Oscar- nominated actress Terri Garr, known for her roles in films such as “Young Frankenstein,” “Tootsie,” and “Mr. Mom,” has died. She was 79 and died on Tuesday in Los Angeles, according to her manager. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) nearly twenty years ago.
When Gar first heard the diagnosis, she was shocked. “Like a lot of people, I was scared at first,” Garr said. After years of unexplained symptoms and visits to 11 doctors, he was diagnosed with the disease. “There is still not a lot of information available about MS, so people are afraid of it,” he added.
Terri Garr was the daughter of a Broadway performer and Rocket Dancer. He studied dance from a young age and started auditioning right after high school. His early work included dancing as an extra to Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas.” He once asked, “Why am I in the back row? Why should I stay behind after learning dance for so many years?”
His career took off in the 1970s. He appeared on such shows as “The Sunny and Cher Comedy Hour,” “The New Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Odd Couple” and “The Bob Newhart Show.” She got her big break in 1974 with the role of Inga in the Mel Brooks- directed film “Young Frankenstein”. After this, in 1977, he played an important role in Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”.
In the movie “Tootsie,” Garr played a struggling actress who was with Dustin Hoffman’s character. She received a 1983 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for this role. Garr wrote of this in his autobiography, “The Academy knew of my existence, they thought I was good!”
In 1983, he starred in the family film “Mr. Mom” with Michael Keaton. In this film, he acted in a role that broke the stereotypes about gender discrimination. In an interview in 2012, Garr said, “I am opposed to women’s roles only being attractive. My roles have encouraged women to use their wits and tact.”