Teri Garr, the beloved comic actor who transitioned from background dancer in Elvis Presley films to starring roles in classics like Young Frankenstein and Tootsie, has passed away at 79.
Her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, confirmed Garr’s passing on Tuesday, saying she died of complications related to multiple sclerosis, surrounded by family and friends. Garr had also faced other health challenges in recent years, including surgery in 2007 for an aneurysm.
Fans and colleagues alike honored her on social media. Writer-director Paul Feig called her “truly one of my comedy heroes,” and screenwriter Cinco Paul noted, “Never the star, but always shining. She made everything she was in better.”
With a career seemingly predestined by her family’s showbiz roots, Garr’s father, Eddie, was a vaudeville comedian, and her mother, Phyllis Lind, was one of the original Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. Teri began dance lessons at age six and later joined ballet companies in San Francisco and Los Angeles before landing her first touring role in West Side Story at 16. By 1963, she was appearing in small film roles and found steady work as a dancer, featuring in nine Elvis Presley movies like Viva Las Vegas, Roustabout, and Clambake.
Garr became a familiar face on television, with guest roles in shows like Star Trek, Dr. Kildare, and Batman, and was a regular on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Her breakout film role came in The Conversation (1974), which led to her casting in Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein. Garr famously prepared for her role as the German lab assistant by learning a German accent from a wigmaker named Renata.
Her comedic talent was undeniable, with New Yorker critic Pauline Kael once calling her “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen.” Roles followed in films like Oh, God!, Mr. Mom, and Tootsie, where she played the endearing girlfriend who loses Dustin Hoffman to Jessica Lange—a role that earned her an Oscar nomination.
Garr’s range extended beyond comedy, with standout performances in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Black Stallion, and The Escape Artist. Despite her wish to tackle serious roles, she often found herself typecast in comedy.
Her quick wit made her a favorite guest on Late Night With David Letterman, where her playful banter with Letterman sparked rumors of romance. Letterman later credited these early appearances with helping boost the show’s popularity.
In 1983, Garr began experiencing unusual symptoms in her right leg that later spread to her arm. By 1999, her condition worsened, and she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Fearing it might affect her career, she kept her illness private for three years before becoming an MS Society spokesperson, bringing humor to her public appearances.
She continued acting, with roles on shows like Law & Order: SVU, Life With Bonnie, and a recurring part on Friends. In 1993, she married contractor John O’Neill, and they adopted a daughter, Molly, though they later divorced.
In her memoir Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood, Garr discussed her decision not to disclose her age, a lesson she said she learned from her mother. Raised by her parents in California’s San Fernando Valley, Garr graduated from North Hollywood High School and studied drama at California State University, Northridge.
Reflecting on her father’s advice against entering show business, she recalled his words: “Don’t be in this business. It’s the lowest. It’s humiliating to people.”
Garr is survived by her daughter, Molly O’Neill, and a grandson, Tyryn.
