“Teri was exceptional and unique in everything she did, and she had a heart of gold,” Hoffman expressed in his statement to the outlet. “Collaborating with her was one of the highlights of my career.”
“There was truly no one like her,” he continued.
Garr had disclosed her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 2002 and passed away from the disease, “surrounded by family and friends,” as stated by her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, to PEOPLE.
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The actress was celebrated for her performances as Inga in the 1974 classic Young Frankenstein and as Sandy Lester in 1982’s Tootsie, where she starred alongside Hoffman’s character, Michael Dorsey.
In Tootsie, the story revolves around Michael, an out-of-work actor who disguises himself as a woman named Dorothy for a role in a drama. Complications arise when he falls for his co-star Julie Nichols, portrayed by Jessica Lange.
Garr earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Tootsie, which later inspired a stage musical that debuted on Broadway in 2019.
Santino Fontana took on the role of Michael in the Broadway adaptation, while Lilli Cooper played Julie and Sarah Stiles portrayed Sandy, Garr's character from the film.
In her 2005 memoir Speedbumps: Flooring it Through Hollywood, Garr reflected on her Academy Award nomination, expressing her pride: “The Academy not only knew I existed, they thought I was good!”
She also shared how her mother, Phyllis Lind Garr, played a pivotal role in her casting as Dr. Frankenstein’s assistant in Young Frankenstein. “My mother was the wardrobe woman on Young Frankenstein,” Garr recounted in a PBS interview in 2012. “I asked her if they’d finished casting, and she said she didn’t know.”
Determined to land the role, Garr asked her agent to arrange an audition. After four rounds, she was ultimately cast. “It was unbelievable,” she remarked.