Teri Garr‚ who started as a back-up dancer and became a well-known actress passed away on oct-29-24 at seventy-nine years old. Her path from dance-shows to big-screen success shows how talent finds its way
Born in lakewood ohio to a model mom and vaudeville dad‚ young Garr began performing in her familys garage (which helped during tough times at home). By her early-teens she joined ballet companies; and at sixteen she got her first big break in a west-side story tour
Her dance skills got her spots in nine elvis presley films: including viva las vegas and clambake. But she wanted more than back-row dancing roles so she made a smart-move - adding some made-up broadway credits to her resume which helped her land acting jobs
When I read the part‚ I realized it was all about the boobs‚ and I was not about to let my lack of them hinder my performance
Her break-out role came as inga in young frankenstein; followed by parts in close encounters of the third kind and oh god. The peak of her career happened with tootsie where she got an oscar nom for her role as sandy - a struggling actress dealing with rejection
In the 80s and 90s she kept working and became known for her quick-wit on talk shows; however ms symptoms started showing up. She dealt with health issues including: balance problems‚ walking difficulties and a brain surgery in 07. Her daughter from her mid-90s marriage survives her