You've seen her in stuff, I swear you have.
You may know Teri Garr from her comedic work. She was in Young Frankenstein as the assistant. (Not Igor - the *other* assistant.) She was also in Tootsie. Teri did family movies - Mr. Mom & Casper Meets Wendy. There were also her dramatic parts, like in The Black Stallion & The Black Stallion Returns. And don't forget the time she was in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Teri Garr also had bit parts in Michael & Aloha, Scooby Doo, in addition to appearing in several of Elvis's movies.
Teri Garr also suffered from Multiple Sclerosis, which first started noticing symptoms of on the set of Tootsie. (Roughly, 1982.) She was able to become an Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society & the National Chair for the society's Women Against MS program. In December 2006, Teri suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm that left her in a coma for a week. She was also kind enough to bring awareness to these health issues.
Teri Garr was also a supporter of The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on preventing suicide among lgbt youth. She was able to attend Trevor Project events over the years.
Somehow, Teri Garr found the time in the midst of all of this to write her autobiography Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood & it was published in 2006.
Teri Garr leaves a legacy like nobody's business. The movie titles alone - Young Frankenstein, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Tootsie. But she was holding her own in rooms filled with Dustin Hoffman, Richard Dreyfuss, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder. She worked with some of the biggest directors, like Steven Spielberg & Sydney Pollack. Jenna Fischer (of Office fame) & Tina Fey both list Teri Garr as an influence.
If anyone starts to miss Teri too much, feel free to stop by the library at any point. We have copies of the movies mentioned in the blog post, in addition to Teri Garr's autobiography. We will also happily put on hold any of her other movies for you.
We also have books (and access to books about) the Trevor Project, the LGBT community & its history, & Multiple Sclerosis.
