Teri Garr, Sweet Star of ‘Tootsie’ and ‘Young Frankenstein,’ Dies at 79

Teri Garr, the Oscar-nominated actress who capitalized on her cute flightiness in such movies as Tootsie and Younger Frankenstein earlier than her profession was derailed by a number of sclerosis, died Tuesday. She was 79.

Garr, who began out as a background dancer working alongside Elvis Presley in a number of Sixties get together movies, died in Los Angeles “surrounded by family and friends,” publicist Heidi Schaeffer stated.

Garr revealed that she had MS, the persistent, degenerative illness of the nervous system, on Larry King’s CNN present in October 2002, and she survived emergency surgical procedure to deal with a mind aneurysm 4 years later. Her remaining onscreen look got here in 2011.

Garr’s profession breakthrough got here as Gene Wilder’s comely Transylvanian lab assistant in Mel Brooks’ Younger Frankenstein (1974). She obtained her supporting actress Oscar nomination for enjoying Dustin Hoffman’s insecure actress buddy in Sydney Pollack’s Tootsie (1982).

These movies ranked Nos. 13 and 2, respectively, on an AFI record (launched in 2000) of the funniest American motion pictures of all time.

Garr, whose aptitude for comedy was complemented by a capability to painting the ache beneath, additionally stood out because the girlfriend of paranoid surveillance skilled Gene Hackman in The Dialog (1974); performed John Denver’s resilient spouse in Carl Reiner’s Oh, God! (1977); was Richard Dreyfuss’ indulgent mate in Steven Spielberg’s Shut Encounters of the Third Variety (1977); had an affair with Raul Julia in Francis Ford Coppola’s ill-fated musical One From the Coronary heart (1981); and was the working spouse of Michael Keaton in Mr. Mother (1983), written by John Hughes.

Garr dressed up such Elvis motion pictures as Kissin’ Cousins (1964), Viva Las Vegas (1964) and Clambake (1967) and was a pajama lady within the Annette Funicello-starring Pajama Get together (1964). Throughout this time, the vivacious actress go-go danced on such hit music sequence as Shindig! and Hullabaloo and performed a stumbling Statue of Liberty on curler skates in a 1970 summer season present at Disneyland.

A lot later, she had a recurring position on NBC’s Mates because the estranged delivery mom of Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe.

A number of publications record Terry Ann Garr’s delivery date as Dec. 11, 1944. She was born in Lakewood, Ohio, and had two older brothers. Her father, Eddie, was a song-and-dance man in vaudeville, and her mom, Phyllis (nickname: “Legs”), was a Rockette from Radio Metropolis Music Corridor.

Her father died when she was 11, and the household moved typically. Her mom wound up working in Hollywood within the costume division at NBC.

Garr studied ballet, and quickly after she graduated from North Hollywood Excessive Faculty, she landed a job in a highway manufacturing of West Aspect Story. She met actor-producer-choreographer David Winters, who went on to forged her in lots of of her early motion pictures, and studied at The Actors Studio in New York, the place she met Jack Nicholson.

From 1966-68, Garr landed small roles on TV in Batman, The Andy Griffith Present, Star Trek (within the 1968 episode “Assignment: Earth”) and That Lady and garnered her first film talking position in The Monkees’ Head (1968), co-written by Nicholson.

Garr sang, danced and performed numerous characters throughout the 1971-72 season of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, then had recurring roles on the 2 NBC exhibits: the short-lived Sally Area sitcom The Lady With One thing Additional and, as a ditzy policewoman, on the Dennis Weaver cop present McCloud.

Wilder really helpful Garr for the position of Inga in Younger Frankenstein.

“Gene told me about this Teri Garr person, and we had some film on Teri,” Brooks, who was coming off his large hit Blazing Saddles, recalled in 2014. “And I stated, ‘She’s completely stunning — can she act?’ And Gene stated, ‘Who gives a shit?’ … Teri got here in, examine half a web page and we each stated, ‘Yay!’

“There was a line she had when Cloris [Leachman] was undoing the monster’s straps and setting him free, and Teri was on the stairs looking down and she said, ‘No, no — You muzn’t!’ Muzn’t? You’re hired!”

Stated Garr, who had sought the Madeline Kahn position within the film: “At first I didn’t know there was an accent, and [when she found out] I was doing Sonny & Cher. Cher’s hairdresser was German, and I just copied everything she said.”

She went to her audition carrying a bra full of socks. “People pay over $5,000 for a boob job today. Mine cost under $5 at Woolworths and got me the part, my biggest to date,” she wrote within the 2005 memoir, Speedbumps: Flooring It By Hollywood.

Within the movie, Garr goes for “ze roll roll roll in ze hay” with Wilder’s Frederick Frankenstein and innocently wonders in regards to the measurement of the monster’s schvontztucker (or one thing to that impact).

For Tootsie, Garr — who was coming off One From the Coronary heart — advised Pollack that she would solely seem within the movie as Julie (Jessica Lange’s position) and nothing else. However the director talked her into taking part in Sandy.

“I squelched my inner diva, who had said she’d only accept the lead, and took what turned out to be one of the most rewarding roles in my life,” she wrote in her ebook. Lange additionally was nominated for supporting actress in Tootsie, and she received the Oscar.

Garr additionally appeared in such movies as Received Ton Ton: The Canine Who Saved Hollywood (1976), The Black Stallion (1979) and its 1983 sequel, Witches’ Brew (1980), The Sting II (1983), Firstborn (1984), After Hours (1985), Miracles (1986), Full Moon in Blue Water (1988), Ready for the Mild (1990), The Participant (1992), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Dick (1999) and Expired (2007).

When movie roles grew to become scarce, she starred within the Nineties sitcoms Good & Evil, the Designing Girls spinoff Girls of the Home and Good Recommendation, however all had been short-lived.

Garr hosted Saturday Evening Reside 3 times (in 1980, 1983 and 1985) and was a frequent customer on The Tonight Present Starring Johnny Carson. She additionally appeared typically on David Letterman’s exhibits; in 1985, she showered in his workplace throughout one installment.

“Dave reminded me of my older brothers; he was always trying to get my goat, and he usually succeeded,” she wrote.

Garr, who dated and lived with producer and future MGM co-CEO Roger Birnbaum for a number of years, was married to contractor John O’Neil from 1993 till their divorce in 1996. They adopted a daughter, Molly.

Survivors additionally embrace her grandson, Tyryn.

Garr served as a nationwide ambassador for the Nationwide A number of Sclerosis Society and chaired the group’s Girl Towards MS applications.

After her second within the Oscar highlight, Garr wrote in her memoir, “In my thoughts, it was all going in accordance with plan. However it ain’t at all times so, is it?

“My body had a trick or two up its sleeve. A stumble here, a tingling finger there. I was trained as a dancer and knew better than to indulge the random aches and pains that visited now and then. Being a successful Hollywood actress may be challenging, but little did I know that the very body that had always been my calling card would betray me.”