Teri Garr, Star of 'Young Frankenstein' & 'Tootsie,' Dies at 79

Teri Garr, an actor revered for her comedy chops who specialized in uniquely neurotic supporting roles, has died at 79.

An Oscar nominee, Garr appeared in a slew of iconic films, including Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation," the Mel Brooks farce "Young Frankenstein," "Oh, God!," Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Tootsie," the "Black Stallion" movies, and Martin Scorsese's "After Hours."

THR revealed that Garr died Tuesday, 22 years after first announcing she had multiple sclerosis. She was just over a month shy of 80.

Garr was born December 11, 1944, in Lakewood, Ohio. She began her performing career as a dancer, including appearing in six Elvis movies: "Fun in Acapulco" (1963), "Viva Las Vegas" (1964), "Kissin' Cousins" (1964), "Roustabout" (1964), "Girl Happy" (1965), and "Clambake" (1967).

She never spoke a line in the films, they represented steady employment and were courtesy of dancer and choreographer David Winters, who met her on a production of "West Side Story."

She also showed up in the classic beach movie "Pajama Party" (1964), and danced regularly on the '60s series "Hullabaloo" and "Shindig!" with her friend Toni Basil.

Garr considered the 1968 "Assignment: Earth" episode of "Star Trek" a break, and her first speaking role in a feature came later that same year, in the Monkees' out-there satire "Head."

Serious about acting, she studied at the Actors Studio and worked steadily on TV, including appearing on nearly 50 episodes of "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" (1971-1974).

Having shot "The Conversation," an acclaimed 1974 film by Francis Ford Coppola, she scored her first truly outstanding role — and gave her first transcendent performance — in "Young Frankenstein," the 1974 Mel Brooks farce. As Inga, the ingénue held her own with the more experienced Gene Wilder, who had recommended her for the role; Madeline Kahn, whose role she had wanted; Cloris Leachman; Marty Feldman; and Peter Boyle.

She later confessed she copied her character's nonspecific European accent from a German hairdresser on "Sonny and Cher," and it came in handy when Inga asked Dr. Frankenstein if he would like to go for "ze roll in ze hay." Inga was also called upon by the not-so-good doctor to, "Put ze candle back!" in a classic slapstick scene involving a revolving bookcase.

In a remarkably candid interview seven years ago, Garr said of Wilder he was only "okay" to work with. She blurted out that he was "just a jerk in general."

After appearing in the all-star dud "Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood" (1976), she had a big part in the smash hit "Oh, God!" (1977) with John Denver and George Burns, and a key role in the phenomenally successfully "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977). She was the mom in "The Black Stallion" (1979) and "The Black Stallion Returns" (1983), worked with Coppola again in "One from the Heart" (1981), and wound up taking a supporting role in "Tootsie" (1982) after being passed over for a seemingly more substantial part that went to Jessica Lange.

Though upset, Garr later referred to it as one of the "most rewarding" jobs she ever had, one that allowed her to make use of her inimitable comic talents. For her hard work, she scored a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, but lost when Lange was submitted in the same category.

"Mr. Mom" in 1983 opposite Michael Keaton and Ann Jillian was another big comedy hit.

A seminal performance for Garr came in Scorsese's "After Hours" (1985), in which she played a nerdy waitress trying to seduce a hapless Griffin Dunne.

Other films included "Witches' Brew" (1980), "The Sting II" (1983), "Firstborn" (1984), "Waiting for the Light" (1990), Robert Altman's "The Player" (1992), "Dumb and Dumber" (1994), "Dick" (1999), and "Expired" (2007).

Among Garr's most memorable TV performances were her three hosting gigs of "SNL" (1980, 1983 & 1985), her many talk show appearances with David Letterman and Johnny Carson, and three episodes of "Friends" as Phoebe's mom (1997-1998).

In a 2002 interview with Larry King, Garr opened up about her MS diagnosis. In 2006, she suffered a brain aneurysm, after which she worked very rarely. Her final on-screen work was on an episode of the series "How to Marry a Billionaire" in 2011.

Garr was married from 1993-1996 to contractor John O'Neill. She is survived by their daughter Molly and by one grandchild.