Ruth Buzzi

Ruth Buzzi is an actress and comedienne best known for playing the perpetually bitter spinster Gladys Ormphby on the '60s comedy show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." Buzzi attended the Pasadena Playhouse for the Performing Arts with fellow classmates Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman, and later moved to New York, where she was cast in Bob Fosse's Broadway hit "Sweet Charity." Cut from the same cloth as her contemporary Carol Burnett, Buzzi made her first television appearance on the "The Garry Moore Show" right after Burnett had left the program. A standout sketch work on Steve Allen's show led to her landing a spot on the regular cast of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" in 1968. While Buzzi developed a number of characters for "Laugh-In," none were as popular, or distinctive, as Gladys Ormphby. Clad in dowdy attire and a hairnet, she would deliver a vigorous beating with her purse to anyone who offended her. The Ormphby character was also a regular on "The Dean Martin Comedy Hour" and Martin's celebrity roasts. In the '80s, Buzzi voiced several animated characters, most notably Nose Marie in "Pound Puppies" and Mama Bear on "The Berenstain Bears," which brought her a Daytime Emmy nomination. Buzzi also won a Golden Globe for her work on "Laugh-In." Ruth Buzzi died on May 1, 2025 in TX at the age of 88.