Birth Day: 1894-01-03
Place of birth: Parsons, Labette County, Kansas, USA
Zasu Pitts (January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the advent of sound films. She may be best known for her performance in Erich von Stroheim's epic silent film Greed. Based on her performance, von Stroheim labeled Pitts "the greatest dramatic actress". He also featured her in his films The Honeymoon (1928), The Wedding March (1928), War Nurse (1930) and Walking Down Broadway, released as Hello, Sister! (1933). However, for the most part, with the advent of sound Pitts was mostly relegated to comedy parts. A bitter disappointment was when she was replaced in the classic war drama All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) by Beryl Mercer after her initial appearance in previews drew unintentional laughs, despite her intense performance. She had viewers rolling in the aisles in Finn and Hattie (1931), The Guardsman (1931), Blondie of the Follies (1932), Sing and Like It (1934) and Ruggles of Red Gap (1935). In 1936 and 1937 she portrayed Hildegarde Withers in two movies, succeeding Edna May Oliver as the spinster sleuth, but they were not well received. In the 1950s she started focusing on television. This culminated in her best known series role, playing second banana to Gale Storm on CBS's The Gale Storm Show (1956) (also known as Oh, Susannah) in the role of Elvira Nugent ("Nugie"), the shipboard beautician. In 1961, Pitts was cast opposite Earle Hodgins in the episode "Lonesome's Gal" on the ABC sitcom, Guestward, Ho!, set on a dude ranch in New Mexico. In 1962, Pitts appeared in an episode of CBS's Perry Mason, "The Case of the Absent Artist". Her final role was as Gertie, the switchboard operator in the Stanley Kramer comedy epic It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963).
Credits
-
As Mirabelle in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage) -
As Olivia -
As Gertie - Switchboard Operator -
As Aunt Theodora -
As Self -
As Mrs. Shea -
As Valerie Humpert -
As Jane Dwyer -
As Valerie Humpert -
-
As Rosa -
As Cousin Cora Cartwright -
As Elvira Spriggens -
As Guest star -
As Cornelia Pigeon -
As Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts) -
As Geraldine -
As Aunt Emma Bates -
As Miss Pepper -
As Emmy Sawyer -
As Pandora Polly -
As Julia Jordan -
As Anna, Craig's Maid -
As Emily Pepper -
As Myra Pottle -
As Miss Flint -
As Pauline Hastings -
As Lilly Handy -
As Mme. Moulin -
As Dulcey Lee -
As Aunt Penelope Hardwick -
As Mrs. Bingham -
As Winnie Oatfield -
As Letitia Rondell -
As Hildegarde Withers -
As Hildegarde Withers -
As Mrs. Fay Kinney -
As Miss Harkins -
As Gwen Logan -
As Belle McGill -
As Susan Todd -
As Esmeralda -
As Mrs. Judson -
As Cora Upshaw -
As Maggie Conklin -
As Mirabelle -
As Alice Mudge -
As Miss Coates -
As Esthey Roberts -
As Annie Snodgrass -
As Araminta Tootle -
As Tillie Whim -
As Tillie Prescott -
As Herself -
As Miss Hazy -
As Matilda Hemingway -
As Zasu Pitts -
As Zasu -
As Mary Horner -
As Millie -
As Miss Pitts -
-
As Connie Clark -
As Zasu -
As Maddie Skitch -
As Aunt Sylvia -
As Beula -
As Bonny -
As Zasu -
As Molly Hull -
As Elmerada -
As Sybby 'Sib' -
As Pitts -
As Florrie -
As Miss Zasu Pitts - Woman of the Jury -
As Dot -
As Miss Leyton -
As Zasu -
As Miss Pitts -
As Anna, Holderlin's Maid -
As Zasu -
As Gertie -
As Zasu -
As Morning Gazette Telephone Operator -
As Zasu -
As Gladys Fairweather -
As Mrs. Truesdale -
As Mrs. Scudder -
As Temperance Worker -
As Nora Rafferty -
As Sybil Smith -
As Zasu Pitts -
As Mrs. Dole -
As Polly Perkins -
As Aunt Dot -
As Gabby Woman -
As Mrs. Bassett -
As Katie -
As Zasu Pitts -
As Fritzi Mobley -
As Zasu -
As Jennie -
As Zasu -
As ZaSu -
As Bella -
As Zasu -
As Miss Dibbs -
As Minnie -
As Nora Dugan -
As Mrs. Hattie Haddock -
As Liesl -
As Pauline Hastings -
As Cushie -
As Bella -
As Ada, the Maid -
As Mayme -
As Monica -
As Mrs. Harney -
As Annie -
As Hilda -
As Bertha -
As Louise -
As Ethel -
As Timmins -
As Clara Bertrand -
As The Elk -
As Telephone Girl -
As Lena -
As Tillie -
As Harriet -
As Caecilia -
As Rose Gleason -
As Mrs. Wyatt -
As The Maid -
As Cecelia Schweisser -
As Mother Spengler -
As Hulda -
As Germaine -
As Camille -
As Mrs. Dugan -
As Gladys Smith -
As Annie Pogani -
As Nancy -
As Hilda (as Zazu Pitts) -
As Evelyn -
As Hope Durant -
As Agnes Wheaton -
As Judy -
As Luella Logan -
As Blanche Odile
-
-
As Polly Jordan -
As Miss Wright
-
As Self -
As Ruth Fanning -
As Mandy Coulter -
As Maggie Keenan -
As Trina -
As Delia -
As Celia Stebbins -
As Mona -
As Amelia Pugsley -
As Dessie Arnhalt -
As Lorena -
As Mickey -
As Zasu Pitts (uncredited) -
As Zasu Pitts -
As 'Brainy' Jones -
As Apple Annie -
As Self - Celebrity Actress in Commissary -
As Anastasia Muldoon -
As Mary Cosgrove
-
As Mrs. Wilbur -
As Jennie Dunn -
As Emily -
As Patsy
-
As Katie Abbott
-
As Betty Lawrence
-
As Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid -
As Katie Jones -
As Nancy Scroggs -
As Daisy Perkins -
As Sal Sue -
As Emily -
-
As Oscar's Sweetheart -
As Mary -
As Mary Mandrake
-
As Party Guest (uncredited) -
As Perscilla
-
-
-
As Suza - the Editor's Assistant
-
As Undetermined Role (uncredited) -
As A Kansas Belle (uncredited) -
As Becky