Terry Ann Garr, the comedy actress known as Teri Garr passed away on Tuesday at the age of 79. She was known for her roles in Young Frankenstein and Oh, God! and for participating in Elvis Presley movies at the early stages of her career.
She died after a long battle with multiple sclerosis after having undergone surgery in 2007 for an aneurysm repair.
Teri Garr was a known name
The actress was the third child to her comedian father, Eddie Garr, and her Rockette mother, Phyllis Lind, from the New York Radio City Music Hall.
Teri, also known as Terry and Terry Ann, started developing a taste for show business as a child dancer.
She started at a young age
Teri started taking dancing lessons at age 6 and, by the time she was 14, was dancing for different ballet companies.
She began her career on the screen in Elvis Presley musicals in the 1960s at age 16.
Her role did not come easy at first
Teri auditioned for her role in the musical West Side Story once and was rejected. But the 16-year-old was resilient enough to go back the next day and try again, only to be accepted in the role.
This was where she joined the road company in Los Angeles, California.
Dancing became her thing
After her role in the musical, Garr was able to nail down roles in other musicals as a dancer. She made an appearance in nine Elvis Presley films, which is more than most people can say.
Her performance was show-stopping in the likes of Viva Las Vegas.
Teri appeared on TV shows as well
The blonde actress did not restrict herself to musical roles but was also seen on family television shows.
Some of her TV work included big shows like Star Trek and Batman, as well as the musical show Shindig.
She then moved on to film
Teri’s first appearance in cinema was in the 1974 Francis Ford Coppola thriller The Conversation.
She also revealed that this led to her most famous role as Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant in Young Frankenstein as the famous Mel Brooks said he would give her the role if she learned how to do a German accent.
Her role in Young Frankenstein
Playing the role of the lab assistant in the film ended up being one of Teri’s best career decisions as it is now on top of the list of things she’s known for.
Garr said she had learned the German accent for the film from a German woman called Renata.
From there on out, she was a much-desired star
Teri’s striking talent helped land her roles in Mr. Mom, Oh, God! and Tootsie where she was nominated for an Oscar award for Best Supporting Actress in 1982.
The comedian has also tapped into drama roles in films such as The Black Stallion and The Escape Artist.
Teri also frequently appeared on late-night television
The TV and film star made frequent humorous appearances on NBC’s Late Night With David Letterman, which the show host later credited for making the show big with audiences.
Funnily enough, her bond with Letterman was so strong that it sparked rumors of a romantic connection at the time.
After a long life, she will be missed
Garr’s multiple sclerosis had initially begun in 1983, after which she had hidden it for three years in fear she’d be out of work.
But following a long life filled with laughs and stellar performances, we hope Teri got to leave us as comfortably and gracefully as she found us.
