Actress Teri Garr, best known for her work in “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has died … following a lengthy battle with multiple sclerosis.
The comedy legend died in Los Angeles Tuesday … over 2 decades after she first revealed her MS diagnosis, which she detailed at length in her autobiography, “Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood.”
She also suffered from an aneurysm in 2006 … later retiring from acting altogether 5 years later in 2011.
Prior to her health battle, Teri was a prominent performer, with a career boasting nearly 150 credits over the course of 40 years.
While she was born in Lakewood, Ohio, Teri was raised not far from the lights of Tinseltown … she was brought up in the Los Angeles neighborhood of North Hollywood while her father worked as a comedian and actor, and her mother worked as a studio costumer.
Despite being known for her comedic roles, Teri actually started out as a dancer at first … appearing in 6 Elvis Presley musicals.
She later pivoted to acting … getting what she called her big break thanks to a 1968 episode of “Star Trek.”
From there, Teri landed roles in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 thriller, “The Conversation” … Mel Brooks’ aforementioned 1974 comedy, “Young Frankenstein” … and Steven Spielberg’s 1977 sci-fi classic, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Yet, it was her work as Sydney Pollack opposite Dustin Hoffman’s titular character in “Tootsie” that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Other notable credits include “Mr. Mom,” “After Hours,” “One from the Heart,” “The Player,” “M*A*S*H,” “The Odd Couple,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Friends,” and more.
Teri is survived by her daughter Molly O’Neil … who she adopted with ex-husband John O’Neil.
She was 79.
RIP
