Teri Garr, Comedy Star, Dead At 79
Teri Garr, best known for her performance as Inga in Young Frankenstein, has died following a lengthy battle with multiple sclerosis. She was 79 years old. According to publicist Heidi Schaeffer, the long-time actress “peacefully” passed away on October 29 while surrounded by family and friends.
Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis
In a 2002 interview with Larry King, Teri Garr revealed that she had been diagnosed in 1999 with multiple sclerosis, also commonly known as MS. According to The Mayo Clinic, the often debilitating disease pits the body’s immune system against the central nervous system, causing symptoms such as vision impairment, numbness and tingling, focal weakness, cognitive impairment, fatigue, and impaired coordination. Despite her diagnosis, the comedic actress continued to work through 2011 until she quietly retired from Hollywood.
Teri Garr was born on December 11, 1944, to parents Eddie Garr, a well-known vaudeville comedian, and Phyllis Garr, known as one of the original Rockettes at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. In her youth, Teri Garr followed in her parents’ artistic footsteps, training in ballet and other various forms of dance before landing a role with a road company in a production of West Side Story in Los Angeles. In 1963, she launched her on-screen acting career at the age of 19, scoring a wide range of small roles in television and film throughout most of the 1960s.
A Long Career In Hollywood
Teri Garr would go on to appear in nine separate Elvis Presley films, including Viva Las Vegas, Roustabout, and Clambake. Her self-proclaimed “big break” came in 1968 when she landed a significant role in the Star Trek episode “Assignment: Earth,” in which she said that she “finally started to get real acting work.” In 1974, she was brought on board to star in roles in Francis Ford Coppola’s thriller The Conversation, giving the actress significant exposure in Hollywood.
But it wasn’t until her performance in Young Frankenstein that Teri Garr’s career hit an entirely different level. Hailed as a consummate professional, comedic presence, and certified scene-stealer in Mel Brook’s horror comedy classic, Teri Garr was on her way to becoming a Hollywood star. With her portrayal of Inga, Frederick Frankenstein’s somewhat dim but always hilarious assistant, she not only proved that she could go toe-to-toe with comedy legend Gene Wilder, but she made it clear that she was more than just the ditsy comedic relief.
In 1983, she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, starring opposite Dustin Hoffman in Sydney Pollack’s Tootsie. Throughout the remainder of the 80s, Teri Garr would star in a wide range of films, such as Mr. Mom and After Hours. Over the course of her decades-long acting career, she would appear in more than 150 movies and TV shows.
Speaking Out About MS
In the immediate aftermath of her MS diagnosis in 1999, Teri Garr feared that her disease would prevent her from ever getting any acting roles in Hollywood again. However, in her 2002 interview with Larry King, she revealed that she had begun to realize that her public profile had given her the opportunity to spread awareness about multiple sclerosis. “I’m telling my story for the first time so I can help people. I can help people know they aren’t alone and tell them there are reasons to be optimistic because, today, treatment options are available,” Garr said.
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