Actress Teri Garr — who is perhaps best known for comedy, as well as her roles in the 1974 film, Young Frankenstein, and 1982 film, Tootsie — died at the age of 79 on Tuesday.
Garr died of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” the actress’ publicist told Live 5 News.
In recent years, the Close Encounters of the Third Kind actress had also battled other health problems, and reportedly underwent an operation in January 2007 to address an aneurysm.
Garr was the daughter of the late comedian Eddie Garr and dancer Phyllis Lind, who was one of the original high-kicking Radio City Rockettes.
The actress herself began dance lessons at the age of 6, and went on to dance with the San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies by the age of 14. By age 16, Garr joined the road company of West Side Story in Los Angeles. A few years later, she started landing parts in films.
Garr’s first big film break was in 1974, when she played Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in the thriller, The Conversation.
After that, the actress met with Mel Brooks, who reportedly told her she could star in Young Frankenstein as Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant, as long as she could speak with a German accent — which she could, thanks to the help of singer Cher’s German wig-maker.
Garr’s performance in Young Frankenstein established her as a skilled comedy performer, with film critic Pauline Kael calling the actress “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen.”
She also appeared on televisions shows, such as Star Trek, Dr. Kildare, Batman, and The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.
In 1983, Garr said she started to feel “a little beeping or ticking” in her right leg, which eventually spread to her right arm. While unpleasant, the actress believed she could live with the discomfort. But the symptoms had worsened by 1999, prompting her to see a doctor, who diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis.
Garr hid her condition from the public for the next three years.
“I was afraid that I wouldn’t get work,” the actress said in 2003, according to Live 5 News. “People hear MS and think, ‘Oh, my God, the person has two days to live.'”
But Garr eventually revealed her diagnosis and became a spokeswoman for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She also continued on with her acting career, appearing on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Greetings From Tucson, and Life With Bonnie, among other television shows.
Garr also appeared on Friends as the mother of Lisa Kudrow’s character, Phoebe Buffay.
In a 1988 interview, Garr revealed that her father had advised her and her siblings not to pursue a career in Hollywood. She said her father told them, “Don’t be in this business. It’s the lowest. It’s humiliating to people.”
Garr was married to contractor John O’Neill from 1993to 1996. The two share an adopted daughter, Molly.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
