Alex Carson
Have you ever thought about the sad reasons you don’t see Teri Garr anymore? Teri Garr is one of America’s most versatile actresses and is easily one of the most extraordinary talents of her generation.
Her career spans four decades and she has worked in film and television, racking over 140 credits throughout her career. She’s particularly been adept at working in comedy films.
Her life and career are worth emulating and serve as an inspiration for anyone else looking to pursue their passion. Sadly, she experiences a few struggles in her personal life and this is one of the reasons why she retires, and we don’t see much of her.
Let’s look back at Teri Garr’s incredible life and career and the sad reasons we don’t see her anymore…
TERI GARR’S EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Teri Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio, on the 11th of December 1944. Show business was in her genes, as her father Edward Garr was a famous vaudeville entertainer. Additionally, he also performed as a comedian and actor – acting in several plays including on Broadway.
Her mother, Phyllis, was also an entertainer. Phyllis Garr was a professional dancer and was a member of the troupe, The Rockettes. She was also a model and a wardrobe mistress.
Teri Garr spent some of her early childhood in Cleveland, Ohio, and New Jersey and eventually settled in California, where she grew up.
Sadly, at the age of 11, Teri’s father passes away and her mother is now raising the children on her own. This meant that Teri had to grow up rather quickly and take responsibility for her own life.
Teri begins acting, dancing, and singing classes at a young age. She realized that she had a natural talent for performance that she inherited from her parents. She determines to make a successful career as an entertainer.
While she briefly attended California State University, she realized that this wasn’t helping her further her acting ambitions. She relocated to New York after dropping out of California State University to study acting – both at the prestigious Actors Studio and at the Lee Strasberg Film and Television Institute.
She began her acting career in the 1960s, though many of her early credits didn’t give her much exposure. Her debut was in the 1963 film A Swingin’ Affair where she appeared as an extra. She continued to appear in background roles and also appeared as a dancer in many musical productions. These included The Pyjama Game, The TAMI Show, Shivaree, Shindig!, Hullabaloo, and Movin’ With Nancy.
While these performances were helping her sustain her career, she still had to make her big break. She is gaining recognition as a dancer, but her acting talents are to discover.
As the 1970s approached, her fate would change…
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TERI’S CAREER
Teri began appearing in popular TV shows in the late 1960s which helped kickstart her acting career. She had small roles in shows such as The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry RFD, Room 222, and It Takes a Thief.
But her big break came when she became part of the ensemble of The Sonny and Cher Show. She played various characters on the show, including the now-famous Countess Legustav.
While she only appeared on 12 episodes of the show, this was enough to bring her to widespread attention. Soon, she saw her as more than just a background dancer or supporting actress. She is an incredible acting talent and she destines for larger roles – particularly comedic roles.
Throughout the early 1970s she continued to make appearances in popular TV shows such as The Bob Newhart Show and, The Girl With Something Extra, and Barnaby Jones.
In 1974, she is cast as ‘Amy’ – a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola’s now-classic film The Conversation. While not the main role, this appearance was enough to bring Teri Garr to even wider attention. It shows that her talents can’t confine to the small screen and that she also deserves to be on the big screen!
The same year, she appeared as Inga in Mel Brooks’ hit comedy film Young Frankenstein. Mel Brooks had already established himself as one of America’s finest comedy filmmakers. This film not only brought Teri Garr to wider attention but showed that she was one of America’s best comedic talents.
From the onward, she continued to have a steady career in film and television. Some of her most notable film roles include work in films such as Oh God!, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Witches Brew, One From the Heart, and The Escape Artist.
But one of her best-known roles was as Sandy in the 1982 comedy film Tootsie – starring Dustin Hoffmann and Jessica Lange. This role made Teri Garr one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and solidified her role as a versatile actress with a particular knack for comedy.
Her career after Tootsie was consistent. Throughout the 80s, 90s, 2000s, and early 2010s, she continued to appear in a slew of successful films and TV shows. She certainly seemed unstoppable.
A mention shall be of some of her career’s best achievements. With Tootsie, she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. While she didn’t win, the nomination itself was proof that she was now taken as a serious actress. In the 1980s, she also starred in another dark comedy film that we now look at as a classic.
That film was Martin Scorsese’s film After Hours which starred Griffin Dunne. She played a beautiful waitress called Julie and this character, though a smaller role, became one of the highlights of the film. It was clear that Teri Garr knew how to steal the show even if she wasn’t the main attraction.
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While she focused mainly on film since the 1980s, she also continued to appear in popular television productions. She appeared as ‘Talon Kensington’ in the TV mini-series Fresno in 1986. She won acclaim for her role in this show that had a huge ensemble of formidable talents.
For her talents, she was often branded as a comic genius. Also, her fair share of drama roles in films such as in Michael – starring John Travolta. She played a Judge in this film and once again won praise for her work.
Teri became so popular that she that she was often cast in cameo roles in popular TV shows such as The Weird Al Show and Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Playing Phoebe’s mother in Friends – which worked as she had a striking resemblance to Lisa Kudrow and also could match the latter’s comic talents!
Also had a brief but successful career as a voice actress. She voiced the character of Madame Cassandra for the Black Dahlia video game in 1998. She also voiced Mary McGinnis in Batman Beyond – a TV series that ran from 1999 to 2000.
She’s still remembered as one of our most talented and hardworking actresses of all time. Sadly, this wouldn’t last forever…
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THE SAD REASONS YOU DON’T SEE TERI GARR ANYMORE
Teri Garr was in a relationship with film producer Roger Birnbaum for 4 years in the 1980s. After separating from him, she was in a 7-year relationship with a physician named David Kipper. She separated from him and later married John O’Neil, a building contractor in 1993. They were married for three years and one adopted daughter, Molly.
On the big screen and the small screen, Teri Garr’s life seemed perfect. Yet, she began having health problems around the time she was working on Tootsie in the early 1980s.
She had difficulty with her movements and as the years passed, this took its toll on her. In 2002, she became public with the fact that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She discussed her illness in further detail in her 2006 memoir, Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood. That same year, she sadly suffered a brain aneurysm. She was in a coma for a week and had to go through therapy to relearn her speaking and motor skills.
These setbacks didn’t stop her from working and she continued to act for the remainder of the 2000s and early 2010s. Her final role was in the TV pilot How To Marry A Billionaire in 2011.
One of the reasons why Teri Garr was initially reticent to discuss her health problems was that she worried this would prevent her from landing more roles. As a result, she continued to persist even with these new challenges.
However, her health problems continued to take toll on Teri’s life. She decided to call it quits and retired from the industry since then. She seldom gives interviews or appears at public events today.
But despite these rather sad setbacks, one must look at Teri Garr’s life with awe. She had a tough life growing up but was determined to become a successful entertainer. No matter what, she’ll always be remembered as one of America’s most versatile actresses. And for that, we admire her!
Now, let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Teri Garr?
In fact, here’s what we’d like to know:
Do you think that her acting is still appreciated today?
Or do we need to introduce her work to a new generation?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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