Ruth Buzzi

Overview

Born
July 24, 1936 · Westerly, Rhode Island, USA
Died
May 1, 2025 · Fort Worth, Texas, USA (Alzheimer's disease)
Birth name
Ruth Ann Buzzi
Height
5′ 3″ (1.60 m)

Mini bio

Ruth Buzzi was born July 24, 1936 in Westerly, Rhode Island to Rena and Angelo Buzzi. Her father was a nationally recognized stone sculptor. Raised in Wequetequock, Connecticut, she attended Stonington High School. She gained experience as a cheerleader, performing before crowds at athletic events.

At 17, she enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse for the Performing Arts. Her classmates included Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman. She graduated with honors. Buzzi went on to Act in a wide variety of revues throughout New England, and worked alongside other young and talented performers who were just beginning their careers at the time, including Barbra Streisand, Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise, Bernadette Peters and Carol Burnett.

She came to national recognition when she teamed up with Dom DeLuise in an act in which he played an incompetent magician and she was his sidekick, "Shakuntala", who never spoke but sported a wide grin. Audiences demanded more and they eventually played several major nighttime television variety shows including The Garry Moore Show (1958) "The Entertainers" with Carol Burnett, and Your Show of Shows (1950) with Imogene Coca.

She was hired by Bob Fosse to perform in his wife (Gwen Verdon)'s hit Broadway musical "Sweet Charity". During that time she auditioned for and received a permanent place in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967), playing everything from deadpan housewives to hard-bitten drunks to Southern belles to hookers. Memorable characters include Busy-Buzzi, a Hollywood gossip columnist; dipsomaniac Doris Swizzler, who frequently got wasted with her husband Leonard (played by Dick Martin); and as one of the Burbank Airlines Stewardesses, who were infamous for their rude behavior.
- IMDb mini biography by: tony.r.vario@gmail.com

Family

Spouses
Parents
Relatives

Trademarks

Her character, park-bench spinster Gladys Ormphby
Wide, goofy smile that shows all of her top teeth

Trivia

Was a ventriloquist.
Ruth Buzzi invented her famous character Gladys Ormphby when she was playing Agnes Gooch in a production of "Auntie Mame.".
She was one of only three people and the only woman to appear in every episode of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967), including the special in 1967. The other two people were Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. Announcer Gary Owens also appeared in all six seasons but did not appear in the special.
Living in Ft. Worth, TX. On March 19, 2011, she made a guest appearance on the local PBS station KERA for a special about "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In".
Her family ran a funeral parlor when she was growing up, and when they weren't busy comforting mourners, they told each other jokes to cheer up.