Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: Zazu Pitts , Eliza Susan Pitts , ZaSu Pitts , Za Su Pitts

Gender: Female

Place of birth: Parsons, Kansas, USA

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 51

TV Involvements: 4


Most Famous Work

Biography

Zasu Pitts 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).

Most Famous Work

Perry Mason
Average
8

Perry Mason

(1957) Daphne Whilom
What's My Line?
Average
7

What's My Line?

(1950) Self - Mystery Guest
Burke's Law
Average
6

Burke's Law

(1963) Mrs. Bowie
The Philco Television Playhouse
Average
6

The Philco Television Playhouse

(1948) Belinda Pryde
Greed
Average
7

Greed

(1924) Trina
Denver and Rio Grande
Average
5

Denver and Rio Grande

(1952) Jane Dwyer
The Locked Door
Average
6

The Locked Door

(1929) Telephone Girl
Nurse Edith Cavell
Average
6

Nurse Edith Cavell

(1939) Mme. Moulin

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
1964 (archive footage)
1963 Gertie - Switchboard Operator
Mrs. Bowie
Olivia
1961 Aunt Theodora
1960 N/A
1959 N/A
Self
1957 Daphne Whilom
Mrs. Shea
1956 N/A
1955 N/A
Selma
1954 Valerie Humpert
1953 N/A
Aunt Laura
1952 Jane Dwyer
1950 Valerie Humpert
Self - Mystery Guest
1949 N/A
1948 Belinda Pryde
1947 Cousin Cora Cartwright
Rosa
1946 Elvira Spriggens
Guest star
1943 Cornelia Pigeon
1942 Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts)
Aunt Emma Bates
Geraldine
Miss Pepper
1941 Anna, Craig's Maid
Emily Pepper
Pandora Polly
Julia Jordan
Emmy Sawyer
Myra Pottle
1940 Pauline Hastings
Miss Flint
1939 Cary Bingham
Mme. Moulin
Lilly Handy
Aunt Penelope Hardwick
Dulcey Lee
1937 Letitia Rondell
Hildegarde Withers
Winnie Oatfield
1936 Gwen Logan
Hildegarde Withers
Mrs. Fay Kinney
Miss Harkins
1935 Susan Todd
Cora Upshaw
Belle McGill
Esmeralda
Maggie Conklin
Mrs. Judson
1934 Mirabelle
Miss Hazy
Matilda Hemingway
Tillie Whim
Araminta Tootle
Annie Snodgrass
Herself
Alice Mudge
Esthey Roberts
Tillie Prescott
1933 Maddie Skitch
Zasu
Sybby 'Sib'
Mary Horner
Elmerada de Leon
N/A
Millie
Zasu
Bonny
Aunt Sylvia
Miss Pitts
Zasu
Molly Hull
Beula
1932 Miss Zasu Pitts - Woman of the Jury
Florrie
Zasu
Miss Leyton
Nora Rafferty
Zasu
Gertie
Zasu
Mrs. Dole
Gabby Woman
Mrs. Scudder
Morning Gazette Telephone Operator
Zasu
Mrs. Truesdale
Sybil Smith
Gladys Fairweather
Pitts
Temperance Worker
Aunt Dot
Miss Pitts
Dot
Zasu Pitts
Anna, Holderlin's Maid
Polly Perkins
1931 Zasu
Bella
Zasu
Liesl
Zasu
Mrs. Bassett
Nora Dugan
ZaSu
Miss Dibbs
Katie
Zasu Pitts
Jennie
Fritzi Mobley
Minnie
Mrs. Hattie Haddock
1930 Mrs. Harney
Ada, the Maid
Cushie
Annie
Louise
Hilda
Bertha
Bella
Monica
Ethel
Mayme
Pauline Hastings
1929 Caecilia
Clara Bertrand
Telephone Girl
Harriet
The Elk
Timmins
Lena
Rose Gleason
1928 Mother Spengler
Cecelia Schweisser
Hulda
The Maid
Germaine
1927 Camille
1926 Hope Durant
Agnes Wheaton
Evelyn
Nancy
Hilda (as Zazu Pitts)
Annie Pogani
1925 Ruth Fanning
Mandy Coulter
Maggie Keenan
Self
N/A
Polly Jordan
1924 Trina
Celia Stebbins
Delia
Amelia Pugsley
1923 'Brainy' Jones
Mickey
Zasu Pitts
Zasu Pitts (uncredited)
Herself - Celebrity Actress in Commissary
Apple Annie
1922 Jennie Dunn
Mary Cosgrove
1921 Patsy
1919 Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid
Nancy Scroggs
1918 Emily
N/A
Mary
Oscar's Sweetheart
1917 A Kansas Belle (uncredited)
Becky
Party Guest (uncredited)
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Year Character Movie/Tv

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