Ruth Buzzi celebrating her 85th birthday in 2021 (Photo via her Facebook page)
Ruth Buzzi, the comedic actress best known for playing the spinster Gladys Ormphby on the late 1960s TV sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, died yesterday (May 1, 2025) in her sleep at age 88. The news of her passing, at her Texas home, was revealed on her Facebook page.
She had been in hospice care for several years with Alzheimer’s disease. Buzzi’s husband, Kent Perkins, revealed in 2022 that she had suffered several “devastating strokes” that year.
Buzzi (that really was her name) was born July 24, 1936, in Westerly, Rhode Island, and was raised in Connecticut. She attended the Pasadena (Calif.) Playhouse for the Performing Arts and is said to have worked there with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman. After moving to New York, Buzzi made her first television appearance on the The Garry Moore Show right after Carol Burnett had left the program. In 1966, she was cast in Bob Fosse’s Broadway hit Sweet Charity. The next year, she appeared on the brief run of The Steve Allen Comedy Hour.
Ruth Buzzi as Gladys Ormphby, with Arte Johnson in Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.
The exposure led to her joining the large ensemble cast of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In in 1968, where she appeared with such fellow actors as Judy Carne, Jo Anne Worley, Arte Johnson, and Henry Gibson. The buzz-worthy NBC series became a significant hit, finishing the 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons at #1. Along with its two hosts, Buzzi and Gary Owens were the only performers to remain during the show’s six seasons. She earned five Emmy nominations for her work.
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.
Other prominent cast members in the series included Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Richard Dawson, and Alan Sues.
Buzzi reprised the Ormphby character on The Dean Martin Comedy Hour and on Martin’s celebrity roasts. Her TV work included a recurring role on That Girl, and guest appearances on dozens of series.
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 won a Golden Globe for her work on Laugh-In.
On her 86th birthday on July 24, 2022, her husband wrote, “This year she doesn’t want a cake; she wants pie with candles again, like last year. We’re enormously blessed… [and] very grateful for these wonderful 43 years of marriage. We both retired 12 years ago, moved to Texas, built a house together and we really have lived happily ever after.”
Roughly one month later, she displayed her humor on her social media pages.
The good news: one foot in the grave still leaves one out, ready and available for kicking a@@. Thanks for your cards, messages, prayers and good wishes!
Still crazy and still kickin’ —
Love, peace and laughter. pic.twitter.com/JKaZLWe4Bi— RUTH BUZZI (@Ruth_A_Buzzi) August 28, 2022
Hawn wrote a tribute to her Laugh-In cast mate. “My Ruthie, you’re gone, and it hurts so deeply. I’ll always treasure our daily calls, how we could talk endlessly, even after long days.
“You were my girlfriend, my heart through life’s ups and downs. You made me laugh like no one else could.
“You were beyond talented, Ruthie. A one of a kind soul who brought so much laughter and light to the world.
“Those deep, joyful laughs we shared, especially while making Laugh In, will stay with me forever.
“I love you. Wishing you peace and beautiful travels in the arms of the angels.”
Ruth Buzzi (@Ruth_A_Buzzi) was a comedic genius. Working alongside her on Laugh-In was the most fun I ever had working. I treasured her friendship and I am heartbroken to wake up to the news that she is gone. I love you, Ruthie. Godspeed, old friend. Sending condolences to her… pic.twitter.com/VSXHYqMHMD
— Nancy Sinatra (@NancySinatra) May 2, 2025
Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of Ruth Buzzi, who brought warmth, wit, and joy to Sesame Street and beyond. Thank you Ruth for your laughter, your heart, and your imaginative spirit. You will always be a special person in our neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/m9F5PuWCRz
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) May 2, 2025
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In is available here.
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1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationThe number posted by Nancy Sinatra lifted all the weight of the troubled present and took me back to the topical but good-natured and FUN comedy of Laugh-In. Thanks for the hilarity, Ruth Buzzi. Hope to catch your act in the next world!