Teri Garr was the “neurotic dizzy dame” famous for her role in Tootsie. But, all her life, she hid a terrible secret.
1. She Hid A Dark Secret
With a quirky and neurotic sense of humor, Teri Garr became one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood. Her signature role as the frazzled, bubbly blonde even landed her an Oscar nomination. But, when the cameras weren’t rolling, Garr didn’t have much to laugh about. She was hiding a terrible secret with the potential to end her career.
2. She Was Born Into Showbiz
Terry Ann Garr’s destiny was practically written in the stars—or by them. Born on December 11, 1944, in Los Angeles, she was the youngest of three children. Her father, Eddie Garr, was a vaudeville performer and actor whose claim to fame was the lead role on Broadway in Tobacco Road. But, he had to share the spotlight.
3. Her Mother Knew Her Way Around A Stage
Garr’s artistic streak didn’t just come from her father. Her mother, Phyllis Lind Garr, wore many hats in the entertainment world—dancer, Rockette, model, and wardrobe mistress. It’s safe to say that Teri Garr’s future in Hollywood was a family affair. However, that didn’t mean that her childhood was all tinsel and stardust.
In fact, it was quite rough.
4. She Suffered A Terrible Tragedy
At just 11 years old, Garr’s life took a turn down a dark alley. Her father, the light of her life, passed away from a heart attack. The loss devastated Garr and left her family scrounging for scraps. But there was one bright spot: “I saw my mother be this incredibly strong, creative woman,” Garr later reflected. Her apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
5. She Didn’t Get Anything For Free
After her father passed away, Garr’s family struggled to make ends meet. But the adversity taught Garr how to be resilient. “Any kind of lessons we wanted, we had to have scholarships or sweep the floors,” she recalled. “It had to be free. And so we always had to try harder”. There’s no question that she worked herself to the bone.
6. She Put On Her Dancing Shoes
From a young age, even before her father’s tragic passing, Garr loved to bury her worries in dance. As she grew older, she threw herself into ballet training, traveling all over Los Angeles by bus to find the best classes. For her, the dance floor was a place of quiet determination. “You could just stand there and beat yourself up, push the body,” she said.
And she meant that literally.
7. She Danced Until She Bled
Garr wasn’t just passionate about ballet—she was obsessed with it. “I’d go for three, four hours a day,” she later recalled. And she had the scars to prove it, later revealing that her “feet would be bleeding” from all of the ballet she was doing. Whether she knew it or not, her grit and determination—and blood sacrifice—were about to pay off.
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8. Her First Audition Was A Bust
As a senior in high school, Garr couldn’t wait to start her own career in show business. Before graduation, she set her sights on joining the Los Angeles Road Company production of West Side Story. But, after her first audition to become a “Jet girl”, the show producers eliminated her. “I was crushed,” she confessed. But she wasn’t done yet.
9. She Learned From Her Mistakes
Garr’s high school friend, Lynn, who had accompanied her to the audition got a callback—unlike Garr herself. But, instead of getting jealous, she got justice. Garr studied all of the girls who got callbacks and realized that none of them had smiled during their auditions. Equipped with this new knowledge, she planned her next move.
10. She Made A Quick Comeback
Garr explained her bold plan to her friend, Lynn, saying that she would simply go back and audition again. “They’ll never remember me,” Garr explained to her flabbergasted friend. Apparently, Garr was right. She wasn’t memorable at all. The producers loved her second audition, and cast her as a Jet girl. Her friend Lynn, however, didn’t make the cut.
But Garr was already onto bigger things.
11. She Bet It All On The Big Apple
After graduating from North Hollywood High School, Garr attended San Fernando Valley State College. But she had gotten a taste of showbiz—and now she wanted a bigger bite. Just two years into her program, she dropped out and moved to New York City to pursue her dreams. She enrolled in the Actors Studio and Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.
Success, however, would not come easily.
12. She Found Her First Mentor
Unsurprisingly, Garr had left a big impression on the producers in her first real job in showbiz as a Jet girl in West Side Story. On set, she connected with David Winters, a choreographer who became her friend, teacher, and early career champion. He cast her in a number of small small roles, helping to jump-start her career.
Still, something was missing.
13. She Consulted A Numerologist
In her first credited roles, Garr went by her birth name “Terry Garr”. But something about it didn’t quite sit right with her. So, naturally, she consulted a numerologist who told her that the repeating letters in “Terry” were bad news for her career prospects. Garr took the advice to heart and changed the spelling of her name to “Teri”.
Funny enough, it worked.
14. She Worked With “The King”
Before becoming a household name, Garr was one of the busiest go-go dancers in Hollywood. She had uncredited appearances in films like Pajama Party and even appeared in nine Elvis Presley movies. While she barely had any screen time, and certainly didn’t have any speaking parts, she did enough to land herself a big opportunity.
15. She Got “Beamed Up”
In 1968, Garr scored her first significant TV role as Roberta Lincoln in the Star Trek episode “Assignment: Earth”. The network intended to use the landmark episode as a “backdoor pilot” for a new series that would have given Garr a recurring lead role in a big franchise. As the episode premiered, all she could do was hope for the best.
16. Her Big Break Was A Bust
In her memoir, Garr recalled the potentially monumental role. “I played a dippy secretary in a pink and orange outfit with a very short skirt,” she wrote. Unfortunately, she wasn’t “dippy” enough—or, maybe, the skirt was a little too short. Either way, the spin-off never happened. But Garr shrugged it off, writing, “I’d have spent years saving humanity in that outfit”.
Luckily, bigger things were yet to come.
17. She Got Freaky On Frankenstein
Turns out, Garr didn’t need Star Trek or their cheesy spin-off after all. In 1974, she landed a part in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. Playing the role of Inga, the lab assistant, Garr dazzled audiences with her comedic timing and endearing, quirky charm, helping to make the film a success. Funny enough, she almost had a very different role.
18. She Put On Her Best Accent
Originally, Garr had auditioned for the role of Elizabeth, Dr Frankenstein’s fiancée. But, when her co-star, Madeline Kahn, wanted to switch roles, the part of Inga came up for grabs. Brooks told Garr to come back the next day with a German accent. Never one to procrastinate, Garr replied, “Vell, yes, I could do zee German ackzent tomorrow, I could come back zis afternoon!”
Just like that, the role was hers—and it was more inspirational than most people know.
19. She Learned From The Best
Garr’s iconic German accent in Young Frankenstein wasn’t just good—it was inspired. Inspired by a real German, that is. Garr later revealed that she had based her funny accent on Cher’s wig maker, a character she had met during her time working on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. To her credit, Garr also inspired others.
20. She Impressed Bancroft
Unbeknownst to Garr, she had already amassed an ardent fan base. During the filming of Young Frankenstein, Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks’ wife, visited the set. Bancroft remarked to Garr that she had just watched her latest film, The Conversation, and paid her a compliment. Never one to brag, Garr casually replied, “Oh, yeah, that turned out to be a pretty good movie”.
21. She Was In A “Film”
Bancroft had been so impressed with Garr’s performance in The Conversation, that she simply couldn’t let it go. “Honey,” she said to Garr after the funny girl’s casual reply, “this is a movie. The Conversation is a film”. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like all of Garr’s castmates on Young Frankenstein shared Bancroft’s opinion.
22. She Wasn’t Wild About Wilder
When reporters asked Garr about her experience working with the famed Gene Wilder on Young Frankenstein, Garr didn’t hold back her feelings. “Wilder was a jerk!” she exclaimed. It’s entirely clear if Garr was joking or being brutally honest. Either way, her complicated relationship with Wilder didn’t affect the final product—or her career prospects.
23. She Had A Close Encounter With Spielberg
Following the success of Young Frankenstein, Garr did something unexpected. She took on a dramatic role as Ronnie Neary, the wife of Richard Dreyfuss’ character, in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Even more surprising than the role itself, however, was exactly how Garr had come to land that role.
24. She Landed A Role In 30 Seconds
Up until her performance in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Garr had really only acted in lighthearted roles. So, Spielberg’s decision to cast her in his more dramatic film was a shock to audiences. Even more shocking was the fact that Spielberg had decided to give Garr the role because he had seen her in a 30-second-long coffee commercial years earlier.
Apparently, her “range of emotions” had impressed the legendary director. Not all of her famous roles would come so easily.
25. She Couldn’t Even Get An Audition
Garr hadn’t needed an audition to land her role in Close Encounters. But, for another film, she couldn’t even get an audition. After she wrapped on One from the Heart, Hollywood was abuzz with talk about an upcoming Sydney Pollack film starring Dustin Hoffman called Tootsie. But Garr’s agent couldn’t even get her in the door.
Then fate intervened.
26. She Had A Part Written Just For Her
A last-minute rewrite of Tootsie turned out to be Garr’s lucky break. Elaine May, who had worked with Garr years earlier and tweaked the Tootsie script, recommended her for the role of Sandy. May reportedly told Pollack, “Teri Garr is the only one who can play this part,” all but confessing that she wrote the role with Garr in mind.
May, as it turns out, was right.
27. She Nearly Got The Gold
Though Garr had initially dreamed of playing the lead, she swallowed her “inner diva” and graciously embraced the supporting role of Sandy. And it’s a good thing she did. Garr’s performance in the hit film landed her something that very few actors ever even come close to: an Oscar nomination. It wasn’t exactly an easy role, though.
28. She Huffed At Hoffman
Garr had plenty to say about her Tootsie co-star, Dustin Hoffman. Just as she had sounded off on Gene Wilder years before, she didn’t hold back on her experience working with Hoffman. “If you argue with him on something, he wants his way,” he shared. “Finally, if you say, 'All right, we'll do it your way', he'll say 'No—I don't want to do it my way until you LIKE doing it my way’”.
Yet for all her complaints about Hoffman, she could be a diva herself.
29. She Was The Only Blonde
In 1983’s Mr Mom, Garr starred alongside Ann Jillian. But audiences quickly noticed something odd. Jillian, who was also blonde, appeared in the film as a brunette. Rumor has it that Garr didn’t want to share the spotlight as the blonde beauty on set, and had the director force Jillian to dye her hair brown. She didn’t have to work that hard to get noticed.
30. She Had Mail
Even off-camera, Garr’s life had an element of the comedic and romantic to it. In the early 1980s, Garr had a relationship with Roger Birnbaum, a film executive. Their charming little romance began by the mailboxes of their West Hollywood apartment building, just like in any good romcom. In fact, the drama of their relationship could have filled the pages of any script.
31. She Blew A Hole In Her Wall
Garr and Birnbaum’s relationship broke down barriers—literally. As the couple’s love deepened, they decided to adjoin their apartments. They hired a carpenter and cut a pathway between their units. Unfortunately, the result left a hole directly above Garr’s bed. She promptly told the carpenter, “Patch it up!” Too bad he couldn’t fix her relationship.
32. She Trusted A Jedi
The details aren’t clear, but by the late 1980s, Garr and Birnbaum split up—and patched up the pathway connecting their units. It didn't take Garr long to move on to her next beau, the physician David Kipper. Funny enough, she had a little Jedi help in landing her latest boyfriend: Carrie Fisher! The Star Wars actress had set the two up.
But even the force wasn’t strong enough to make it last.
33. Her Breakups Were Worse Than Divorce
Years later, Garr reflected on her relationships, comparing her long-term partnerships to marriage—and not in a good way. While she never spoke poorly about her ex-boyfriends, she complained about the messy breakups. “When we split up, it was, ‘Who gets the house? Who gets this? Who gets that?’” she lamented. But there was one relationship of hers that lasted forever.
34. She Loved Letterman
While promoting Young Frankenstein, Garr had a chance encounter on an Indianapolis radio show with a host who became her lifelong friend. That host was none other than a young, not-yet-famous David Letterman. Years later, when Letterman landed his own late-night show, Garr became a staple. Her appearances were certainly memorable.
35. She Had A “Big Brother”
Garr was a regular guest on Late Night with David Letterman. She often appeared to promote films that she was in, but, more often than not, just showed up for the laughs. Garr described their banter as a brother-sister dynamic, where Letterman would relentlessly tease her until she “threatened” to storm off. But she had too much juicy gossip to go.
36. She Toed The Line
Letterman had a knack for needling Garr for being “ill-prepared” for the show, knowing full well that he had booked her at the last minute. But it was a clever ruse to get her to share outrageous stories, like one about a party at Elvis Presley’s. For the most part, Garr played along, tossing her hair in mock exasperation.
Then it went too far.
37. She Sat On The “Casting Couch”
In an unusual 1985 episode of Late Night with Letterman, the funnyman decided to host his show from his office. Then he posed an odd question to an already confused Garr: “Do you want to take a shower?” he asked her. At first, Garr demurred, but she was powerless against Letterman’s relentless badgering. Then the unimaginable happened.
38. She Took A Bath—On TV!
Feeling powerless against Letterman’s pestering, Garr agreed to his strange request for her to take a shower in his office. With the cameras still rolling, she stepped into the private bathroom, stripped down to her underwear, and hopped in the shower. With the water running, she and Letterman continued the show to everyone’s amazement.
The segment became iconic—and scandalous.
39. She Walked Home Soaking Wet
Garr hadn’t just been playing pretend on Letterman—she actually showered. After her “airing”, Garr put her clothes back on over her wet underwear and walked 30 blocks back to her apartment. Trudging home in her wet threads, she couldn’t help but feel that something about what happened didn’t quite sit right with her. Years later, Letterman issued an apology, saying that it was “maybe kind of [an inappropriate] thing to do”.
40. She Had A Stalker
Garr’s stardom earned her more than a few ardent fans—some more dangerous than others. In 1990, a Los Angeles judge had to issue an order to a crazed Garr fan named Susan Hull, blocking the woman from contacting the star. Hull had bombarded Garr with calls, letters, and even bizarre items left at her doorstep in the most chilling way imaginable.
41. She Was Hounded by Bizarre Gifts
In her memoirs, Garr opened up about the painful chapter in her life caused by her stalker. She revealed that Hull would knock on her door up to three times a day and fill her mailbox with “personal and unexplainable items”. We’ll let your imagination run wild on that one. Fortunately, she had some healthy relationships in her life.
42. She Said “I Do”—And “I Don’t”
In 1993, Garr married building contractor John O’Neil. While she managed to keep the details of their relationship out of the press, she did reveal that she and O’Neil had adopted a daughter, Molly. Sadly, the marriage didn’t last, and the couple divorced in 1996. By that time, Garr was dealing with something far more terrible than divorce.
She had been keeping a devastating secret.
43. She Left Fans Concerned
Garr’s appearance in the 1995 sitcom Women of the House left her fans and Hollywood colleagues concerned—and somewhat terrified. Throughout the lighthearted series, Garr walked with a slight limp. Before long, the media mill was full of speculation that something was wrong with everyone’s favorite neurotic blonde. Their worst fears were confirmed.
44. She Struggled On Screen
Two years later, by the time Garr appeared in the 1997 film Changing Habits, her physical struggles were impossible to miss—or deny. In one scene, while walking down a ramp, Garr clutched the railing and moved at a diagonal, her limp becoming more pronounced with each step. She could no longer hide the terrible secret she had been keeping her whole life.
45. She Broke Her Silence
Finally, in 2002, Garr put an end to the speculation about her sudden and apparently inexplicable physical decline. In a brave move, Garr publicly revealed that she was in a decades’ long battle with multiple sclerosis—a diagnosis that doctors had given her around the same time she starred in Tootsie. Her confession turned out to be cathartic.
46. She Wanted To Help Others
Garr’s shocking disclosure left her fans devastated, not knowing whether they’d ever get to see their favorite neurotic blonde again. But Garr was determined to turn her bad situation into a good example. “I’m telling my story so I can help people,” she explained. “I want them to know they aren’t alone and to be optimistic”.
But there wasn’t much to be optimistic about.
47. She Faced Industry Fallout
Garr’s honesty came at a cost. After going public with her diagnosis, her career hit a wall. “My work opportunities fell off a cliff,” she shared. “The phone was ringing about my health, but when it came to roles, it was adios amigos”. Despite the setback, Garr refused to let her story end on anything less than a positive note.
48. She Found A New Role
Instead of disappearing into obscurity, Garr turned her diagnosis into a second act. Her brave honesty led to her becoming a spokesperson for the MS treatment Serono. She traveled the country, attending seminars and giving speeches about her experience with the disease. Ironically, she called it “one of the greatest jobs I ever had”.
49. She Played Herself
Garr had always escaped the hardships of her life by pretending to be someone else on screen. But, as an advocate for MS awareness, she found herself in a new role. “For the first time in my life, I got to play myself all the time,” she quipped. Always the performer, she delivered hilarious speeches that helped educate and inspire others—even in dark times.
50. She Made One Last Comeback
In December 2006, Garr suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm that nearly had her take her final bow. The Tootsie star fell into a week-long coma before bravely making a full recovery, regaining her speech and motor skills through intensive therapy. By 2008, she was back on Late Show with David Letterman, promoting her film Expired.
51. She Left a Legacy
Finally, at the age of 79, Garr stopped fighting back against MS. Surrounded by loved ones, she succumbed to complications from multiple sclerosis and said her final lines. But, as much as MS took from her, she never lost her sense of humor. “I really do count my blessings,” she said. “At least I used to. Now I get so tired I have a woman come once a week and count them for me".