Ruth Buzzi - Inducted February 24, 2022
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Ruth Buzzi was born in Westerly, Rhode Island and grew up in nearby Stonington, CT. At the age of 18 she aleady knew what she wanted to do. After graduating high school she moved to California to study at the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theater Arts where she graduated with honors alongside her classmates Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman.
Soon after, she moved to New York City and began performing in off-broadway variety shows with several other famous up-and-coming stars like Carol Burnett, and Joan Rivers. Aside from a few television commercials, her first television show performance took place on the Gary Moore show in 1964, playing a bumbling magicians assistant played by Dom Deluise. From there she became a regular on shows like The Entertainers, and The Steve Allen Comedy Hour. And in 1967 she was hired to be a main cast member on a new show called Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in. She was the only cast member to appear in every episode. Known for her many characters including Busy-Buzzi, Flicker-Farkle, and Doris Swizzler among others. But her most famous character was Gladys Ormphby, known for attaching her foes with her purse. She continued to appear on television shows for many years like The Carol Burnett Show, The Gong Show, Life with Lucy, and eight appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Along with her TV stardom, Ruth also voiced several animated characters on cartoons in the 80's and was also a cast member on Sesame Street in the 90's. She also featured in over 20 feature films in the U.S. and Europe. Ruth retired from Hollywood in 2021 and sadly passed away in 2025 from complications related to Alzheimer's Disease at age 88. |
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