Teri Garr
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.
Known for
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Minerva Grahame-Bishop
Friends
Phoebe Sr.
Star Trek
Roberta Lincoln
King of the Hill
Laney (voice)
Frasier
Nancy (voice)
ER
Celinda Randlett
Batman
Girl Outside Rink (uncredited)
M*A*S*H
Lt. Suzanne Marquette
The Andy Griffith Show
Girl In A Red Convertible
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Yenta
Strong Medicine
Mimi Stark
Batman Beyond
Mary McGinnis (voice)
Felicity
Dr. Zwick
Tales from the Crypt
Irene Paloma ("segment "The Trap")
Intimate Portrait
Self
Barnaby Jones
Maria Thompson
Duckman
Vanessa La Pert (voice)
Murphy Brown
Teri Garr
McCloud
Sgt. Phyllis Norton
Faerie Tale Theatre
Self
Faerie Tale Theatre
Princess
What's New, Scooby-Doo?
Sandy Gordon (voice)
The Bob Newhart Show
Miss Brennan
That Girl
Legends
Inga (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Larry Sanders Show
Teri Garr
It Takes a Thief
Maggie Philbin
Dumb and Dumber
Helen Swanson
The Odd Couple
Insurance Agent
Dream On
Sandra McCadden
Men Behaving Badly
Carol
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
Teri (voice)
Mayberry R.F.D.
Cashier
Young Frankenstein
Inga
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Ronnie Neary
Honky Tonk Freeway
Ericka
To Catch a King
Hannah Winter
Double Jeopardy
Cindy Dubroski
Life with Bonnie
Mrs. Abigail Portinbody
The Mothers-in-Law
Usherette
Waiting for the Light
Kay
Shindig!
Self - Dancer
The Player
Teri Garr
Head
Testy True
The Dream Studio
self
Kabluey
Suze
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
Law and Order
Rita Wasinski
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
Wife/Singer
Kissin' Cousins
Hillbilly Dancer (uncredited)
Good Advice
Paige Turner
The Conversation
Amy Fredericks
Clambake
Dancer (uncredited)
Let It Ride
Pam
After Hours
Julie
Half a Dozen Babies
Lee Dilley
Mr. Mom
Caroline
Expired
Claire's Mother / Aunt Tilde
Firstborn
Wendy
Banyon
Mabel
Oh, God!
Bobbie Landers
Tootsie
Sandy Lester
Aloha Scooby-Doo!
Mayor Molly Quinn (voice)
Miracles
Jean
Flapjack Floozie
Helen Eagles
Michael
Judge Esther Newberg
Ronnie and Julie
Elizabeth Monroe
Witches' Brew
Margaret Lightman
The New Dick Van Dyke Show
Waitress
Ghost World
Maxine (uncredited)
Women of the House
Sissy Emerson
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Mary McGinnis (voice)
Prêt-à-Porter
Louise Hamilton
Crumbs
Lorraine Bergman
Adventures in Wonderland
Duchess
NightScream
Julie Ordwell
Do It Debbie's Way
Self
Short Time
Carolyn Simpson
The Sting II
Veronica
The Weird Al Show
Viva Las Vegas
Dancer (uncredited)
The Black Stallion
Alec's Mother
The Escape Artist
Arlene
Doctor Franken
Kelli Fisher
Unaccompanied Minors
Aunt Judy (uncredited)
Fresno
Talon Kensington
Steve Martin: Homage to Steve
Self
Maryjane
Teri
Casper Meets Wendy
Fanny
Life Without Dick
Madame Hugonaut
Aliens for Breakfast
Mrs. Bickerstaff
The Girl with Something Extra
Amber
Dick
Helen Lorenzo
Once Upon a Brothers Grimm
Frog Princess
A Simple Wish
Rena
What a Way to Go!
Shipboard Number Dancer (uncredited)
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
Good & Evil
Denise Sandler
One from the Heart
Frannie
Fun in Acapulco
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Roustabout
Carnival Dancer (uncredited)
For Pete's Sake
Summertree
Bennie's Girlfriend (uncredited)
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
Self
Robert Altman's Players
Self
The Black Stallion Returns
Alec Ramsay's Mother
Pajama Party
Pajama Girl
A Taste Of Jupiter
Ginnie
Red Line 7000
Nightclub Dancer (uncredited)
Prime Suspect
Amy McCleary
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
Fluffy Peters
Searching for Debra Winger
Self
Out Cold
Sunny
Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert
Brita Burrows
A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie'
Self
Batman Beyond: The Movie
Mary McGinnis (voice)
Mom and Dad Save the World
Marge Nelson
The T.A.M.I. Show
Self - Go-Go Dancer (uncredited)
The Cool Ones
Whiz Girl
The Winter of Our Discontent
Mary Hawley
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
Jill (of Jack and Jill)
Pack of Lies
Helen Schaefer
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
Harem Girl (uncredited)
Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim
Self
The Moonshine War
Young Wife
Stranger in the Family
Randi Thompson
The Absent-Minded Waiter
Susan Cates
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
Self (archive footage)
The Best of Disney: 50 Years of Magic
Self
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped
Self (archive footage)
The Tale of the Frog Prince
Princess
The Sky is Falling
Mona Hall
The History of White People in America
Self
Full Moon in Blue Water
Louise
Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein
Inga (archive footage)
A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder
Marsha Pegler
Deliver Them from Evil: The Taking of Alta View
Susan Woolley
Changes
Waitress
Kill the Man
Mrs. Livingston
Intimate Strangers
Sally Bierston
Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary
Self
Murder Live!
JoAnn McGrath
Inside the Coppola Personality
Self
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
Self
Perfect Alibi
Laney Tolbert
The Definite Maybe
Dionne Waters
Java Junkie
Waitress
Changing Habits
Connie
A Colder Kind of Death
Tess Malone
Jackie Gleason: The Great One
Self
Rendez-Vous Video Magazine
Self (segment "Coppola")
The Wiki-Tiki Tail of Aloha Scooby-Doo
Self
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
Susie
You Haven't Changed a Bit
Corinne
A Swingin' Affair
Shining Time Station: One of the Family
Sister Conductor
Where's the Bus?
Girl
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
Saturday Night Live
Diner Waitress (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live
Self (uncredited)
Golden Globe Awards
Self
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
Wogan
Self
The Tony Danza Show
Self
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self - Guest
Please Turn the Page
Self