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Zasu Pitts
Zasu Pitts
Age 69 years (Jan 3, 1894 – Jun 7, 1963)
Birthplace Parsons, Labette County, Kansas, USA
Movies 174
TV Shows 5

Zasu Pitts

Actress · Since 1924
Zasu Pitts is a durable American actress with the kind of filmography that takes a while to scroll through. 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' is the title most people reach for first, with Gertie - Switchboard Operator at the center of it. There is 'Greed' as well. The first credits arrived long before the title most people know. Television and film have both stayed in regular use across the career.
Zasu Pitts is a durable American actress with the kind of filmography that takes a while to scroll through. 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' is the title most people reach for first, with Gertie - Switchboard Operator at the center of it. There is 'Greed' as well. The first credits arrived long before the title most people know. Television and film have both stayed in regular use across the career.
Movies
Latest Trailers
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Watch Trailer
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Full Filmography 179
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Gertie - Switchboard Operator
★ 7.0
1963
Burke's Law
Mrs. Bowie
★ 6.2
1963Season 1
The Thrill of It All
Olivia
★ 7.0
1963
Perry Mason
Daphne Whilom
★ 7.7
1961Season 5
Teenage Millionaire
Aunt Theodora
★ 5.7
1961
This Could Be the Night
Mrs. Shea
★ 6.1
1957
Screen Director's Playhouse
Selma
★ 7.0
1955Season 1
Francis Joins the WACS
Valerie Humpert
★ 6.1
1954
General Electric Theater
Aunt Laura
★ 6.8
1953Season 2
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zasu Pitts still alive?
Zasu Pitts passed away on June 7, 1963 at age 69.
What are the most famous roles of Zasu Pitts?
Zasu Pitts is best known for roles in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Greed, The Thrill of It All.
How many movies has Zasu Pitts been in?
Over a 46-year career (since 1917), Zasu Pitts has appeared in 174 movies and 5 TV shows.
What was Zasu Pitts's first movie?
The career of Zasu Pitts began with Why They Left Home (1917).
What is Zasu Pitts's most recent movie or series?
Zasu Pitts's most recent release is It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, which premiered on November 7, 1963.
What TV shows has Zasu Pitts appeared in?
On television, Zasu Pitts has appeared in Perry Mason, What's My Line?, Burke's Law, The 20th Century Fox Hour.
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Zasu Pitts
Zasu Pitts
1894-01-03 · 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).

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