‘Young Frankenstein,’ ‘Tootsie,’ Actress Teri Garr Dead at 79

Actress Teri Garr, best known for her roles in Mel Brooks’s “Young Frankenstein,” “Tootsie” and “Mr. Mom,” died Tuesday at age 79 following a battle with multiple sclerosis.

“Actress Teri Garr passed away this morning after a long battle with MS,” according to a statement from her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer. “She was in Los Angeles and passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends.”

Garr, daughter of Broadway actor Eddie Garr and dancer Phyllis Garr, trained as a dancer at a young age, leading to small appearances on television and in films. She later landed jobs as a backup dancer in a series of Elvis Presley films, then made appearances in TV shows including “Star Trek,” “McCloud” and “The Sonny and Cher Show.”

Her career took off following her appearance as Inga in Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” in 1974 and in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation.”

She followed up those roles with appearances in Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and Sydney Pollack’s “Tootsie,” which earned her an Oscar nominations for best supporting actress.

Her other film credits included “Mr. Mom,” “After Hours,” “Oh, God,” “The Player,” “Pret-a-Porter” and “The Black Stallion.” She also gained attention with her guest spots on the smash-hit comedy series “Friends.”

Garr announced in 2002 that she had been diagnosed with MS, and she officially retired from acting in 2011.

She is survived by her daughter, Molly O’Neil, and 6-year-old grandson Tyryn.

–City News Service