Ruth Ann Buzzi (24 July 1936 – 1 May 2025) was one of several performers from Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In to have provided character voices for Hanna-Barbera. Her voice credits include:
- Mama Bear in The Berenstain Bears (1985)
- Nose Marie on Pound Puppies
- Aunt Pruney on Paw Paws
- Felonia Funk in Rockin' with Judy Jetson
Biography[]
Ruth Buzzi was born in South County (Westerly), Rhode Island, to Rena Pauline and Angelo Peter Buzzi, a nationally recognized stone sculptor. She was raised in Wequetequock, Connecticut, and attended Stonington High School. She gained experience as a cheerleader performing before large crowds at athletic events. At seventeen, she enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse for the Performing Arts; among her classmates were the immeasurable talents of Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman. She graduated with honors.
Buzzi went on to act in a wide variety of revues throughout New England, and worked alongside other young and talented performers who were just beginning their careers at the time. They included Barbra Streisand, Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise, Bernadette Peters and Carol Burnett. Buzzi came to national recognition when she teamed up with Dom DeLuise in an act in which he played an incompetent magician, and she was his "sidekick" named "Shakuntala", who never spoke but sported a wide grin. The audiences demanded more of them and they eventually played several major nighttime television variety shows including The Garry Moore Show (1958), The Entertainers with Carol Burnett, and Your Show of Shows (1950) with Imogene Coca. She was hired by Bob Fosse to perform in his then-wife Gwen Verdon's hit Broadway musical Sweet Charity.
During that time, Buzzi auditioned for and received a permanent place in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967), on which she played such diverse roles as deadpan old women such as the iconic Gladys Ormphby, southern belles and hookers. Other memorable characters include Busy-Buzzi, a Hollywood gossip columnist, and Doris Sidebottom, the hard-bitten drunk. In one sketch, she and Debbie Reynolds played inconsiderate flight attendants.
Characters Voiced[]
External Links[]
- Ruth Buzzi at the Internet Movie Database