Teri Garr, offbeat comic actress of 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Tootsie,' has died

LOS ANGELES -- Teri Garr, nan quirky drama character who roseate from inheritance dancer successful Elvis Presley movies to co-star of specified favorites arsenic "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," has died. She was 79.

Garr died Tuesday of aggregate sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer. Garr battled different wellness problems successful caller years, underwent an cognition successful January 2007 to repair an aneurysm.

The actor, who was sometimes credited arsenic Terri, Terry aliases Terry Ann during her agelong career, seemed destined for show business from her childhood.

Her begetter was Eddie Garr, a well-known vaudeville comedian; her mother was Phyllis Lind, 1 of nan original high-kicking Rockettes astatine New York's Radio City Music Hall. Their girl began creation lessons astatine 6 and by 14 was dancing pinch nan San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies.

She was 16 erstwhile she joined nan roadworthy institution of "West Side Story" successful Los Angeles, and arsenic early arsenic 1963 she began appearing successful spot parts successful films.

She recalled successful a 1988 question and reply really she won nan "West Side Story" role. After being dropped from her first audition, she returned a time later successful different apparel and was accepted.

From there, nan blonde, statuesque Garr recovered dependable activity dancing successful movies, and she appeared successful nan chorus of 9 Presley films, including "Viva Las Vegas," "Roustabout" and "Clambake."

She besides appeared connected galore tv shows, including “Star Trek,” “Dr. Kildare” and “Batman,” and was a featured dancer connected nan stone ‘n’ rotation euphony show “Shindig,” nan stone performance capacity T.A.M.I. and a formed personnel of “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.”

Her large movie break came arsenic Gene Hackman’s woman successful 1974’s Francis Ford Coppola thriller “The Conversation.” That led to an question and reply pinch Mel Brooks, who said he would prosecute her for nan domiciled of Gene Wilder’s German laboratory adjunct successful 1974’s “Young Frankenstein” — if she could speak pinch a German accent.

“Cher had this German woman, Renata, making wigs, truthful I sewage nan accent from her,” Garr erstwhile recalled.

The movie established her arsenic a talented drama performer, pinch New Yorker movie professional Pauline Kael proclaiming her “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame connected nan screen.”

Her large grin and off-center entreaty helped onshore her roles successful “Oh God!” other George Burns and John Denver, “Mr. Mom” (as Michael Keaton’s wife) and “Tootsie” successful which she played nan woman who loses Dustin Hoffman to Jessica Lange and learns that he has dressed up arsenic a female to revive his career. (She besides mislaid nan supporting character Oscar astatine that year’s Academy Awards to Lange.)

Although champion known for comedy, Garr showed successful specified films arsenic “Close Encounters of nan Third Kind,” “The Black Stallion” and “The Escape Artist” that she could grip play arsenic well.

“I would for illustration to play ‘Norma Rae’ and ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ but I ne'er sewage nan chance,” she erstwhile said, adding she had go typecast arsenic a comic actress.

She had a flair for spontaneous humor, often playing David Letterman’s foil during impermanent appearances connected NBC’s “Late Night With David Letterman” early successful its run.

Her appearances became truthful frequent, and nan pair’s good-natured bickering truthful convincing, that for a clip rumors cropped up that they were romantically involved. Years later, Letterman credited those early appearances pinch helping make nan show a hit.

It was besides during those years that Garr began to consciousness “a small beeping aliases ticking” successful her correct leg. It began successful 1983 and yet dispersed to her correct limb arsenic well, but she felt she could unrecorded pinch it. By 1999 nan symptoms had go truthful terrible that she consulted a doctor. The diagnosis: aggregate sclerosis.

For 3 years Garr didn’t uncover her illness.

“I was acrophobic that I wouldn’t get work,” she explained successful a 2003 interview. “People perceive MS and think, ‘Oh, my God, nan personification has 2 days to live.’”

After going public, she became a spokeswoman for nan National Multiple Sclerosis Society, making humorous speeches to gatherings successful nan U.S. and Canada.

“You person to find your halfway and rotation pinch nan punches because that’s a difficult point to do: to person group pity you,” she commented successful 2005. “Just trying to explicate to group that I’m OK is tiresome.”

She besides continued to act, appearing connected “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Greetings From Tucson,” “Life With Bonnie” and different TV shows. She besides had a little recurring domiciled connected “Friends” successful nan 1990s arsenic Lisa Kudrow’s mother. After respective grounded romances, Garr joined contractor John O’Neill successful 1993. They adopted a daughter, Molly, earlier divorcing successful 1996.

In her 2005 autobiography, “Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood,” Garr explained her determination not to talk her age.

“My mother taught maine that showbiz group ne'er show their existent ages. She ne'er revealed hers aliases my father’s,” she wrote. California voting registration records gave her day of commencement arsenic Dec. 11, 1947.

She said she was calved successful Los Angeles, though astir reference books database Lakewood, Ohio. As her father’s profession waned, nan family, including Teri’s 2 older brothers, lived pinch relatives successful nan Midwest and East.

The Garrs yet moved backmost to California, settling successful nan San Fernando Valley, wherever Teri was graduated from North Hollywood High School and studied reside and play for 2 years astatine California State University, Northridge.

Garr recalled successful 1988 what her begetter had told his children astir pursuing a profession successful Hollywood.

“Don’t beryllium successful this business,” he told them. “It’s nan lowest. It’s humiliating to people.”

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Associated Press newsman Mar Kennedy contributed to this report.