(Image via 20th Century Fox)

Actor Teri Garr died today at 79, 22 years after announcing a battle with chronic MS. The disease and a brain aneurysm shortened her iconic career, though she worked from 1963 until a final appearance in 2011.

Along the way, Garr developed a quirky screen persona that was uniquely hers, specializing in playing neurotic characters with layers, even when she may have been cast as a stereotypical dumb blonde. 

@boyculturedotcom Teri Garr was a treasure. #terigarr #movies #tv #gr8erdays ♬ original sound - Matthew Rettenmund/BoyCulture

Garr was born December 11, 1944 (there is some debate as to her true age), in Lakewood, Ohio. Her dad was an actor and her mom a dancer who later worked in wardrobe. In spite of the hardships endured by the family thanks to the sporadic income, Garr began performing early, first as a dancer.

After appearing as an extra in A Swingin' Affair (1963), she met David Winters, a fellow dancer and actor, in a production of West Side Story. Thanks to his hiring as a choreography on Elvis Presley pictures, Garr was consistently cast as a dancer in six of the King of Rock 'n' Roll's frothy movies. Beginning with Fun in Acapulco (1963), she danced — with no lines — in his biggest hit, Viva Las Vegas (1964), as well as Kissin' Cousins (1964), Roustabout (1964), Girl Happy (1965) and Clambake (1967).

She appeared on the TV series Mr. Novak (1964), Dr. Kildare (1965), Batman (1966) and The Andy Griffith Show (1968), as well as in the beach movie Pajama Party (1964).

On Star Trek, she understood the Assignment. (Image via NBC)

Her two earliest breaks were a speaking part in the satirical Monkees flick Head (1968), and a lovely spotlight role on an episode of Star Trek called Assignment: Earth (1968).

Guest spots on TV's That Girl (1967 & 1968), Mayberry R.F.D. (1968), The Mothers-in-Law (1969), Room 222 (1969) and It Takes a Thief (1969) kept her busy until a standing gig as a performer on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1972) and later on Cher (1975) and The Sonny and Cher Show (1976-1977). She was also a regular on the short-lived Ken Berry WOW Show (1972) and Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (1974).

Other early shows included M*A*S*H (1973), The Bob Newhart Show (1973 & 1974) and The Girl with Something Extra (1973-1974).

In 1974, Garr had a plum supporting role opposite Gene Hackman in Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, which was the start of bigger things. On the recommendation of Gene Wilder, she read for a part in Young Frankenstein. When writer-director Mel Brooks asked Wilder if the beautiful girl could act, he reportedly said, Who cares? Little wonder that seven years ago, Garr candidly revealed Wilder was a jerk.

She got the part and became part of an iconic cast that included Wilder, Madeline Kahn (whose part she had coveted), Cloris Leachman, Peter Boyle and Marty Feldman. Considering her relative youth, she more than held her own in the film, and was an integral part of several of its best scenes.

After working again with Kahn in the execrable Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), she played back-to-back harried wives in the hits Oh, God! (1977) and Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), was the mom in both Black Stallion family films (1979 & 1983), and revealed the range of her talent in Coppola's overlooked musical One from the Heart (1981).

Garr's next major break came when she lost the part of a soap opera diva in Tootsie (1982), the film about an out-of-work actor (Dustin Hoffman) who, feeling there were more parts for women than men, dons drag and becomes a star. She had to be persuaded to take what the felt was a lesser role, but wound up feeling it was one of the most rewarding of her career. Though her co-star Jessica Lange took home the Oscar for her work in the part Garr had wanted, Garr was honored with her first and only Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actress.

The Sting II (1983) was an unworthy follow-up, but playing a working woman in Mr. Mom (1983) proved to be a good choice — the Michael Keaton-anchored film was a big hit.

“Touch it!” (Image via Warner Bros.)

One of her quirkiest roles came in Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985), in which she played an offbeat, out-of-style waitress desperately throwing herself at a hapless Griffin Dunne.

Her career cooled thereafter. She was on the fabulous miniseries Fresno (1986), in Robert Altman's The Player (1992) and Ready to Wear (1994), as well as her fun part in Dumb and Dumber (1994). She attempted several short-lived series in her career, among them the Designing Women spin-off Women of the House (1995).

Though she worked steadily in TV and in films, I would say her late-career highlights were Dick (1999), a cameo in Ghost World (2001) and, of course, her three episodes on Friends as Phoebe's mom — which was perfect casting.

As good as Garr was as an actress, she was also among the best talk show guests of all time, both with Johnny Carson and with David Letterman, the latter of whom was a foil for her, leading to classic episodes. One time, Dave egged her on into showering over the closing credits, and their banter was always part Sam & Diane and part adversarial.

After her health woes, Garr had about a dozen credits. Her final film was Kabluey in 2007, and her last TV performance arrived on an episode of How to Marry a Billionaire (2011).

Garr was married once, from 1993-1996, and is survived by her daughter and one grandchild.

I'm still pinching myself 10 years later. (Image by Matthew Rettenmund)