Teri Garr, who died on Tuesday at 79, will be remembered for her strong comedic chops and for her ability to act with her eyes, displaying a wide range of emotions.
In 1983, she earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her performance in “Tootsie” opposite Dustin Hoffman. That movie, like many others on Garr’s résumé, showed that she could command attention alongside her male counterparts. If her best-known roles could had a common thread, it was the erratic behavior of the men in her characters’ lives.
Offscreen, Garr faced hurdles related to her health and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, after more than a decade of symptoms. She eventually became a spokeswoman for research into the disease, making appearances in her wheelchair.
Here are some snapshots from her life and career.
In “Young Frankenstein” (1974), Garr played a beautiful but ditsy German lab assistant.
Garr and Frankie Avalon in 1965.
Garr’s eyes were perhaps one of her most recognizable features as an actress. They could show pain, sympathy, vulnerability and intrigue.
Amy Irving, Carrie Fisher and Garr in 1977.
A regular on the talk show circuit, Garr was a favorite guest of both David Letterman and Johnny Carson.
Garr as Ronnie Neary in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), directed by Steven Spielberg.
Garr, with Jackie Gleason in “The Sting II,” hailed from a show-business family. Her father was a vaudevillian.
By the mid-1960s, Garr had appeared in four Elvis Presley movies. She eventually took on more serious roles, earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her performance as Sandy Lester in “Tootsie” (1982).
In a departure from her ditsy roles, Garr played an overconfident ad-agency workaholic opposite Michael Keaton in “Mr. Mom” (1983).
Garr’s comedic chops made her stand out against a crowded backdrop of Hollywood actresses during the 1970s and ’80s. She hosted “Saturday Night Live” three times.
Michael Westmore, Garr and Zoltan Elek at the Academy Awards in 1986.
Garr married John O’Neil in 1993 and later welcomed a daughter, Molly O’Neil.
Garr played Phoebe Abbott in three episodes of “Friends” over the show’s third and fourth seasons.
While making films, Garr noticed troubling physical symptoms and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999. She later became a spokeswoman for M.S. research and support.
Garr with Leonard Maltin, Mel Brooks and Cloris Leachman.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
