HOLLYWOOD—Actress, comedienne and voice actress Ruth Buzzi, known for her work in TV, film and on stage died at the age of 88 on Thursday, May 1. Buzzi died at her home in Stephenville, Texas from complications she sustained from Alzheimer’s Disease.
She enrolled in the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts where she worked with classmates that included actors, Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman. Buzzi also worked along acting titans like Carol Burnett and Barbra Streisand.
Buzzi grew to fame from her performances in comedy and sketch/variety shows in the late 60s and early 70s. She won a Golden Globe Award in 1973 for her work on the variety sketch series, “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.”
One of her iconic characters was Gladys Ormphby, where she portrayed a woman who would use her purse as a weapon to strike people. Buzzi appeared on the TV series “That Girl” alongside Marlo Thomas. Her appearances on television included stints on “Saved by the Bell,” “The Dean Martin Show,” “Baggy Pants and the Nitwits,” “The Love Boat, “CHiPs,” “The Berenstain Bears” and “Sesame Street.”
Buzzi also did voice work for the animated series “Darkwing Duck,” “Lucky Luck,” “I Yabba-Dabba Do,” “Cro” and “Savage Dragon,” to name a few. She appeared in the films “The Being,” “Up Your Alley,” “My Mom’s a Werewolf,” “Troublemakers,” “Fallen Angels” and “One Month Out” in 2021, which was her final film role before retirement.
She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2012. In 1971, she was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. She was married twice during her lifetime to Basil Peter Keo in 1965 until 1975 when they divorced. She later married actor Kent Perkins in 1978.
