Ruth Buzzi, who shot to nationwide fame as one of the stars of the 1960s TV comedy variety series Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in, died May 1 from complications from Alzheimer’s disease at her home near Mingus, Texas. She was 88.
Her death was announced on her official Facebook page by family. Buzzi had suffered a disabling stroke in 2022. She had been in hospice care for several years.
Born July 24, 1936, in Westerly, Rhode Island, Buzzi began performing in musical and comedy revues during her college years. She moved to New York City after graduating and quickly found work in Off Broadway musical revues and TV commercials.
After appearing on early ’60s TV shows such as The Garry Moore Show and CBS’ The Entertainers, Buzzi was cast in her one and only Broadway show in 1966 as part of the original cast, along with Gwen Verdon, of the now-classic musical Sweet Charity.
In 1967, Buzzi guest starred on the hit TV show The Monkees and was cast in a recurring role as “Pete” on another hit show, That Girl starring Marlo Thomas.
But her major breakthrough came with Laugh-in (Buzzi was the only original cast member to appear in every episode of the 1967-1973 series). In a show that launched the careers of Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Jo Anne Worley and Judy Carne, among many others, Buzzi was an immediate stand-out with her character Gladys Ormphby. A prudish “spinster” type with a hairnet that she knotted in front of her forehead and clad in drab sweaters and dresses, Buzzi’s Gladys would appear in sketches with Arte Johnson’s Tyrone F. Horneigh, a classic dirty old man who would mumble apparently obscene come-ons while sharing a park bench with Gladys. Her response was always to whack him with her purse.
Buzzi’s other Laugh-in characters included Flicker Farkle, the youngest child of the show’s Farkle Family, and Doris Swizzler, a cocktail-lounge regular who always over-imbibed. As one of the Burbank Airlines stewardess Buzzi pioneered the nasty flight attendant role well before Saturday Night Live‘s David Spade.
After Laugh-in Buzzi was a regular on many of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, and guested on numerous variety shows and late night talk shows. In 1993 she joined the cast of Sesame Street as shopkeeper Ruthie, a character that also made appearances on subsequent Sesame Street specials.
“Ruth Buzzi brought a singular energy and charm to sketch comedy that made her a standout on Laugh-in and the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts,” said National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson. “Her characters, especially the unforgettable Gladys Ormphby, captured the delightful absurdity of the era. We remember her with admiration and appreciation for the joy and laughter she brought to generations of fans.”
Buzzi also was a busy voice actor, with animated credits including Pound Puppies, Berenstain Bears, The Smurfs and many others. A popular nightclub performer, she was a frequent star at major casinos in Las Vegas before retiring in 2021. She also was active on Twitter up until last month, offering pearls of comic wisdom like this from March:
Buzzi is survived by husband Kent Perkins. Complete information on survivors was not immediately available.
