Teri Garrhas sadly passed away at the age of 79, but she left behind an incredible body of work that includes some of the greatest (and funniest) movies ever made. Before Garr retired from acting in 2011, she had enjoyed a long and prosperous career.She appeared in a wide range of films and TV showsand amassed a trophy case’s worth of accolades. Throughout her storied career, Garr received an Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA Award nomination (both forthe timeless ‘80s comedyTootsie), and won a National Board of Review Award.
BeforeGarr passed away, she worked with Mel Brooks on one of the best comedies of all time, she worked with Steven Spielberg on one of the best science fiction movies of all time, and she played Phoebe’s birth mother inFriends. RenownedNew Yorkercritic Pauline Kael described Garr as “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen” (viaPeople).Her comedic stylings have influenced everyone from Tina Fey to Jenna Fischer. Garr was just as adept at drama as comedy, and she starred in some truly great films.
One From the Heart
Cast
One From The Heart, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, centers on the tumultuous relationship of a Las Vegas couple whose five-year romance falters when both partners become intrigued by more alluring individuals, leading them to reassess their love and desires amidst vibrant and stylized cinematic sequences.
Long before he was most famous forself-financing the big-budget box office bombMegalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola helmed the underappreciated musicalOne from the Heart. LikeMegalopolis,One from the Heartwas initially a critical and commercial disappointment. But it’s since been reappraised as an underrated gem (which may or may not eventually happen withMegalopolis).
It tells the fraught love story of Hank, a mechanic played by Frederic Forrest, and Frannie, a travel agent played by Garr. As with almost all of Coppola’s work,One from the Heartis visually stunning.One from the Heartis far from Garr’s best movie, but it does have plenty of merit. Coppola tells the story earnestly and he clearly has a deep love of the musical genre and seizes the opportunity to put his own stamp on it.
Dick
Dick is a satirical comedy film directed by Andrew Fleming. It stars Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams as two teenagers who unwittingly become involved in the Watergate scandal. Their encounters with key political figures, including President Nixon, are portrayed with humor and absurdity. The film offers a lighthearted perspective on historical events through the eyes of its young protagonists.
Andrew Fleming’s cult classic comedyDickis an absurdist reimagining of the Watergate scandal. Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams play two teenage friends who, through a series of comic misadventures, become the legendary “Deep Throat,” who spoke to journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein and brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon. Picture a raunchy comedic version ofAll the President’s Men.Garr plays the single mother of Williams’ character Arlene; they live together in the Watergate complex.
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Dickis a delightfully irreverent take on one of the most significant events in U.S. political history. It takes the mystery of Deep Throat’s identity — which, at the time, was still unknown to the public — and just runs with it, with hysterical results. Garr only has a minor role in the film’s sprawling, star-studded ensemble, butshe gives an unforgettable turn alongside Williams.
Oh, God!
An assistant manager at a market is approached by God, in the form of an old man, who informs him that he has been chosen to spread his word around the world. When he tries to fulfill his mission, everyone thinks he’s crazy, including his wife.
Carl Reiner tackled the delicate subject of faith inOh, God!, his classic 1977 religious satire. It revolves around a mild-mannered supermarket manager named Jerry Landers, played by John Denver, who is chosen by God, played by George Burns, to spread his teachings. AsJerry attempts to spread the word of Godthroughout an increasingly skeptical America, he faces backlash from the media, religious leaders, and even his own wife, Bobbie, played by Garr.
Burns is the undeniable star ofOh, God!, giving such a memorable (and hilarious) turn as the Almighty that it launched an unprecedented franchise with two sequels. ButGarr gives a great performance opposite Denver as the long-suffering spouse who doesn’t believe her husbandwas really recruited by God. It’s an interesting exploration of religious skepticism and the fickle nature of faith.
Mr. Mom
Mr. Mom is a comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti, starring Michael Keaton as Jack Butler, a man who becomes a stay-at-home dad after losing his job. Simultaneously, his wife Caroline, played by Teri Garr, reenters the workforce. The movie explores the humorous challenges and role reversals they experience in managing their new lifestyle.
Michael Keaton scored his first lead role inthe 1983 comedy classicMr. Mom. He plays a furloughed automotive engineer in Detroit who has to becomea stay-at-home dad and take care of his kids while his wife, played by Garr, returns to the workforceand climbs the corporate ladder at an advertising agency. Garr shares terrific chemistry with Keaton in this movie. Their charming dynamic pairs with a sweet, sentimental early-career script by John Hughes for a real winner
At the time,Mr. Momwas pretty groundbreaking stuff. Working moms and stay-at-home dads have become common in the modern age, but back then, it was more stigmatized as gender norms were much more rigid. By championing a dad doing the child-rearing and a mom bringing home the bacon,Mr. Momchallenged those gender norms.
After Hours
After Hours is a dark comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese and released in 1985. The film follows Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne), a word processor in New York City, who experiences a series of misadventures and increasingly bizarre occurrences during a single night out in the SoHo district after meeting a woman. As the night progresses, Paul finds himself entangled in a surreal, nightmarish series of events.
After making his name as a director of crime films in the ‘70s, Martin Scorsese broadened his horizons in the ‘80s. He made a boxing biopic,Raging Bull; a satire of fame,The King of Comedy; a pool-hustling sequel,The Color of Money; and a fictionalized account of Jesus’ life,The Last Temptation of Christ.
In 1985, Scorsese helmedAfter Hours, a pitch-black comedy about an office worker named Paul Hackett, played by Griffin Dunne, whose late-night journey home becomes an existentialist odyssey.Garr plays Julie, a waitress who falls for Paul almost immediately.She gives a typically offbeat performance that is perfectly in line with the sly satirical tone of Scorsese’s direction.After Hoursis one ofScorsese’s most underrated films. It’s unlike anything else he’s ever done: a twisted dark comedy with a frenetic energy.
Dumb and Dumber
When a woman leaves a briefcase containing ransom money at an airport, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne travel across the country to return it to the woman. Dumb and Dumber stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels and was directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly. The film also received a critically panned prequel in 2003 and a sequel in 2014 called Dumb and Dumber To.
The Farrelly brothers’Dumb and Dumberbrought togethera comic pairing for the ages. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels star as two dim-witted friends who mistake a ransom for a lost briefcase and embark on a cross-country road trip to return it to its rightful owner, Mary Swanson.Dumb and Dumberwas one of Carrey’s earliest starring vehicles, and it remains one of his most hilarious movies.
From the sale of a decapitated parakeet to the chili pepper prank gone wrong,Dumb and Dumberis jam-packed with great gags.Garr plays Mary’s stepmother, Helen. Since it’s only a small role and she spends most of the movie trying to negotiate a hostage situation, she doesn’t get many opportunities to be funny. But she still gets plenty of laughs — particularly whenever she shares the screen with Daniels.
The Conversation
The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a 1974 thriller following a paranoid surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma. As he becomes increasingly immersed in his latest case, he fears that his recordings may be linked to a potential murder, challenging his professional detachment.
Before their reunion onOne from the Heart,Garr had worked with Coppola on his 1974 thrillerThe Conversation.The Conversationstars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert named Harry Caul, who takes a seemingly routine job and overhears something he wasn’t supposed to. In a contemporary play onBlowup, Caul quickly becomes concerned that he’s being targeted by a sinister conspiracy. Garr appears in the supporting cast as Caul’s girlfriend, Amy Fredericks, who he keeps at arm’s length.
Amy has a small but crucial role in the film.She highlights just how secretive Caul is, because he can’t even open up to his significant other.The Conversationis one of the best movies to come out of the post-Watergate wave of paranoid political thrillers. Helmed by Coppola at the height of his powers, it’s taut, tense, and terrifying.
Close Encounters of The Third Kind
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of The Third Kind follows Roy Neary, an electrical engineer whose encounter with a UFO completely transforms his life. Haunted by visions of the UFO and the strange images it showed him, Roy sets out to find the UFO again, which leads him to the Western United States along with others who have been experiencing the same visions. Richard Dreyfuss stars as Roy, with a further cast that includes Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, François Truffaut, and Bob Balaban.
After the blockbuster success ofJaws, Steven Spielberg was given a blank check by Hollywood, and used that blank check to realize his passion project.Close Encounters of the Third Kindisa cinematic exploration of Spielberg’s obsession with U.F.O.s and the possibility of alien life coming to Earth. Richard Dreyfuss stars as blue-collar worker Roy Neary, who goes down the conspiracy rabbit hole after witnessing a flying saucer.
Garr gives one of her most powerful dramatic performances as Roy’s wife, Ronnie Neary. A lot of the movie focuses on the spectacle of spaceships and the mystery of extraterrestrial visitors, but Garr brings raw human emotion to the proceedings. She gives a heartbreaking turn as a woman helplessly watching her husband lose his mind, unable to stop his descent into madness despite her best efforts.
Tootsie
Tootsie, directed by Sydney Pollack, stars Dustin Hoffman as Michael Dorsey, a struggling actor who adopts a female persona to secure work on a soap opera. Supporting cast includes Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, and Dabney Coleman. The film explores themes of gender roles and identity while providing sharp social commentary on the entertainment industry.
Sydney Pollack’sTootsieisone of the greatest high-concept comedies ever made. It has a juicy premise and it wrings every possible laugh out of that premise. Dustin Hoffman stars as struggling actor Michael Dorsey, who resorts to dressing up as a woman to land a female role on a popular soap opera.
Garr revolutionized the “ditzy blonde” archetype with this performance. She proved that these characters don’t have to be one-note caricatures; they can have real depth and personality and vulnerability.
Things get complicated when Michael falls for his co-star, Julie, played by Jessica Lange.Tootsieis a classic farce with an elaborate comic situation that keeps escalating further and further into chaos.Garr plays Michael’s friend and fellow out-of-work actor, Sandy, who tried out for the same soap role that he eventually landed.
Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein is a comedic homage to classic horror films, directed by Mel Brooks. Released in 1974, it stars Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, who inherits his infamous grandfather’s castle. Initially dismissive of his ancestor’s work, he later becomes intrigued by his experiments after discovering a hidden journal.
Garr got her breakout inMel Brooks’ classic horror satireYoung Frankensteinin 1974 — and it was some breakout. She plays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein’s lab assistant-turned-lover, Inga, who helps him awaken the monster and then, when it gets out of control, helps him tame it.
From the charades sequence to the “Puttin’ on the Ritz” sequence,Young Frankensteinhas some of the most hilarious scenes ever committed to film. Young Frankenstein is Teri Garr’s greatest movie by far. It’s a hilarious spoof of old-school Universal Monsters movies with non-stop laughs, but it’s also lit and shot so well that it looks and feels just like the real deal.
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Garr holds her own opposite two of the most intimidating scene partners she could ask for — Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman — and comes away with some of the film’s funniest moments.
Source:People
Teri Garr
Discover the latest news and filmography for Teri Garr, known for Young Frankenstein and Tootsie.
