Actress and ‘Laugh-In’ comedian Ruth Buzzi dies at 88

The comedian and actress Ruth Buzzi, who starred on the popular sketch comedy show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, has died. She was 88. According to a post on her Facebook page, she died peacefully on Thursday while sleeping at home in Texas after battling Alzheimer’s disease. Buzzi had been in hospice care for several years with the disease.

Buzzi, who had an expressive face, a big smile and a knack for caricature, was best known for her award-winning appearances on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. The late 1960s and early 70s NBC variety show hosted by Dick Martin and Dan Rowan centered on politically and socially-charged skits. Buzzi took on a number of roles on the series, most famously that of Gladys Ormphby, a scowling lady who wore a severe, hair net-encased bun and shapeless brown clothes. The character was the butt of many misogynist jokes. But she bit back, often by repeatedly whacking those who offended her with her handbag, becoming something of a feminist icon.

Over a showbiz career that spanned six decades, which earned her five Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe win, Buzzi appeared in many TV shows including Sesame Street and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She performed in movies such as the 2003 comedy Freaky Friday and the 1983 horror film The Being, and had her own successful nightclub act.

Buzzi was born in 1936, in Westerly, R.I., and raised in Stonington, Conn. She was a cheerleader in high school and studied at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. She got her first professional break in 1956, acting alongside Rudy Vallée in a stage comedy. She gained national recognition on the TV variety series The Garry Moore Show in 1964.

Tributes and condolences for the entertainer poured out on social media. “Thank you for the laughs,” wrote San Francisco-based comedian and promoter Lisa Geduldig in a reply to the Facebook post. “I’ll always remember Gladys Ormphby.”