A Tribute to Teri Garr

Actress Teri Garr passed away this week at the age of 79. Garr got her start in the 1960s as a background dancer in variety shows and Elvis musicals, and eventually as an ensemble performer on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. In the 70s and 80s, Garr worked alongside some of the biggest names in film, appearing in hits such as Young Frankenstein, Oh God!, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and earning an Oscar nomination for her role in Tootsie in 1982. Garr was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 90s and eventually retired from acting in 2011. Though this cut short her career, her star shone brightly and her films continue to connect with audiences decades later. 

Young Frankenstein (1974)

This Mel Brooks send-up of the monster movie classic gave Garr her first break on the big screen. She originally auditioned for the role of the doctor’s “financier” (played by Madeline Kahn in the film), but Brooks told her that if she could speak with a German accent, she could try out for the role of the lab assistant Inga. Garr came back with an impersonation of Cher’s German-born wigmaker and got the part. 

One from the Heart (1981)

After a small role in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation, Coppola gave Garr the lead role in his experimental musical, filmed entirely on a soundstage at Coppola’s new Zoetrope Studios. The film flopped and bankrupted the studio, but has retained a cult appreciation for its dazzling visuals and cinematography. Garr plays one half of a frustrated couple who set out into the Las Vegas night to look for something new. She finds a charismatic waiter/musician played by Raul Julia and their scenes together are the highlight of the film. 

 

Tootsie (1982)

Garr received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of a struggling actress who lets herself be steamrolled over in her personal and professional life. Though her co-star Jessica Lange eventually won the Oscar that year, Garr’s performance steals the show. 

After Hours (1985)

In this comedy directed by Martin Scorcese, Garr plays one of many peculiarly interesting women Griffin Dunne meets during one crazy night in New York. Her brief appearance highlights the self-deprecating vulnerability which Garr did so well, in addition to looking absolutely stunning in a beehive hairdo. 

 

Variety & Talk Show Guest

As a comedic actress with a dance background, Garr was the perfect guest for the variety and talk shows that dominated prime time and late night TV decades ago. Which is how footage exists of her playing bongos alongside Cher, the Pointer Sisters, and Freddie Prinze Sr.; it’s no surprise that Garr also manages to earn some laughs from the audience. 

Garr was also a favorite guest of David Letterman’s, appearing on his late night show over 30 times. Their interactions had a casual, conversational quality that felt like two friends chatting (or flirting) rather than the canned anecdotes common to celebrity interviews.

(An apparently very dedicated fan made compilations of every one of Garr’s appearances on Letterman. The clip starting at 28:33 is from 1990:)

Friends (1997-1998)

Garr’s most prominent late-career on-screen role was a guest appearance in season 3 of Friends as the birth mother of Phoebe, played by Lisa Kudrow. Garr’s smart-dumb-blonde persona was a perfect match to Kudrow’s offbeat and whimsical portrayal of Phoebe.