Teri Garr praised after her death by Friends star Lisa Kudrow for having 'huge Influence' on her

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Lisa Kudrow had special praise for the late Teri Garr following the acclaimed actress' death on Tuesday at 79.

Kudrow, who worked with Garr when she made multiple guest appearances on her hit sitcom Friends in the 1990s, gushed that the One From The Heart star was a 'genius' in a statement to People.

'Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that,' said the 61-year-old Comeback star.

'I feel so lucky and grateful I got to work with Teri Garr,' she added.

Garr, who died following a years-long battle with multiple sclerosis, appeared opposite Kudrow in three episodes of Friends.

Lisa Kudrow had special praise for the late Teri Garr following the acclaimed actress' death on Tuesday at 79. Garr was a guest star on her series Friends; pictured in LA in March 2023

Garr (R) made her friends debut in season three as Phoebe Abbott, a friend of Phoebe Buffay's parents who was later revealed to be her biological mother; pictured together on Friends

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In The One At The Beach, the season three finale episode, Kudrow's character Phoebe took some time away from the rest of the main cast to spend some time with Phoebe Abbott (Garr), a woman who knew her parents.

But their connection turned out to be far stronger than that, as Phoebe later learned that Garr's character was her biological mother.

The episode and her two subsequent appearances gave Garr a chance to show off her comedic skills, which included mimicking the younger Phoebe's distinctive mannerisms.

Garr was back for the next episode, the season four premiere The One With The Jellyfish, which created some dramatic tensions when a shocked Phoebe declared that she never wanted to see her newly discovered mother again.

However, they later reconciled in favor of a healthier relationship, and Phoebe Sr. returned later that season for the last time in The One With Phoebe's Uterus.

That episode featured Phoebe calling for her mother's help after her brother (played by Giovanni Ribisi) and his wife Alice (Debra Jo Rupp) asked her to be a surrogate mother for them.

Garr's character humorously tested Phoebe by having her care for a puppy for a few days before having to give it up to see if she could avoid becoming attached to the child.

The test backfired when Phoebe didn't want to give up the puppy, which turned out to be her mother's dog. 

Garr was best known for supporting roles in Young Frankenstein, Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and the Dustin Hoffman–starring Tootsie.

She had a rare lead role in Francis Ford Coppola's musical film One From The Heart (1981), which bombed at the box office.

However, retrospective reviews have been kinder to the film, and some critics reevaluated it positively after Coppola released a reedited and restored version of the film, titled One From The Heart: Reprise, earlier this year. 

In 2002, Garr revealed that she had been diagnosed with the  chronic disease that damages the central nervous system (CNS). Years later she suffered an aneurysm in 2006. 

As she had nearly 160 credits to her name  starring in influential television shows and films from the 1970s to 1990s, she was an influential performer to many including SNL legend Tina Fey.

'Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that,' said Kudrow, 61. 'I feel so lucky and grateful I got to work with Teri Garr'; pictured in 2014 in New Jersey

Garr was best known for supporting roles in Young Frankenstein, Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and the Dustin Hoffman–starring Tootsie (pictured) 

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The peak of her career came in 1983 as she was nominated in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category for her work as Sandy Lester in Tootsie.

She ultimately lost out to castmate Jessica Lange from the same film who happened to the the loan winner out of ten nominations that year.

Her most famous television role came from when she starred as Phoebe Abbott in three episodes of iconic sitcom Friends from 1997 to 1998.

In the episode The One At The Beach, her character discloses to Lisa Kudrow's character Phoebe Buffay that she's her birth mother.

Teri had returned to the role in two other episodes titled The One With Jellyfish and The One With Phoebe's Uniform. 

Another one of her iconic roles was as Ronnie Neary in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind in 1977. 

She portrayed the wife of Richard Dreyfuss' character Roy as the film won the Best Cinematography Oscar in 1978 for Vilmos Zsigmond.

However her breakout role was as saucy assistant Inga in 1974 Mel Brooks classic Young Frankenstein where she starred opposite Gene Wilder. 

The peak of her career came in 1983 as she was nominated in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category for her work as Sandy Lester in Tootsie; she is pictured with Dustin Hoffman (left) and Sydney Pollack (right)

However her breakout role was as saucy assistant Inga in 1974 Mel Brooks classic Young Frankenstein where she starred opposite Gene Wilder

Oscar-nominated actress Samantha Morton paid tribute to the star, having worked alongside her in the indie comedy Expired in 2007. 

She shared a snap of the late actress with the caption:  'Teri Garr. It was a real honour to work with you. A powerful, uncompromising and hilarious woman. A courageous fighter of multiple sclerosis, you brought such joy to so many. #terigarr'

The talented thespian was originally born in Ohio but eventually moved to Los Angeles.

She attended Hollywood High School and attended Cal State Northridge before eventually moving to New York to study acting.

Teri actually started her career as a go-go dancer including in six Elvis Presley features and rock concert The T.A.M.I. Show.

In the 1960s she had small parts on sitcoms including That Girl, Batman, and The Andy Griffith Show. 

Her first speaking role came in 1968 as she starred in Head which was the offbeat feature film from the pop band The Monkees.

Teri went on to become a regular singer and dancer on The Sonny And Cher Show.

Then one of her biggest career breaks came when she landed a role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 flick The Conversation.

Years later she was casted again by the iconic filmmaker Coppola as she starred in 1981 flick One From The Heart. 

Another one of her iconic roles was opposite Richard Dreyfuss as Ronnie Neary in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind in 1977

Oscar-nominated actress Samantha Morton paid tribute to the star, having worked alongside her in the indie comedy Expired in 2007

Garr is pictured in Beverly Hills in March 2014

Teri was also a late night staple as she appeared frequently on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night With David Letterman and even hosted Saturday Night Live three times. 

However her career slowed down a bit in the 1990s as she starred in 1994's Dumb And Dumber, an episode of ER in 1999, and of course her aforementioned guest spot on Friends.

The talented star recalled her career in autobiography - titled Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood - which was published in 2006.

Garr is survived by  daughter, Molly O’Neil, and grandson Tyryn.