American film and television actress Terry Garr died on Tuesday at the age of 79. He had been battling multiple sclerosis for years. The audience knows him from shows like “Young Frankenstein” or “Tootsie”. For his role in the last film, he received an Oscar. He also appeared in the series Friends.
Terry Garr was born in December 1944 in Lakewood, Ohio. She was the daughter of Broadway actor Eddie Garr and dancer Phyllis Garr. He graduated from the famous Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in New York.
One of her first experiences in the world of show business was the role of a dancer in the music video “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis Presley.
After roles in television series such as Star Wars and The Batman, Garr was cast by Mel Brooks as a laboratory assistant in the 1974 film Young Frankenstein.
Fans of the series “Friends” may also know her from the role of Phoebe Abbott, the biological mother of one of the main characters of the series, Phoebe Buffay.
In 1983, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting role in the comedy Tootsie, opposite Dustin Hoffman.
Teri GarrAvalon/PAP
He was seriously ill for many years
Garr died Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 79 from health complications related to multiple sclerosis.
The actress announced her diagnosis in 2002 and became an advocate for the prevention and research of this disease. In 2007, she also underwent surgery for a brain aneurysm and used a wheelchair for a while. “I had to learn to walk, talk and think again, which I'm not sure is needed in Hollywood,” he joked in a 2008 interview with Reuters.
He also admitted that his sense of humor helped him survive health problems. “A sense of humor and attitude are more important in everything,” she said in an interview with Reuters.
Main photo credit: Avalon/PAP