What role did Teri Garr play in Friends? Details explored as actress passes away at 79

Teri Garr, a prominent American actress, noted for her comedic roles passed away at 79. She died on October 29, 2024, in Los Angeles.

Garr had a long career in the industry, appearing in films and television shows, spanning across all genres. Despite being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she never gave up and continued to delight her fans with her on-screen performances until her retirement in 2011.

Teri Garr was also a part of the popular American sitcom Friends, in which she played the role of Phoebe Buffay's birth mother, Phoebe Abbott.

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Teri Garr starred as Phoebe Abbott in Friends

Teri Garr played the role of Phoebe Buffay’s biological mother, Phoebe Abbott, in the popular 90’s sitcom Friends. Garr first appeared in episode number 25 of Friends, which also served as the season 3 finale. The episode, titled, The One At The Beach, aired on March 15, 1977, and saw Phoebe Buffay get introduced to her biological mother for the first time.

Garr appeared next in the first episode of season 4 of Friends, titled, The One With The Jellyfish, and also in the 11th episode of the same season titled, The One with Phoebe’s Uterus.

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What other films and shows did Teri Garr star in?

Initially, Garr starred as a background dancer in several Elvis Presley movies. However, she bagged the limelight with her performance as Sandy Lester in Sydney Pollack’s 1982 Rom-Com Tootsie and as Inga in Mel Brook’s 1974 film Young Frankenstein.

Other than these films mentioned above, she also starred in popular projects like The Black Stallion Returns (1983), Role Model: Gene Wilder (2008), Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969), Batman Beyond (1999-2001), and many more.

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How did Teri Garr die?

Actress Teri Garr, 79, died on October 29, 2024, after suffering from multiple sclerosis for a long time. Although she initially detected her condition in 1983, it was not identified until 1999 due to a lack of medical efficiency. She opened up about her diagnosis in 2002 after which her acting career slowed down.

In 2006, she wrote her autobiography titled Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood. In this book, she spoke about her incurable condition:

“MS is a sneaky disease. Like some of my boyfriends, it has a tendency to show up at the most awkward times and then to disappear entirely."

In 2006, things got worse as she had an aneurysm, after which she went into a coma. In 2011, she retired from acting.

Previously, in 2003, Garr said that she felt if she went public with her medical problem, she would not land roles in movies and shows anymore.

“I was afraid that I wouldn’t get work. People hear MS and think, ‘Oh, my God, the person has two days to live’,” Garr said.

She is survived by her daughter, Molly O'Neil, and grandson, Tyryn.