Teri Garr, the Oscar-nominated actress known for her roles in “Young Frankenstein,” “Tootsie,” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” died on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. She was 79. The cause of death was complications from multiple sclerosis, a condition she had battled for decades.
Garr, the daughter of actor Eddie Garr and costume designer Phyllis Garr, began her entertainment career as a dancer in Elvis Presley films before transitioning to speaking roles in television and movies. Her breakthrough came with roles in notable films of the 1970s and ’80s, leading to an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in “Tootsie.”
Garr recalled experiencing vague symptoms that began while she was filming “Tootsie” in the early 1980s, nearly 20 years before her diagnosis. She would run and jog in the park, noticing that she started to trip unexpectedly, feeling as if her toe caused her to stumble. This issue would come and go, and later, she felt a tingling in her arm.
In a 2002 interview, she explained that getting a diagnosis was challenging because symptoms were subtle and intermittent. Garr’s limp led doctors to suspect an orthopedic issue or a pinched nerve. It wasn’t until she had seen 11 doctors that she was finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, she shared with Closer Weekly.
In 2002, Garr publicly revealed her condition and became a spokesperson for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Her advocacy work included raising awareness and inspiring others living with the condition.
In 2006, she faced another health challenge when she suffered a brain aneurysm that left her in a coma for a week and required her to relearn basic skills like walking and talking. Despite these setbacks, Garr maintained her characteristic humor. She viewed her health challenges as an “odd gift” that made her “stop and settle down and focus.”
Garr worked with numerous acclaimed directors throughout her career, including Mel Brooks, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola. She was also known for her witty appearances on “Late Night with David Letterman,” where her banter with the host helped boost the show’s popularity.
Her later career included a recurring role as Phoebe’s mother on the sitcom “Friends” and appearances on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” She continued acting until her retirement in 2011, following complications from her brain aneurysm.
Garr once said that when she creates a serious film that doesn’t succeed, she returns to comedy. She planned to stay persistent, keep nudging the industry, and see if other opportunities arose — or perhaps they wouldn’t. To her, it was essential to aspire to be an actor rather than merely a movie star and to find fulfillment in taking on roles and pushing one’s potential. Achieving movie star status, she believed, was akin to winning the lottery, a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
Garr is survived by her daughter, Molly, whom she adopted during her 1990s marriage to contractor John O’Neil, and a grandson.