Teri Garr, an actress known for her roles in Young Frankenstein, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Tootsie, Friends, Batman Beyond, and more, died on Tuesday at the age of 79, and it didn’t take long for her Hollywood peers to pay tribute.
Michael Keaton, who starred alongside Garr in Mr. Mom, was among the first post a remembrance. “This is a day i feared and knew was coming,” Keaton wrote on Instagram. “Forget about how great she was as an actress and comedienne. she was a wonderful woman. not just great to work with but great to be around.”
Comedy legend Mel Brooks, who directed Garr in Young Frankenstein, called her “so talented and so funny” in an X/Twitter post. “Her humor and lively spirit made the YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN set a pleasure to work on. Her ‘German’ accent had us all in stitches! She will be greatly missed,” he continued.
Garr’s Tootsie co-star Dustin Hoffman remembered her in a statement to The New York Post: “Teri was brilliant and singular in all she did, and had a heart of gold. Working with her was one of the great highs. There was no one like her.”
Lisa Kudrow, who played the daughter of Garr’s character in Friends, called her “was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that” in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “I feel so lucky and grateful I go to work with Teri Garr,” Kudrow added.
“Teri was brilliant and singular in all she did, and had a heart of gold.”
Richard Dreyfuss starred alongside Garr in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and he wrote on X/Twitter, “I adored Teri. She was vibrant, playful and so funny. Her essence created an ease in every scene we did together. I’ll miss her.”
David Letterman, meanwhile, recalled Garr’s frequent appearances on Late Night, which he said “gave it a cachet and importance not possible without her.” “She was a first class actor and comedian and a lovely human being,” he continued in his Instagram post. “A bright star and a real friend to the show. I was lucky to know her. She elevated all, and I’m sad she is gone.”
“Oh man, this is devastating,” Paul Feig, who worked with Garr on Unaccompanied Minors, wrote on X/Twitter. “Teri was a legend. So funny, so beautiful, so kind. I had the honor of working with her in 2006 and she was everything I dreamed she would be. Truly one of my comedy heroes. I couldn’t have loved her more. This is such a loss.”
Others, including Steve Martin, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael McKean, and Patton Oswalt remembered her as well. Garr passed away after living with multiple sclerosis for more than 20 years, and is survived by her daughter and a grandson.
Image credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
