“Tootsie” Oscar nominee and “Young Frankenstein” star was 79

It resurfaced in the early 1970s The Sonny and Cher Hour and continued to perform M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, The Bob Newhart Show, Barnaby Jones and other popular series.

But in 1974 she achieved her breakthrough.

She appeared in Francis Ford Coppola’s Oscar nomination for Best Picture The conversation, played star Gene Hackman’s girlfriend and landed what was probably her most famous role later that same year. Garr played Inga, a native of Transylvania who was Wilder’s Dr. Frederick Frankenstein – FRONK-en-steen, if you will – will Young Frankenstein. Serves as successor to Brooks Flaming saddles, The stellar cast also included Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle and Hackman in an unforgettable cameo.

Her sweet, somewhat naive and strangely accented character had no shortage of memorable lines. Who could forget: “Would you like a bun in the zee hay?” “He’d have a huge cock stud” or “Put on the candle.” back!“?

The film received critical acclaim, was a huge commercial success, and was later revived as a Broadway musical.

In the mid-70s, Garr made guest appearances on other successful TV shows such as McCloud And Maud before appearing in Carl Reiner’s comedy alongside George Burns and John Denver in 1977 Oh God! Just a few weeks later came the release of close encounters, Spielberg’s alien encounter film, in which she played Ronnie Neary, who tries to keep her young family together while her husband (Dreyfuss) becomes obsessed with a shared vision and ends up running away to pursue her.

Third party close encounters set several box office records and became Columbia Pictures’ highest-grossing film in history at the time.

As the 1980s dawned, Garr continued to work in films, playing a supporting role on the big screen in 2011 The black stallion, Coppola One from the heart and John Schlesinger’s comic romp Honky Tonk Freeway. Her next role would be one of her most famous.

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Garr played a sort of girlfriend to Dustin Hoffman Tootsie (1982), Pollack’s Oscar-nominated Best Picture cross-dressing comedy about an out-of-work actor (Hoffman) who lands a glamorous soap opera role disguised as a woman. “Dorothy Michaels” becomes an overnight sensation, and hilarious moments ensue as Hoffman’s Michael Dorsey struggles to keep his secret while being wooed by unsuspecting older men.

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Garr’s Sandy Lester stars in the fictional soap and becomes Dorsey’s lover while secretly pining for her co-star Julie, played by Jessica Lange, who later won the supporting actress Oscar ahead of Garr. The film, starring Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning and Bill Murray, was also a huge commercial success, exceeding all expectations Close encounters as Columbia’s most successful film.

She also starred alongside Jackie Gleason and Karl Malden in The Sting II and as Michael Keaton’s wife in the role-reversal comedy Mr. Momboth in 1983. Written by up-and-coming filmmaker John Hughes, whose cast also included Martin Mull, Ann Jillian, Jeffrey Tambor and Christopher Lloyd.

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Around this time, Garr began appearing as a guest on NBC’s up-and-coming talk show Late Night with David Letterman. Her frequent, flirtatious, feigned visits – more than two dozen over the show’s 11 years – were comic gold, and a near-blushing David Letterman often could barely contain his joy. She also appeared in David Letterman’s 2nd Annual Christmas Film Festival in 1986 and later was a guest on its follow-up CBS show Late Show with David Letterman about half a dozen times from 1993 to 2008. Watch them in a sit-down from 1983 here:

Garr worked in film and television until the 2010s, including as the mother of Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow). Friends and also guest appearances on television HE, Frasier, Sabrina, the teenage witch and other. She was a series regular on the short-lived 1995 sitcom women of the house, She plays press secretary to Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke), who moves to DC to serve out her late husband’s term in the House of Representatives. The final four episodes of the comedy, starring Patricia Heaton, Jonathan Banks and Julie Hagerty, aired as a two-hour film on Lifetime.

She also had a second career as a voice actress on TV toons including King of the Hill, The Legend of Prince Valiant, Dr. Katz, professional therapist, two Scooby Doo! series and continues as Mary McGinnis Batman Beyond.

According to the AP, Garr was born into a show business family in Los Angeles on December 11, 1944, although many reference books list her hometown as Lakewood, Ohio. Her father was Eddie Garr, who had about two dozen film roles and worked as a nightclub comedian. Her mother was Phyllis Lind Garr, who was a real-life Rockette at Radio City Music Hall and later had a second career as a costume designer and wardrobe clerk, whose credits include her The Graduate, Walking Tall, Young Frankenstein and Alfred Hitchcock’s last step, Family plot.

Garr amassed more than 150 film and television appearances over the course of her fifty-year career, as well as at least 100 appearances as herself on various talk shows, game shows, music shows and documentaries. One of Garr’s earliest gigs was as a backing go-go dancer on the legendary series TAMI show. The film was shot at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in late 1964 and featured the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, James Brown, Chuck Berry, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, Smokey Robinson, Jan and Dean and others. Toni Basil, who later had a No. 1 hit with “Mickey,” was also a dancer in the show.

Garr’s autobiography entitled Speedbumps: On the ground through Hollywoodwas published in 2005.

In the ’90s, she was married to John O’Neil for three years and adopted a daughter, Molly O’Neil.