After working in a number of Clio Award-winning commercials, Ruth Buzzi performed as an inept magician’s assistant “Shakundala the Silent” on a 1964 episode of The Garry Moore Show, playing opposite comedian Dom DeLuise as an equally-inept magician. Later, she was a member of the repertory company on the short-lived variety show The Entertainers. A few years later, Ruth found herself on Broadway in a small role in Sweet Charity alongside Gwen Verdon.
Appearances on The Steve Allen Comedy Hour led to the role for which she was most associated – one of the cast of zanies on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. Ruth was the only member of the cast to appear in every episode of the long-running comedy, including the pilot episode as well as a 1967 TV special before the series went into regular production.
Ruth’s career skyrocketed with guest roles in films, television and even voice-over work for cartoons. She was featured in the Saturday morning Krofft Bothers-produced sitcom The Lost Saucer with Jim Nabors and later, she joined the cast of Sesame Street. Ruth voiced the animated version of her character “Gladys Ormphby” on the cartoon Baggy Pants and the Nitwits with her Laugh-In co-star Arte Johnson. She appeared in music videos by “Weird Al” Yankovic, The Presidents of the United States of America and the B-52s. She had a successful run in the nightclubs at the Sahara and MGM Grand hotels in Las Vegas.
Ruth, and her husband of nearly 50 years, maintained a ranch in Texas and amassed a collection of vintage automobiles. They would regularly lend the vehicles out for photoshoots, commercials and parades. Ruth was also very well known for her charitable endeavors, often giving away income from personal appearances to worthy causes.
In 2021, Ruth announced that she was officially retired from acting. It was revealed that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. In 2022, reports surfaced that Ruth had suffered a series of strokes. In May 2025, while in hospice care, Ruth passed away at the age of 88 — just one day after her husband made a Facebook post, thanking Ruth’s fans for years of support.