Teri Garr always had this vibe. You know the one—the sharp-witted, slightly frazzled, incredibly charming "girl next door" who could out-talk anyone in the room. Whether she was doing a fake German accent in Young Frankenstein or playing the neurotic Sandy in Tootsie, she felt like someone you actually knew. But when it comes to her personal life, specifically the question of was Teri Garr married, things get a little more private.
Honestly, if you looked at her on-screen track record, you’d think she was the quintessential suburban wife. She played the stressed-out spouse to Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Michael Keaton’s better half in Mr. Mom. But off-camera? Her path was way less traditional.
The One and Only: John O'Neil
Despite being one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood for decades, Teri Garr was only married once.
In 1993, at the age of 48, she tied the knot with John O'Neil. He wasn’t a Hollywood hotshot or a famous leading man. John was a building contractor. There’s something kinda grounding about that, isn't there? This Oscar-nominated actress, who spent her nights on David Letterman’s couch making the whole world laugh, came home to a guy who worked with his hands.
Their wedding day, November 11, 1993, wasn't just about the "I dos." It was a massive life pivot. That very same day, they welcomed their daughter, Molly O'Neil, through adoption. Talk about a whirlwind. Imagine navigating the paperwork for a marriage license and an adoption simultaneously.
Why the Marriage Ended
The marriage didn't last forever. In fact, it was pretty brief in the grand scheme of things. By 1996, the couple had finalized their divorce. Teri filed the papers in February of that year, citing irreconcilable differences.
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People often wonder what happened, but Teri was never one to drag her laundry through the tabloids. She remained relatively tight-lipped about the specifics of the split. What we do know is that she never remarried. She spent the rest of her life focused on two things: her daughter, Molly, and her health.
The Long-Term Loves Before the Ring
Just because she only had one legal husband doesn't mean she didn't have deep, committed relationships. Before John O'Neil entered the picture, Teri had two very significant chapters with men who were major fixtures in her life.
- Roger Birnbaum: Starting in 1979, Teri was in a seven-year relationship with film executive Roger Birnbaum. This was right at the peak of her Tootsie and The Black Stallion fame. They lived together and were a staple of the LA scene, but they never made it to the altar.
- David Kipper: After the breakup with Birnbaum, she met David Kipper, a physician. Fun fact: they were actually introduced by Carrie Fisher. (If you're going to be set up by anyone, let it be Princess Leia, right?) They also stayed together for seven years, ending things around 1990.
It seems like seven was her number. Both major relationships lasted nearly a decade, proving she was definitely a "long-term" kind of person, even if the legal documents weren't always there.
Parenting, MS, and the Final Act
When you ask was Teri Garr married, the answer is technically "yes," but the real love story of her life was clearly her daughter.
Molly was the center of everything. In her 2006 memoir, Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood, Teri wrote about how Molly was the "greatest joy" of her life. And Molly had to grow up fast. Teri was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1999—though she’d been feeling symptoms since the early '80s—and Molly became a crucial support system for her mother.
There’s a really moving story about 2006. Teri had a ruptured brain aneurysm and was in a coma for a week. It was actually Molly, who was only about 13 at the time, who found her and called 911. That kind of bond goes way deeper than any marriage certificate.
Living With MS as a Single Mom
Teri didn't go public with her MS diagnosis until 2002 on Larry King Live. She’d spent years hiding it because, frankly, Hollywood is brutal. She was afraid that if producers knew she was sick, they wouldn’t hire her.
Once she came out with it, she became a powerhouse advocate. She didn't want pity; she wanted awareness. She spent her later years as an ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Even when the disease made it hard for her to walk or perform, she kept that signature sharp tongue.
She passed away on October 29, 2024, at the age of 79. She was surrounded by friends and family—including Molly and her grandson.
What We Can Learn From Teri’s Life
Teri Garr’s life reminds us that a "successful" life doesn't require a 50-year marriage. She lived on her own terms. She:
- Prioritized her career when she was young, moving from a background dancer for Elvis to an Oscar nominee.
- Chose motherhood when the timing felt right for her, regardless of societal timelines.
- Turned a terrifying diagnosis into a platform to help others.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into her story, the best thing you can do is grab a copy of her book, Speedbumps. It’s funny, it’s honest, and it’s 100% Teri. You can also support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in her honor, continuing the work she was so passionate about in her final decades.
Whether she was "married" or not is almost a footnote. The real story is how she survived the "speedbumps" of Hollywood and health with her sense of humor completely intact.