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Ruth Buzzi, who roseate to fame arsenic the frumpy and bitter Gladys Ormphby connected the groundbreaking sketch drama bid "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" and made implicit 200 tv appearances during a 45-year career, has died, her cause confirmed to CBS News connected Friday. She was 88.
Buzzi died Thursday astatine her location successful Texas, her cause Mike Eisenstadt said successful a statement. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and was successful hospice care. Shortly earlier her death, her husband, Kent Perkins, had posted a connection on Buzzi's Facebook page, thanking her galore fans and telling them: "She wants you to cognize she astir apt had much amusive doing those shows than you had watching them."
Buzzi won a Golden Globe and was a two-time Emmy nominee for the NBC amusement that ran from 1968 to 1973. She was the lone regular to look successful each six seasons, including the pilot.
She was archetypal spotted by "Laugh-In" creator and shaper George Schlatter playing assorted characters connected "The Steve Allen Comedy Hour."
Schlatter was holding auditions for "Laugh-In" erstwhile helium received a representation successful the message of Buzzi successful her Ormphby costume, sitting successful a ligament mesh trash barrel. The quality was clad successful drab brownish with her bun covered by a hairnet knotted successful the mediate of her forehead.
Ruth Buzzi is seen arsenic Gladys Ormphby from "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In."
NBCU Photo Bank
"I deliberation I hired her due to the fact that of my passionateness for Gladys Ormphby," helium wrote successful his 2023 memoir "Still Laughing: A Life successful Comedy." "I indispensable admit that the hairnet and the rolled-down stockings did airy my fire. My favourite Gladys enactment was erstwhile she announced that the time of the bureau Christmas party, they sent her location early."
The Gladys quality utilized her purse arsenic a limb against anyone who bothered her, striking radical implicit the head. On "Laugh-In," her astir predominant people was Arte Johnson's soiled aged antheral quality Tyrone F. Horneigh.
"Gladys embodies the overlooked, the downtrodden, the taken for granted, the struggler," Buzzi told The Connecticut Post successful 2018. "So erstwhile she fights back, she speaks for everyone who's been marginalized, reduced to a enactment entity oregon different abused. And that's astir everyone astatine immoderate clip oregon other."
Buzzi took her enactment to the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts successful Las Vegas, wherever she bashed her purse connected the heads of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Lucille Ball, among others.
Her different recurring characters connected "Laugh-In" included Flicker Farkle; Busy-Buzzi, a Hollywood gossip columnist; Doris Swizzler, a cocktail-lounge regular who got drunk with hubby Leonard, played by Dick Martin; and an inconsiderate formation attendant.
"I ne'er took my enactment for granted, nor assumed I deserved much of the recognition oregon spotlight oregon much wage than anyone else," Buzzi told The Connecticut Post. "I was conscionable thrilled to thrust down the elevation to NBC each time arsenic an employed histrion with a occupation to do."
Buzzi remained friends done the years with "Laugh-In" co-stars Lily Tomlin and Jo Anne Worley.
Ruth Buzzi smiles during the Chiller Theatre Winter Expo astatine the Crowne Plaza Hotel successful Secaucus, New Jersey, Jan. 28, 2006.
Bobby Bank/WireImage
Born Ruth Ann Buzzi connected July 24, 1936, successful Westerly, Rhode Island, she was the girl of Angelo Buzzi, a nationally known chromatic sculptor. Her begetter and aboriginal her member operated Buzzi Memorials, a gravestone and monument shaper successful Stonington, Connecticut, wherever she was caput cheerleader successful precocious school.
Buzzi enrolled astatine the Pasadena Playhouse astatine property 17. Two years later, she traveled with vocalist Rudy Vallee successful a philharmonic and drama enactment during her summertime break. That earned her an Actors' Equity national paper earlier she graduated from the playhouse's College of Theatre Arts.
Buzzi moved to New York and was instantly hired for a pb relation successful an off-Broadway philharmonic revue, the archetypal of 19 specified shows she performed successful connected the East Coast.
She got her nationalist tv interruption connected "The Garry Moore Show" successful 1964, conscionable aft Carol Burnett was replaced by Dorothy Loudon connected the series. She played Shakundala the Silent, a bumbling magician's adjunct to Dom DeLuise's quality Dominic the Great.
Buzzi was a regular connected the CBS assortment amusement "The Entertainers," whose hosts included Burnett and Bob Newhart.
She was successful the archetypal Broadway formed of "Sweet Charity" with Gwen Verdon successful 1966.
Buzzi toured the state with her nightclub act, including appearances successful Las Vegas.
She was a semi-regular connected "That Girl" arsenic Marlo Thomas' friend. She co-starred with Jim Nabors arsenic time-traveling androids connected "The Lost Saucer" successful the mid-1970s.
Her different impermanent appearances included assortment shows hosted by Burnett, Flip Wilson, Glen Campbell, Tony Orlando, Donny and Marie Osmond and Leslie Uggams.
She appeared successful Ball's past drama series, "Life With Lucy."
Buzzi guested successful euphony videos with "Weird Al" Yankovic, the B-52's and the Presidents of the United States of America.
She did hundreds of impermanent voices successful cartoon bid including "Pound Puppies," "Berenstain Bears," "The Smurfs" and "The Angry Beavers."
She received an Emmy information for her six-year tally arsenic shopkeeper Ruthie connected "Sesame Street."
Her movie credits included "Freaky Friday," "Chu Chu and the Philly Flash," "The North Avenue Irregulars," and "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again."
Buzzi was progressive connected societal media and had thousands of followers whom she rewarded with specified one-liners arsenic "I person ne'er faked a sarcasm" and "Scientists accidental the beingness is made up wholly of neurons, protons and electrons. They look to person missed morons."
She joined Perkins, an actor, successful 1978.
The mates moved from California to Texas successful 2003 and bought a 640-acre ranch adjacent Stephenville.
Buzzi retired from acting successful 2021 and suffered a bid of strokes the pursuing year. Her hubby told The Dallas Morning News successful 2023 that she had dementia.
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