Teri Garr
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.
Filmography (166 Appearances)
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie'
Kabluey
Expired
Unaccompanied Minors
Legends
Crumbs
A Taste Of Jupiter
Aloha Scooby-Doo!
The Wiki-Tiki Tail of Aloha Scooby-Doo
The Tony Danza Show
The Dream Studio
Life with Bonnie
What's New, Scooby-Doo?
Searching for Debra Winger
Life Without Dick
Ghost World
The Sky is Falling
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
A Colder Kind of Death
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Strong Medicine
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Dick
Half a Dozen Babies
Kill the Man
Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond: The Movie
Felicity
Casper Meets Wendy
The Weird Al Show
A Simple Wish
The Definite Maybe
Changing Habits
NightScream
Ronnie and Julie
Murder Live!
King of the Hill
Michael
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Men Behaving Badly
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Double Jeopardy
Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein
Shining Time Station: One of the Family
Perfect Alibi
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
Women of the House
Prêt-à-Porter
Dumb and Dumber
Friends
ER
Aliens for Breakfast
Duckman
Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert
Intimate Portrait
Frasier
Good Advice
The Larry Sanders Show
Mom and Dad Save the World
The Player
Deliver Them from Evil: The Taking of Alta View
Adventures in Wonderland
Robert Altman's Players
Stranger in the Family
Good & Evil
The Best of Disney: 50 Years of Magic
A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder
Dream On
Waiting for the Light
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
Short Time
Let It Ride
Tales from the Crypt
Out Cold
Full Moon in Blue Water
Murphy Brown
Jackie Gleason: The Great One
Flapjack Floozie
Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim
Pack of Lies
Fresno
Miracles
Intimate Strangers
After Hours
The History of White People in America
Night of 100 Stars II
Firstborn
Steve Martin Live!
To Catch a King
The Winter of Our Discontent
Mr. Mom
The Black Stallion Returns
Do It Debbie's Way
The Sting II
Tootsie
Faerie Tale Theatre
The Tale of the Frog Prince
The Escape Artist
Wogan
One from the Heart
Prime Suspect
Honky Tonk Freeway
Inside the Coppola Personality
Rendez-Vous Video Magazine
Witches' Brew
Doctor Franken
The Black Stallion
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
Java Junkie
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary
Once Upon a Brothers Grimm
Oh, God!
The Absent-Minded Waiter
Please Turn the Page
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
Law and Order
Saturday Night Live
Young Frankenstein
The Conversation
The Girl with Something Extra
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Barnaby Jones
M*A*S*H
The Bob Newhart Show
Banyon
The New Dick Van Dyke Show
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
Summertree
The Odd Couple
The Moonshine War
McCloud
You Haven't Changed a Bit
Changes
Head
Mayberry R.F.D.
Maryjane
It Takes a Thief
Clambake
The Mothers-in-Law
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
The Cool Ones
For Pete's Sake
That Girl
Star Trek
Where's the Bus?
Batman
Red Line 7000
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
The T.A.M.I. Show
Roustabout
Pajama Party
Shindig!
What a Way to Go!
Kissin' Cousins
Viva Las Vegas
Fun in Acapulco
A Swingin' Affair
The Merv Griffin Show
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Mike Douglas Show
Dr. Kildare
The Andy Griffith Show
Golden Globe Awards