Teri Garr
Biography
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
Amy Fredericks
The Conversation
Maxine (uncredited)
Ghost World
Inga
Young Frankenstein
Ronnie Neary
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Louise Hamilton
Prêt-à-Porter
Teri Garr
The Player
Self
Jackie Gleason: The Great One
Judge Esther Newberg
Michael
Julie
After Hours
Harem Girl (uncredited)
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
Dancer (uncredited)
Viva Las Vegas
Susie
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
Susan Cates
The Absent-Minded Waiter
Bobbie Landers
Oh, God!
Madame Hugonaut
Life Without Dick
Carolyn Simpson
Short Time
Helen Swanson
Dumb and Dumber
Alec Ramsay's Mother
The Black Stallion Returns
Ginnie
A Taste Of Jupiter
Sandy Lester
Tootsie
Caroline
Mr. Mom
Marge Nelson
Mom and Dad Save the World
Louise
Full Moon in Blue Water
Frannie
One from the Heart
Fluffy Peters
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
Veronica
The Sting II
Jill (of Jack and Jill)
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
Mary McGinnis (voice)
Batman Beyond: The Movie
Helen Lorenzo
Dick
Ericka
Honky Tonk Freeway
Rena
A Simple Wish
Self (archive footage)
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
Fanny
Casper Meets Wendy
Alec's Mother
The Black Stallion
Testy True
Head
Claire's Mother / Aunt Tilde
Expired
Pam
Let It Ride
Wendy
Firstborn
Arlene
The Escape Artist
Self
Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim
Julie Ordwell
NightScream
Sunny
Out Cold
Kay
Waiting for the Light
Sister Conductor
Shining Time Station: One of the Family
Connie
Changing Habits
Waitress
Changes
Self
Steve Martin Live!
Self
The Best of Disney: 50 Years of Magic
Jean
Miracles
Laney Tolbert
Perfect Alibi
Frog Princess
Once Upon a Brothers Grimm
Hannah Winter
To Catch a King
Helen Schaefer
Pack of Lies
self
The Dream Studio
Waitress
Java Junkie
Pajama Girl
Pajama Party
Self
Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary
Self
The History of White People in America
Dionne Waters
The Definite Maybe
Elizabeth Monroe
Ronnie and Julie
Corinne
You Haven't Changed a Bit
A Swingin' Affair
Shipboard Number Dancer (uncredited)
What a Way to Go!
Carnival Dancer (uncredited)
Roustabout
Nightclub Dancer (uncredited)
Red Line 7000
For Pete's Sake
Margaret Lightman
Witches' Brew
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Fun in Acapulco
Hillbilly Dancer (uncredited)
Kissin' Cousins
Young Wife
The Moonshine War
Whiz Girl
The Cool Ones
Bennie's Girlfriend (uncredited)
Summertree
Dancer (uncredited)
Clambake
Teri
Maryjane
Girl
Where's the Bus?
Brita Burrows
Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert
Mona Hall
The Sky is Falling
Mary Hawley
The Winter of Our Discontent
Self
Night of 100 Stars II
Randi Thompson
Stranger in the Family
Mrs. Livingston
Kill the Man
Self (archive footage)
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped
Self
Inside the Coppola Personality
Cindy Dubroski
Double Jeopardy
Mary McGinnis (voice)
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Self
The Wiki-Tiki Tail of Aloha Scooby-Doo
Princess
The Tale of the Frog Prince
Lee Dilley
Half a Dozen Babies
Suze
Kabluey
Self (segment "Coppola")
Rendez-Vous Video Magazine
Self
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
Self
A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie'
Mayor Molly Quinn (voice)
Aloha Scooby-Doo!
Self
Robert Altman's Players
Susan Woolley
Deliver Them from Evil: The Taking of Alta View
JoAnn McGrath
Murder Live!
Amy McCleary
Prime Suspect
Kelli Fisher
Doctor Franken
Marsha Pegler
A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder
Self
Do It Debbie's Way
Mrs. Bickerstaff
Aliens for Breakfast
Inga (archive footage)
Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein
Self - Go-Go Dancer (uncredited)
The T.A.M.I. Show
Rita Wasinski
Law and Order
Self
Searching for Debra Winger
Sally Bierston
Intimate Strangers
Helen Eagles
Flapjack Floozie
Self
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
Aunt Judy (uncredited)
Unaccompanied Minors
Tess Malone
A Colder Kind of Death
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
110
Gender
Female
Birthday
1944-12-11
Place of Birth
Lakewood, Ohio, USA
Also Known As
Teri Hope