The Only Major Actors Still Alive From Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

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Sometimes, the reputations of certain movies have been built up so much over the decades that, to an extent, newcomers can't help but come away disappointed when they finally experience it for the very first time. Others, however, live up to every inch of their status as bona fide classics. It's safe to say that "Close Encounters of a Third Kind," director Steven Spielberg's first film about extraterrestrial visitors (yes, even before "E.T.," though this film would influence the filmmaker's approach years later), belongs firmly in the latter category. Although multiple generations of movie lovers only encountered the 1977 film through their parents, film school courses, or entirely on their own, various re-releases over the years and constant praise from both filmmakers and critics alike have kept "Close Encounters" exactly where it deserves to be — at the forefront of the conversation about the greatest and most influential movies of all time.

Of course, any film that came out the same year as George Lucas' original "Star Wars" will inevitably contend with the matter of aging. The visual and special effects may not feel as impressive anymore (although we'd respectfully disagree), certain creative choices may have been made differently with the benefit of hindsight, and even Spielberg himself continued to dabble with various cuts of the film over the years. Sadly, however, not all of the cast of the game-changing sci-fi film have lived to see its fourth decade of anniversaries and celebrations. Some, like acclaimed French director François Truffaut (who portrayed UFO expert Claude Lacombe), passed away many years ago. Others, like the great Melinda Dillon, died much more recently. But a few major actors from "Close Encounters" continue to work and stay busy to this day.

As important as Richard Dreyfuss is to "Close Encounters," perhaps nobody else provides as vital an emotional counterpoint as Teri Garr's Ronnie Neary. Portraying Roy's long-suffering wife, her frazzled attempts to keep a grip amid her husband's strange behavior and even support him (despite her extremely understandable misgivings) drive much of the character-based drama between the two main leads. While Roy becomes more and more fixated, to the detriment of his family life, Ronnie is finally forced to take their three kids and leave Roy altogether. It speaks to Garr's nuanced and fully relatable performance that audiences never once questioned any of her actions, instead siding with her over her erratic, UFO-hunting husband.

Prior to her casting in "Close Encounters," Garr had worked successfully for well over a decade through notable projects such as the Elvis Presley-starring "Viva Las Vegas" and the Adam West-led "Batman" (both uncredited), "The Andy Griffith Show," "Star Trek: The Original Series," and Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein." She would continue to work consistently for decades after teaming up with Spielberg in 1977, going on to star in Sydney Pollack's 1982 film "Tootsie" opposite Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, Martin Scorsese's excellent "After Hours" in 1985, and even a handful of episodes of "Friends." By the early 2000s, however, Garr had become much more choosy in her roles following a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and officially retired from the limelight in 2011.