RIP Ruth Buzzi

 

American Actress and comedian Ruth Buzzi, who rose to fame in the 1968 to 1973 NBC variety/sketch comedy ‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In’, died on May 1. She was 88. Born July 24, 1936, in Westerly, Rhode Island, Ruth Buzzi’s first job in show business was at age 19, traveling with singer Rudy Vallee in a live musical and comedy act during her summer break from college. She moved to New York City after graduation and was hired for a lead role in an off-Broadway musical revue, the first of 19 in which she performed around the East Coast. Buzzi debuted on television in variety series ‘The Garry Moore Show’ in 1964, and she was a member of the ensemble on ‘The Entertainers’ in 1965. Following a guest spot on sitcom ‘The Monkees’ in 1967, she landed the recurring role of Margie “Pete” Peterson on the Marlo Thomas comedy ‘That Girl’. Other guest appearances followed, including ‘Night Gallery’, ‘Here’s Lucy’ and ‘Love, American Style’ until her big break came with ‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in’. Ruth appeared in two Euro-westerns: Terence Hill’s ‘Lucky Luke’ (TV) – 1990 as Ma Dalton and again with Hill and Spencer in their last western “Troublemakers” in 1994 as Maw.