Ruth Buzzi, a talented performer, was born on July 24, 1936, in Westerly, Rhode Island, to Rena and Angelo Buzzi, a renowned stone sculptor. Growing up in Wequetequock, Connecticut, she attended Stonington High School, where she gained experience as a cheerleader, entertaining crowds at athletic events.
At the age of 17, Ruth enrolled at the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse for the Performing Arts, where she studied alongside notable classmates Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman. She graduated with honors and went on to perform in various revues throughout New England, sharing the stage with emerging talents like Barbra Streisand, Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise, Bernadette Peters, and Carol Burnett.
Ruth's big break came when she teamed up with Dom DeLuise in a comedy act, with him playing an incompetent magician and her as his sidekick, "Shakuntala," who remained silent but sported a wide grin. The duo's popularity led to appearances on major television variety shows, including The Garry Moore Show, The Entertainers with Carol Burnett, and Your Show of Shows with Imogene Coca.
Later, Ruth was hired by Bob Fosse to perform in his wife Gwen Verdon's hit Broadway musical Sweet Charity. During this time, she auditioned for and secured a permanent spot on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, playing a wide range of characters, from deadpan housewives to hard-bitten drunks to Southern belles to prostitutes. Some of her most memorable roles included Busy-Buzzi, a Hollywood gossip columnist; dipsomaniac Doris Swizzler, who frequently got drunk with her husband Leonard (played by Dick Martin); and as one of the Burbank Airlines Stewardesses, notorious for their rude behavior.
