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Ruth Buzzi

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Ruth Buzzi
Buzzi in 1996
Born
Ruth Ann Buzzi

(1936-07-24) July 24, 1936 (age 88)
Westerly, Rhode Island, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedienne
Years active1956–2021
Spouse
Kent Perkins
​
(m. 1978)​

Ruth Ann Buzzi (/ˈbʌzi/ BUZZY; born July 24, 1936)[1][2] is an American retired actress and comedian. She has appeared on stage, in films, and on television. She is best known for her performances on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973, for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received five Emmy nominations.

Early life

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Buzzi was born at Westerly Hospital, Westerly, Rhode Island, the daughter of Rena Pauline and Angelo Peter Buzzi, a nationally recognized stone sculptor. Her father, who came from a Swiss family, immigrated from Arzo, Switzerland in 1923.[3][4] She was raised in the village of Wequetequock in the town of Stonington, Connecticut, in a rock house overlooking the ocean at Wequetequock Cove, where her father owned Buzzi Memorials, a business that her older brother Harold operated until his retirement in 2013.[5]

Buzzi attended Stonington High School, where she was head cheerleader. At 17, she enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts, from which she graduated with honors in June 1957.[6]

Career

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Early successes

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Before graduation from college, Buzzi was already a working actress with a union card in musical and comedy revues. Her first job in show business was at 19, traveling with singer Rudy Vallee in a live musical and comedy act during her summer break from college; it allowed her to graduate with an Actors' Equity Association union card. She moved to New York City after graduation and was hired immediately for a lead role in an off-Broadway musical revue, the first of 19 in which she performed around the East Coast. She worked alongside other young performers just beginning their careers at the time, including Barbra Streisand, Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise, Bernadette Peters, and Carol Burnett. She performed in New York musical variety shows, and she made numerous television commercials, some of which won national awards including the Clio Award.[7]

Her first national recognition on television came on The Garry Moore Show in 1964,[7] just after Carol Burnett was replaced by Dorothy Loudon on the series. She performed as "Shakundala the Silent", a bumbling magician's assistant to her comedy partner Dom DeLuise, who played "Dominic the Great". Buzzi was a member of the regular repertory company on the CBS variety show The Entertainers (1964–65). In 1966–67, she appeared in Sweet Charity with Bob Fosse's wife Gwen Verdon in the original cast. She had several small roles, including "the Singing Fairy".[citation needed]

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In 1967, Buzzi appeared in all eight episodes of The Steve Allen Comedy Hour, a variety series starring Steve Allen. Her character parts in the Allen sketches led her to be cast for NBC's new show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. She was the only featured player to appear in every episode of Laugh-In including the pilot for the show and the Laugh-In television special.[citation needed] Among her recurring characters on Laugh-In were Flicker Farkle, youngest of the Farkle family; Busy-Buzzi, a Hedda Hopper-type Hollywood gossip columnist; Doris Swizzler, a cocktail-lounge habituée who always got smashed with husband Leonard (Dick Martin); and one of the Burbank Airlines Stewardesses, inconsiderate flight attendants.

Her most famous character was "spinster" Gladys Ormphby, clad in drab brown with her bun hairdo covered by a visible hairnet knotted in the middle of her forehead. Buzzi first used this look when she played Agnes Gooch in a school production of Auntie Mame. In most sketches, she used her purse as a weapon, with which she would flail away vigorously at anyone who incurred her wrath. She most often was the unwilling object of the advances of Arte Johnson's "dirty old man" character Tyrone F. Horneigh. NBC collectively called these two characters The Nitwits when they went to animation in the mid-1970s as part of the series Baggy Pants and the Nitwits. Buzzi and Johnson both voiced their respective roles in the cartoon.

Buzzi was featured as Gladys in many of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts from the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, ranting about notable roastees including Muhammad Ali, Frank Sinatra, and Lucille Ball. In each case, Gladys pugnaciously attacked the honoree with her purse, and she would also hit Martin when he made disparaging remarks about her looks and her romantic prospects.

Continued success on television

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Buzzi was featured as a semi-regular on the comedy That Girl as Marlo Thomas's friend Margie "Pete" Peterson.[citation needed] She starred with Jim Nabors as the time-traveling androids Fi and Fum in The Lost Saucer produced by Sid and Marty Krofft which aired from September 11, 1975, until September 2, 1976 (16 episodes).

In 1979, she co-starred on the Canadian kid's comedy show You Can't Do That on Television (also known as Whatever Turns You On).

Buzzi also guest-starred as Chloe, the wife of phone company worker Henry Beesmeyer (Marvin Kaplan) on Alice in 1981. She was also a guest star on Down to Earth in 1985. Dean Martin's producer Greg Garrison hired her for his comedy specials starring Dom DeLuise. She recorded the single "You Oughta Hear The Song" in 1977 which reached number 90 on Billboard's national Country Music chart; Buzzi joked in 2022 in hindsight: "Here's a medley of my hit song: I'd like to thank the millions and millions of you who didn't buy a copy. I got to spend quality time at home in '78 instead of standing in front of all those aggravating audiences."[8]

Buzzi was a guest star on many television series, including Donny & Marie, The Flip Wilson Show, The Dean Martin Music and Comedy Hour, the Dean Martin Roasts, The Carol Burnett Show, Tony Orlando and Dawn, The Monkees, Emergency!, and variety series hosted by Leslie Uggams and by Glen Campbell. She also appeared occasionally on game shows and was a celebrity judge on The Gong Show. She appeared in Lucille Ball's last comedy Life with Lucy as Mrs. Wilcox in the episode "Lucy Makes a Hit with John Ritter". She appeared eight times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and has made more than 200 other television guest appearances.[citation needed]

Buzzi voiced the character Nose Marie in the Hanna-Barbera animated series Pound Puppies (1986). She also voiced Mama Bear in Berenstain Bears (1985) and performed hundreds of guest voices for many other cartoon series, including The Smurfs, The Angry Beavers, and Mo Willems' Sheep in the Big City.[citation needed]

She joined the cast of Sesame Street in 1993 as shopkeeper, Ruthie, as part of the Around the Corner set expansion. Ruthie ran Finders Keepers, which sold items previously owned by fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters. After the set was removed in 1999 she continued to appear on the show in inserts, usually in costume as other characters. She also voiced Suzie Kabloozie and her pet cat, Feff in animated inserts that were shown on the show from 1994 to 2008. She reprised her role as Ruthie in Sesame Street Stays Up Late, Sesame Street's All Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever and Elmopalooza as well as the direct-to-video production, The Best of Elmo and the feature film The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland.

Buzzi performed in numerous national television commercials, most notably for Clorox 2, Clairol, Ban roll-on deodorant, and Santa Anita Park, and she voiced Granny Goodwitch in television commercials for Sugar Crisp cereal. She originated the Goodwitch character in the animated TV series Linus the Lionhearted (1964–65).[citation needed]

Buzzi in 2008

Buzzi appeared in the "Weird Al" Yankovic video "Gump" and similarly appeared in other music videos with the B-52's and the Presidents of the United States of America. She appeared on Saved by the Bell, The Muppet Show, two episodes of You Can't Do That on Television in 1979 (as well as the entire run of the You Can't Do That On Television's spinoff Whatever Turns You On), and numerous other television shows. She played the role of the eccentric Nurse Kravitz on NBC's daytime soap opera Passions. In 2006 and 2007, she made guest appearances on the children's TV series Come on Over.[citation needed]

Buzzi had a successful nightclub act across the United States, including at Las Vegas's Sahara and at the MGM Grand hotels. She performed the act for one year. Her shows all sold out and she was reportedly offered an extended stay but declined.[citation needed]

She had featured roles in more than 20 films, including Chu Chu and the Philly Flash, Freaky Friday, The North Avenue Irregulars, The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, The Villain, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, and a number of westerns for the European market known as the Lucky Luke series in which she plays the mother of the Dalton Gang.[citation needed]

In 2021, she announced on her social media account that she officially retired from acting.[9]

Personal life and health

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Buzzi is a charter member of the Pasadena Playhouse Alumni Association.[10] She paints as a hobby; she has never offered her oil paintings for sale to the public, but has donated original works to charity, where they have sold in excess of $6,000.[11]

Buzzi supports numerous children's charities, including Make a Wish Foundation, Special Olympics, the Thalians, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and she is a children's art summer camp sponsor through Dallas Museum of Biblical Art.[12][11] She is active in fund raising for the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch[13] in Medina, Texas and other animal causes.

Buzzi lives with her husband, actor Kent Perkins, on a 600-acre (240 ha) cattle and horse ranch near Stephenville, Texas.[14] They are avid automobile collectors. Their collection focuses on post-war English vehicles, including Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Jaguar, although it also includes several American convertibles and muscle cars. Some of her vehicles have been in television commercials and featured in parades, and her blue Bentley convertible was featured on the cover of Vogue with Jessica Simpson behind the wheel.[citation needed] Some of their cars have been donated or lent to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles including a red, fuel-injected 1957 Chevrolet convertible that was exhibited from 1993 to 2011 as part of the display honoring the cars of Steve McQueen. Buzzi's 1960 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud drophead coupe convertible was on display for the "Century of Elegance" exhibit.[15]

Buzzi has been named in numerous songs, including House of Pain's "I'm A Swing It", The Bled's "Ruth Buzzi Better Watch Her Back", and the Loretta Lynn/Conway Twitty duet "You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly".[16][17]

In July 2022, it was reported that Buzzi had suffered a series of strokes and was improving.[18]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1969 It's Tough to Be a Bird Soprano Performs "When the Buzzards Return to Hinckley Ridge", a parody of "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano"
1970 The Aristocats Frou-Frou Singing voice
1976 Freaky Friday Opposing Coach
1977 The Rescuers German Mouse Voice; uncredited/unconfirmed
1978 Record City Olga
1979 The North Avenue Irregulars Dr. Rheems
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again Old Tough Kate, aka 'Granny'
The Villain Damsel in Distress
Skatetown, U.S.A. Elvira
1980 I Go Pogo Miz Beaver / Miss Mam'selle Hepzibah Voice
1981 Chu Chu and the Philly Flash Consuelo
1983 The Being Virginia Lane
1984 Surf II Chuck's Mom
1986 Bad Guys Petal McGurk
1988 Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw Nose Marie Voice
Dixie Lanes Betty
1989 Up Your Alley Marilyn
My Mom's a Werewolf Madame Gypsy
1990 Wishful Thinking Jody
1990 Diggin' Up Business Widow Knockerby
1994 The Best of Elmo Ruthie Direct-to-video
Troublemakers Maw
1999 The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland Ruthie
2000 Nothing but the Truth Lois Troy
2004 Adventures in Homeschooling Gertie Hemple Short Film
2006 Fallen Angels Perril
2020 Glenn's Gotta Go! Grandma Polly
2021 One Month Out Agnes Final role before retirement

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1964 The Garry Moore Show[7] Herself season 6, episode 32
1964–1965 Linus the Lionhearted Granny Goodwitch 3 episodes
1967–1973 Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In Regular Performer 141 episodes
1967 The Steve Allen Comedy Hour Herself
1967 The Monkees Mrs. Weatherspoon S2:E11, "A Coffin Too Frequent"
1967–1968 That Girl Pete Peterson 5 episodes
1968–1973 The Carol Burnett Show Various characters 5 episodes
1969 That's Life 1 episode
1969 In Name Only Ruth Clayton TV movie
1970–1982 Walt Disney anthology television series Granny 6 episodes
1970–1974 The Dean Martin Show Herself 16 episodes
1970–1973 Love, American Style Beverly 2 episodes
1971 Night Gallery Hungry Witch 1 episode
1972 The Singles TV movie, also starring Michele Lee and John Byner
1972 Here's Lucy Annie Whipple 1 episode
1973–1976 Medical Center Rose Jenkins 2 episodes
1974 Lotsa Luck Wilma Wallachek 1 episode
1974 Paradise TV movie, also starring Luther Adler
1974 ABC Afterschool Special Cleaning Lady 1 episode
1975–1976 The Lost Saucer Fi 16 episodes
1976 Emergency! Amy Merkle 1 episode
1976 The Muppet Show Guest Star season one, episode 4
1977–1978 Baggy Pants and the Nitwits Gladys 16 episodes
1977 Once Upon a Brothers Grimm Queen Astrid TV movie
1978–1987 The Love Boat Herself 2 episodes
1979 Legends of the Superheroes Aunt Minerva Part Two of a Two Part TV Special
1979–1980 CHiPs 2 episodes
1979 Whatever Turns You On Mother/Miss Fidt/Miss Take/Lois the Cafeteria Lady/Gladys the Makeup Girl/Script Girl/Old Lady 13 episodes
1980 Myra Mrs. Paige Animated Short
1981 Alice Chloe Henry's Bitter Half
1981 Aloha Paradise Herself 1 episode
1982 Trapper John, M.D. Laura Morley 1 episode
1983 Gun Shy Mrs. Mound 1 episode
1983 Days of Our Lives Leticia Bradford unknown episodes
1983 Alvin and the Chipmunks 13 episodes
1984 Masquerade 1 episode
1984 Don't Ask Me, Ask God Jonesey's Wife TV movie, also starring Pat Robertson and Steve Allen
1985 Paw Paws Aunt Pruney Paw unknown episodes
1985 George Burns Comedy Week Juliette 1 episode
1985-1987 The Berenstain Bears Mama Bear 52 episodes
1985 The Jetsons Grandma Ganymede 1 episode
1986 Check It Out! Tiffany Cobb, Mrs. Cobb's Daughter 1 episode
1986 Life with Lucy Mrs. Wilcox 1 episode
1986 Kids Incorporated: Rock in the New Year Blanche TV movie
1986–1987 Pound Puppies Nose Marie 26 episodes
1987 Milroy, Santa's Misfit Mutt Mrs. Claus (voice) TV Short (also starring Buddy Ebsen)
1988 Rockin' with Judy Jetson Felonia Funk (voice) TV movie
1988–1990 The Munsters Today Dracula's Mom 2 episodes
1988–1991 Out of This World Mrs. Miller, Mabel T Stone 3 episodes
1989 Marvin: Baby of the Year Chrissy's Mother (voice) TV Short
1990 Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers Mrs. Sweeney (voice) 1 episode
1990 Gravedale High voice role unknown episodes
1990 Saved by the Bell Roberta Powers 1 episode
1991 They Came from Outer Space Carol 1 episode
1991 The New Adam-12 Mrs. Woolridge 1 episode
1992 Lucky Ed's Tabloid News Sample Lady TV movie
1992 Darkwing Duck Alien Crow (voice) 2 episodes
1992 Lucky Luke Ma Dalton 1 episode
1992 Major Dad Mattie Fae Tillman 1 episode
1993 I Yabba-Dabba Do! Additional Voices TV movie
1993 Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa 1 episode
1993 Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby Additional Voices TV movie
1993 The Pink Panther 1 episode
1993–2008 Sesame Street Ruthie, voice of Suzie Kabloozie and Feff, Gladys Ormphby, The Fairy Godplant Buzzi played the role of Ruthie from 1993 to 2001 but segments featuring Suzie Kabloozie and Feff were repeated on the show until 2008.
1993 Sesame Street Stays Up Late! Ruthie
1993–1994 Cro Nandy 20 episodes
1994 Sesame Street's All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! Ruthie TV special
1995 Savage Dragon Various Voices unknown episodes
1997 The Jamie Foxx Show Judge Lekeisha Roshanda Jackson 1 episode
1998 Sabrina the Teenage Witch Delilah 1 episode 6 Good Will Haunting
1998–2001 7th Heaven Telephone Operator 2 episodes
1998 Elmopalooza Ruthie TV special
1999 Boys Will Be Boys Mrs. Rudnick TV movie, also starring Randy Travis and Mickey Rooney
1999 Diagnosis Murder Liz Summers 1 episode
2000 Rocket Power Dog Owner 1 episode
2000 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd Old Lady 1 episode
2000 The Angry Beavers Mrs. Beaver 1 episode
2000–2001 Sheep in the Big City Delilah 7 episodes
2003 Passions Nurse Kravitz 2 episodes
2006–2007 Come on Over Ruthie 2 episodes

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 18–24". ABC News. Associated Press. July 12, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  2. ^ Steele, Lee (December 23, 2018). "Ruth Buzzi, Stonington native and 'Laugh-In' star, is far from both Hollywood and her hometown". Connecticut Post. Bridgeport. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  3. ^ "Built from Stone: The Westerly Granite Story" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  4. ^ Riggs, Thomas (2006). "Buzzi, Ruth". Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Cengage Gale. p. 103. ISBN 978-0787690458.
  5. ^ White, Brooke Constance (September 12, 2016). "New Buzzi Memorials owner to carry on tradition of craftsmanship". The Westerly Sun. Retrieved December 18, 2020. The business, which his father established in 1933, is well known locally for its iconic "Buzzi Memorials" billboard sign seen from Route 1. Many also recognize the name because Harold's younger sister is the famous comedian and actress Ruth Buzzi, who starred on "Laugh In."
  6. ^ Robinson, Nancy (July 13, 1957). "Actress Got Comedy Start in Funny Dances". The Albuquerque Tribune. p. 3. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Littleton, Darryl J.; Littleton, Tuezdae (2012). Comediennes Laugh Be a Lady. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 65. ISBN 9781480329744.
  8. ^ Here's a medley of my hit song: I'd like to thank the millions and millions of you who didn't buy a copy. I got to spend quality time at home in '78 instead of standing in front of all those aggravating audiences.
  9. ^ After 2021, she said she is retired on her official social media accounts.
  10. ^ Hernandez, Al Carlos (March 14, 2011). "Golden Globe winning Comic Icon Ruth Buzzi". Herald de Paris. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Oates, Diana (January 16, 2014). "Museum of Biblical Art throws swinging 8x8 art auction and party". CultureMap Dallas. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d Fyke, Corey (November 6, 2013). "Ruth Buzzi: Comedienne and Former Stonington High School Cheerleader!". Patch.
  13. ^ "We Salute Our Pen Sponsors". Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  14. ^ Thomas, Nick (March 5, 2017). "At Age 80, Ruth Buzzi Settles Down In Texas". The Post-Journal. Jamestown, NY. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  15. ^ "Buzzi loves pulling up in an eye-catching Rolls". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. June 22, 2003. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  16. ^ Genius.com Lyrics from "You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly"
  17. ^ YouTube Link to song cued to the name drop part, on the official Youtube channel of Loretta Lynn
  18. ^ Gelhoren, Giovana (August 3, 2022). "Ruth Buzzi, Recovering from Multiple Strokes, Jokes She's 'Not Quite Ready to Make an Ash of Myself'". People. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  19. ^ "2004 Distinguished Women". Northwood University. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
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