Ruth Buzzi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruth Buzzi
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Buzzi in 1996
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| Born |
Ruth Ann Buzzi
July 24, 1936 Westerly, Rhode Island, U.S.
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| Died | May 1, 2025 (aged 88) Stephenville, Texas, U.S.
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| Resting place | Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1956–2021 |
| Spouse(s) |
Basil Peter Keko
(m. 1965; div. 1975)Kent Perkins
(m. 1978) |
Ruth Ann Buzzi (born July 24, 1936 – died May 1, 2025) was a talented American actress and comedian. She performed on stage, in movies, and on television. She became famous for her roles on the comedy show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973. For her work on Laugh-In, she won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for five Emmy Awards.
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Early Life and Education
Ruth Buzzi was born on July 24, 1936, in Westerly, Rhode Island. Her father, Angelo Peter Buzzi, was a well-known stone sculptor from Switzerland. Ruth grew up in a stone house in Stonington, Connecticut, near the ocean.
She went to Stonington High School, where she was the head cheerleader. At 18, she moved to California to study at the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts. Famous actors like Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman were her classmates there. Ruth graduated with high honors in June 1957.
Ruth Buzzi's Career Highlights
Starting in Show Business
Even before she graduated from college, Ruth Buzzi was already working as an actress. Her first job was at age 19, traveling with singer Rudy Vallée in a live show. After college, she moved to New York City and quickly got a lead role in an off-Broadway musical. She worked with other young stars who were just starting, including Barbra Streisand, Joan Rivers, and Carol Burnett. Ruth also appeared in many TV commercials, winning awards like the Clio Award.
She first became known on national television in 1964 on The Garry Moore Show. She played "Shakundala the Silent," a funny magician's assistant, alongside her comedy partner Dom DeLuise.
Becoming Famous on Laugh-In
In 1967, Ruth Buzzi joined the cast of NBC's new show, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. She was the only main actor to appear in every episode. On the show, she played several funny characters:
- Flicker Farkle, the youngest of the Farkle family.
- Busy-Buzzi, a Hollywood gossip reporter.
- Doris Swizzler, who always got silly with her husband Leonard.
- One of the rude Burbank Airlines Stewardesses.
Ruth Buzzi was most famous for playing Gladys Ormphby. Gladys was a "spinster" (an older single woman) who wore a drab brown dress and had her hair in a bun with a hairnet. In many sketches, she used her purse as a weapon, hitting anyone who made her angry. She was often chased by Arte Johnson's "dirty old man" character, Tyrone F. Horneigh. Ruth and Arte even voiced these characters in a cartoon series called Baggy Pants and the Nitwits in the mid-1970s.
Gladys Ormphby also appeared on many Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. She would attack the famous guests with her purse and even hit Dean Martin when he joked about her.
More Television and Voice Acting
Ruth Buzzi continued to have a successful career on television. She was on That Girl as Marlo Thomas's friend. She also starred with Jim Nabors in The Lost Saucer, playing a time-traveling robot. In 1979, she was on the Canadian children's comedy show You Can't Do That on Television.
She was a guest star on many popular TV shows, including:
- Alice
- The Carol Burnett Show
- The Monkees
- Emergency!
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (eight times!)
Ruth Buzzi also lent her voice to many cartoon characters. She was Nose Marie in Pound Puppies (1986) and Mama Bear in Berenstain Bears (1985). She voiced characters in The Smurfs, The Angry Beavers, and Sheep in the Big City.
In 1993, she joined Sesame Street as Ruthie, a shopkeeper who sold items from fairy tale characters. She also voiced Suzie Kabloozie and her cat, Feff, in animated parts of the show. Ruthie appeared in Sesame Street Stays Up Late! and Elmopalooza, and the movie The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland.
Ruth Buzzi appeared in music videos for "Weird Al" Yankovic and other bands. She played Nurse Kravitz on the soap opera Passions. She also had roles in over 20 films, including Freaky Friday and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. She retired from acting in 2021.
Personal Life and Interests
Ruth Buzzi enjoyed painting as a hobby. She often donated her original oil paintings to charities, where they raised a lot of money.
She cared deeply about children's charities, supporting groups like the Make a Wish Foundation, Special Olympics, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She also helped animal causes, including the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in Texas.
Ruth Buzzi lived with her husband, actor Kent Perkins, on a large ranch in Stephenville, Texas. They loved collecting cars, especially classic English cars like Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Some of their cars have been shown in museums, like the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
Ruth Buzzi passed away on May 1, 2025, at the age of 88, due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Awards and Recognition
Ruth Buzzi received many awards for her amazing career:
- She won a Golden Globe Award in 1973 for her work on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and was nominated for five Emmy Awards.
- In 2014, she received the Topaz Award from Women in Film in Dallas, Texas.
- She was inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2002.
- In 1971, she was honored by the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
- She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pasadena Playhouse.
- She won a Clio Award for her TV commercials and was one of the first Caucasian women to win an NAACP Image Award.
Images for kids
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Buzzi in 1996
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Buzzi in 2008
