Teri Garr
Acting
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.
Media of
Teri Garr
Photos (21)
Filmography of
Teri Garr
Self (archive footage)
... 2018
Self (archive footage)
... 2013
... 2008
Suze
... 2007
Claire's Mother / Aunt Tilde
... 2007
Aunt Judy / Valerie’s Sister
... 2006
Ginnie
... 2005
... 2005
Mayor Molly Quinn (voice)
... 2005
self
... 2004
... 2002
Madame Hugonaut
... 2002
Maxine (uncredited)
... 2001
Mona Hall
... 2001
... 2001
Tess Malone
... 2001
Tess Malone
... 2001
Mary McGinnis (voice)
... 2000
Helen Lorenzo
... 1999
Lee Dilley
... 1999
Mrs. Livingston
... 1999
Mary McGinnis (voice)
... 1999
Fanny
... 1998
Rena
... 1997
Dionne Waters
... 1997
Connie
... 1997
Julie Ordwell
... 1997
Elizabeth Monroe
... 1997
JoAnn McGrath
... 1997
Judge Esther Newberg
... 1996
Cindy Dubroski
... 1996
Inga (archive footage)
... 1996
Sister Conductor
... 1995
Laney Tolbert
... 1995
Louise Hamilton
... 1994
Helen Swanson
... 1994
Mrs. Bickerstaff
... 1994
Brita Burrows
... 1993
Marge Nelson
... 1992
Teri Garr
... 1992
Susan Woolley
... 1992
... 1992
Randi Thompson
... 1991
... 1991
Marsha Pegler
... 1990
... 1990
Jill (of Jack and Jill)
... 1990
Carolyn Simpson
... 1990
Pam
... 1989
Sunny
... 1989
Louise
... 1988
... 1988
Helen Eagles
... 1988
... 1987
Helen Schaefer
... 1987
Jean
... 1986
Sally Bierston
... 1986
Julie
... 1985
... 1985
... 1985
Wendy
... 1984
... 1984
Hannah Winter
... 1984
Mary Hawley
... 1983
Caroline
... 1983
Alec Ramsay's Mother
... 1983
Self
... 1983
Veronica
... 1983
Sandy Lester
... 1982
Princess
... 1982
Arlene
... 1982
Frannie
... 1982
Amy McCleary
... 1982
Ericka
... 1981
... 1981
Self (segment "Coppola")
... 1981
Margaret Lightman
... 1980
Kelli Fisher
... 1980
Alec's Mother
... 1979
... 1979
Waitress
... 1979
Ronnie Neary
... 1977
... 1977
Frog Princess
... 1977
Bobbie Landers
... 1977
Susan Cates
... 1977
Fluffy Peters
... 1976
Rita Wasinski
... 1976
Inga
... 1974
Amy Fredericks
... 1974
Bennie's Girlfriend (uncredited)
... 1971
Young Wife
... 1970
Corinne
... 1970
Waitress
... 1969
Testy True
... 1968
Teri
... 1968
Dancer (uncredited)
... 1967
... 1967
Whiz Girl
... 1967
... 1966
Girl
... 1966
Nightclub Dancer (uncredited)
... 1965
Harem Girl (uncredited)
... 1965
Self - Go-Go Dancer (uncredited)
... 1964
Pajama Girl
... 1964
Carnival Dancer (uncredited)
... 1964
Shipboard Number Dancer (uncredited)
... 1964
Hillbilly Dancer (uncredited)
... 1964
Dancer (uncredited)
... 1964
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
... 1963
... 1963