There aren’t many actors diverse enough to list Star Trek, Friends and a Mel Brooks cult classic on their CV, but inimitable comedic actress Teri Garr, who died this week aged 79, ticked all those boxes, and more.
Born in Cleveland in 1944, her career spanned more than four decades and included beloved roles in Tootsie opposite Dustin Hoffman (where she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar) and appearances as a singer and dancer on The Sonny and Cher Show.
Teri’s parents both worked in showbusiness (her mother was a member of the Rockettes dance troupe) and she was soon following in the family footsteps, attending dance classes when she was just six years old.
She appeared in no less than 6 Elvis Presley musicals, including Viva Las Vegas, but her big break came in the 1974 cult classic Young Frankenstein where she played lab assistant Inga.
© CBS Photo ArchiveYounger readers will know her as Phoebe Abbott in Friends, Phoebe’s birth mother who she reunites with in the Season 3 episode ‘The One at the Beach’.
Garr appeared in three episodes of the classic show, and Lisa Kudrow (who played her on-screen daughter), gave a heartfelt tribute to the actress to People magazine.
© United ArchivesIn recent years, Garr had struggled with health issues and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She also underwent an operation in 2007 to repair an aneurysm.
Utterly charming on-screen with comic timing that rivalled co-stars Gene Wilder and Dustin Hoffman, Garr’s sparkling screen presence will be sorely missed.
Teri Garr's best fashion moments:
1/10
© CBS Photo Archive1965
We have no idea what's happening in this picture, but it just makes us love it more. Looking every inch the 60s megababe with Frankie Avalon for a musical TV special.
2/10
© CBS Photo Archive1968
We're sorely disappointed that space travel doesn't look like this yet. In vibrant orange and pink (clock the white tights) as Roberta Lincoln in Star Trek.
3/10
© CBS Photo Archive1973
Performing a skit on the The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour in 1973. We adore the platforms.
4/10
© Tim Boxer1975
Oozing 1970s flamboyance in checked dress, polo neck, wide belt and gravity defying bouncy curls at the Sherry Netherland Hotel in New York.
5/10
© Lynn Goldsmith1979
Va-va-voom Terri! Wearing a crop satin jacket with beaded embellishment and not much else for a photoshoot at the cusp of the 1980s (with a level of hairspray used appropriate for the oncoming decade).
6/10
© Ron Galella1983
Looking matchy-matchy in red and white (the red and white mules are the perfect finishing touch) outside Dustin Hoffman's apartment in New York.
7/10
© Ron Galella1983
Oh what we'd give to be in the brainstorming meeting for this shoot. Photographed at her home in Los Angeles in 80s-tastic leotard and legwarmers.
8/10
© NBC1983
Looking glorious in gold delivering the monologue on Saturday Night Live in 1983, New York.
9/10
© CBS Photo ArchiveAppearing in Fresno, a soap opera parody set in the raisin capital of the world. We must find a way to watch this, asap.
10/10
© NBC1987
Wearing a Phoebe Buffet approved dress way before her time, on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
