Comedy performer, known for her roles on the groundbreaking series "Laugh-In," identified as Ruth Buzzi, passed away at the age of 88.
Comedy legend Ruth Buzzi, who brought life to the iconic, cranky Gladys Ormphby on the groundbreaking sketch comedy series "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" and made a remarkable 45-year career spanning television, film, and voice work, passed away at the age of 88 in her Texas home.
Buzzi's last days were spent in hospice care, her agent Mike Eisenstadt confirmed. Her husband, Kent Perkins, announced her passing on Facebook, expressing gratitude to her fans and assuring them that she deeply enjoyed entertaining them.
Buzzi's stint on "Laugh-In" earned her a Golden Globe award and two Emmy nominations. She was the only regular cast member to appear in all six seasons, including the pilot. Before joining the show, she gained George Schlatter's attention playing various characters on "The Steve Allen Comedy Hour."
Schlatter, recounting in his 2023 memoir, "Still Laughing A Life in Comedy," remembered receiving a picture of Buzzi in her Ormphby costume, sitting in a wire mesh trash barrel. The character, dressed in drab brown with a hairnet on her forehead, quickly caught his eye. "I think I hired her because of my passion for Gladys Ormphby," he wrote. "[Her] favorite Gladys line was when she announced that the day of the office Christmas party, they sent her home early."
Gladys, armed with her trusty purse, frequently targeted Arte Johnson's dirty old man character, Tyrone F. Horneigh, on "Laugh-In." In a 2018 interview with The Connecticut Post, Buzzi explained, "Gladys embodies the overlooked, the downtrodden, the taken for granted, the struggler...When she fights back, she speaks for everyone who's been marginalized, reduced to a sex object or otherwise abused. And that's almost everyone at some time or other."
Buzzi's skills took her to the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts in Las Vegas, where she lashed out at celebrities with her purse, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Lucille Ball.
Remembering Buzzi, Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center, said, "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. Her characters, especially the unforgettable Gladys Ormphby, captured the delightful absurdity of the era."
In addition to Gladys, Buzzi's other memorable characters on "Laugh-In" included Flicker Farkle, Busy-Buzzi, a Hollywood gossip columnist, Doris Swizzler, a cocktail-lounge regular, and an inconsiderate flight attendant.
Beyond "Laugh-In," Buzzi's career thrived. She was a frequent guest on variety shows hosted by Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson, Glen Campbell, and Donny and Marie Osmond, among others. She also appeared in Lily Tomlin and Jo Anne Worley's last comedy series "Life With Lucy."
Buzzi's talent extended to film and voice work, with starring roles in movies such as "Freaky Friday," "Chu Chu and the Philly Flash," "The North Avenue Irregulars," and "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again." She also lent her voice to a host of animated projects like "Pound Puppies," "Berenstain Bears," "The Smurfs," and "The Angry Beavers," among others.
Buzzi was active on social media, sharing witty one-liners with her thousands of followers. She married actor Kent Perkins in 1978, and the couple moved to Texas in 2003, residing on a 640-acre ranch near Stephenville until her retirement in 2021. She suffered a series of strokes the following year, and her husband later confirmed her diagnosis of dementia.
Born in Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1936, Buzzi was the daughter of a renowned stone sculptor. After gaining recognition at the Pasadena Playhouse and traveling with Rudy Vallee in a musical and comedy act, Buzzi moved to New York and quickly found success in off-Broadway revues. She landed her first national television break on "The Garry Moore Show" in 1964 and went on to appear in 19 similar shows on the East Coast.
- Ruth Buzzi's exceptional career in entertainment spanned over 45 years, with her passing being announced by her husband Kent Perkins on Facebook, expressing gratitude to her fans and acknowledging her enjoyment of entertaining them.
- Scholars often highlight Gladys Ormphby, one of Buzzi's most iconic characters from "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In", as a representation of the overlooked and marginalized, according to Buzzi herself in a 2018 interview with The Connecticut Post.
- Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center, recalled Buzzi's time on "Laugh-In", praising her unique energy and charm that made her a standout on the show and the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts.
- Beyond "Laugh-In", Buzzi's career thrived in film and voice work, with starring roles in movies like "Freaky Friday" and animated projects such as "The Smurfs" and "The Angry Beavers".
- In her later years, Buzzi was diagnosed with dementia following a series of strokes, and she and her husband resided on a ranch in Texas until her retirement in 2021.
