‘Friends’ and ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’ star Teri Garr has died, aged 79

Veteran American film and TV actress Teri Garr has died, aged 79.

Per a report from Variety, the Academy Award-nominated actor died on Tuesday (October 29) following a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis. Garr revealed her diagnosis in 2002, and four years later suffered an aneurysm.

Garr enjoyed a lengthy career in acting, with over 140 credits to her name across nearly five decades; she officially retired from acting in 2011 – just two years short of her 50th anniversary in the industry.

Garr appeared in three episodes of Friends, where she played Phoebe Abbott, the mother of Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay. Kudrow remembered Garr in a statement to PEOPLE: “Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that. I feel so lucky and grateful I got to work with Teri Garr.”

After a number of small roles in film and TV, Garr was first noticed in an episode of Star Trek in 1968. However, her breakout role only came in 1974 when she played Inga, the audacious assistant in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. Three years later, she played Ronnie Neary in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.

In 1982, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for her performance as actress Sandy Lester in Tootsie.

Other prominent films she appeared in include Martin Scorsese’s After Hours, Dumb and Dumber, Perfect Alibi and Casper Meets Wendy. Prior to making a name for herself, she played different background dancers in six Elvis Presley films.

In TV, Garr also appeared in episodes of Frasier, Batman, The Sonny and Cher Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Fresno, M*A*S*H, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and hosted three episodes of SNL.

After retiring from acting, Teri Garr would go on to focus on her work as a multiple sclerosis activist, joining the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as a spokesperson.

See tributes to Teri Garr below.

Teri Garr's Oscar-nominated performance as the quirky and hopeful Sandy Lester in TOOTSIE.

With her magnetic humor and relatable charm, Garr lit up every scene, making Sandy—and many of her other characters—unforgettable. pic.twitter.com/qKV2wRPx4o

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) October 29, 2024

Teri Garr (1944 – 2024)

Photo taken by Dennis Hopper, 1965. pic.twitter.com/NVmGtolILR

— MUBI US (@mubiusa) October 29, 2024

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