back and watch her comedic work – Man, was she great!! RIP girl.”

Friends star Lisa Kudrow also weighed in on Garr’s passing. Of course, Garr famously played Phoebe Abbott, the mother of Kudrow’s characters, Phoebe and Ursula Buffay.

“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 Entertainment Weekly. “I feel so lucky and grateful I go to work with Teri Garr.”

Garr’s Tootsie costar Dustin Hoffman also paid tribute to her.

 “Teri was brilliant and singular in all she did, and had a heart of gold. Working with her was one of the great highs,” Hoffman also told EW. “There was no one like her.”

“One of the many things I loved about Teri Garr is that she could play frazzled, even ditzy, characters, but she never, ever made them seem dumb,” writer and TV critic Jen Chaney wrote on X. “She couldn’t. She radiated intelligence and didn’t know how to turn it off, and the women she played reaped the benefits.”

Meanwhile, generations of fans also paid tribute to the veteran actress.

“RIP Teri Garr, one of the absolute all-time great comic actors,” one fan wrote. “Mr Mom! After Hours! One From The Heart! Of course Young Frank, of course Close Encounters. She was just the best.”

“If you grew up at that time and liked comedy, she and Madeline Kahn were for sure Dream Girl 1 & 2, both absolutely gorg and crushed like nobody’s business,” a second admirer pointed out.

“A true comedic genius,” another fan added on X. “Her timing unmatched. Dealt a bad hand for much of her later life. Teri was 1 of 1. RIP Madame Garr.”

Garr is survived by her daughter, Molly O’Neil, and her grandson, Tyryn.