Teri Garr Had a Truly Fascinating Life—From Dancing with Elvis to Charming David Letterman

Teri Garr, who died at 79 this week following a long battle with multiple sclerosis, was the very definition of a comedy icon. The star of classics like Young Frankenstein, Tootsie and Mr. Mom was instantly recognizable for her blonde and blue-eyed charm, her hilarious facial expressions, her fabulously flighty delivery and her spot-on comic timing, and she delighted audiences for decades, with over 150 credits to her name.

Garr’s achievements as an actress are undeniably impressive (she even earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Tootsie) and she lived a singular life. Here’s a look at some fascinating facts you may not have known about the eternally likable star.

Teri Garr’s Hollywood roots: Born into showbiz

Teri Garr was exposed to the entertainment industry from an early age. Her father, Eddie Garr, was an actor and vaudeville performer who appeared opposite Marilyn Monroe in the 1948 musical Ladies of the Chorus. Sadly, he died when Teri was just 11. Her mother, Phyllis Garr, was a Rockette who later became a costume designer.

Teri Garr got her start dancing with Elvis Presley

Garr is most closely associated with ’70s and ’80s films, but she got her start in the ’60s, and while most of her earliest roles were non-speaking and uncredited, that doesn’t make them any less impressive. Garr began her career as a dancer, and she could be seen showing off her moves in Elvis musicals like Viva Las Vegas, Kissin’ Cousins, Roustabout and Clambake.

Looking back at her Elvis movies, Garr said, “I did a string of about six or seven Elvis movies, all in a row. He made all of those movies in two years’ time. All of them bad.”

Teri Garr and Carrie Fisher were roommates and lifelong friends

Early in her career, Garr was roommates with another ’70s star, the late Carrie Fisher. The two actresses remained friends, and in a testament to their enduring coolness, a 1977 picture of them with fellow It Girl Amy Irving has become a social media staple.

Her first speaking film role was with the Monkees

By the late ’60s, Garr already had a number of appearances as a dancer in youth-oriented films on her resume, and she shifted to speaking roles with a brief but memorable part in the notorious film Head, a 1968 vehicle for the Monkees that was written and produced by Jack Nicholson. The film fully embraced the psychedelic culture of the time, leading to a decidedly mixed response from moviegoers who were expecting squeaky-clean pop star vibes.

Teri Garr’s sci-fi debut in Star Trek and Close Encounters

Garr’s most significant early role was in a 1968 Star Trek episode, “Assignment: Earth,” which was originally intended to serve as a pilot for a spinoff series. The actress was glad that the spinoff never happened, and saw her character as a ditsy stereotype. As she recalled in her memoir, “I played Roberta Lincoln, a dippy secretary in a pink and orange costume with a very short skirt. Had the spin-off succeeded, I would have continued on as an earthling agent, working to preserve humanity. In a very short skirt.”

Garr returned to the sci-fi world in 1977, when she had one of her most famous roles as Richard Dreyfuss’ wife in Steven Spielberg’s classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

She was part of the The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour

In 1972, Garr became a cast member on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, and performed in comic sketches with the musical duo. Her work with Cher helped inform an iconic role in a surprising way, as she revealed that her over-the-top accent in the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy Young Frankenstein was inspired by the pop diva’s wigmaker, saying “Cher’s wigmaker was from Düsseldorf, so I just did an impersonation of her.” The rest is comedy history!

How Teri Garr became David Letterman’s favorite guest

Garr was just as hilarious in real life as she was in movies, and in the early days of David Letterman’s late-night show, she was a frequent guest, appearing over 30 times. Garr was one of the few guests who could dish out banter and sarcasm just as well as the acerbic host, and viewers couldn’t get enough of their comic chemistry.

Following the news of her passing, Letterman wrote, “Teri Garr’s many appearances on Late Night gave it a cachet and importance not possible without her. She was a first-class actor and comedian and a lovely human being. 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.”

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She played a lot of wives but didn’t marry until later in life

As an actress who often stole the show in supporting roles, Garr played many girlfriends and wives throughout her career. While she excelled in these parts, she didn’t actually get married herself until 1993, when she was 49. That year, she married John O’Neil, a building contractor, and they adopted a daughter, Molly. They divorced in 1996.

Teri Garr changed her name early on

Teri Garr was originally named Terry, but she decided to change the spelling early in her career when a numerologist told her that having double letters in her first and last name would lead to bad luck. She once joked that meeting a numerologist was “the best $35 I ever spent” and went on to find much success in Hollywood—though it probably had more to do with her brilliant comic talents than the spelling of her name.