Zasu Pitts
Known for Acting · 206 credits
- Born
- 1894-01-02
- Died
- 1963-06-07
- Place of birth
- Parsons, Kansas, USA
- Also known as
- Zazu Pitts · Eliza Susan Pitts · ZaSu Pitts · Za Su Pitts
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).
Known For
TV Shows (11)
Perry Mason
1957
as Daphne Whilom
What's My Line?
1950
as Self
Burke's Law
1963
as Mrs. Bowie
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Belinda Pryde
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
Screen Director's Playhouse
1955
as Selma
Private Secretary
1953
The Gale Storm Show
1956
Guestward, Ho!
1960
General Electric Theater
1953
as Aunt Laura
The Dennis O'Keefe Show
1959
Movies (195)
Love Birds
1934
as Araminta Tootle
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1963
as Gertie - Switchboard Operator
Westward Passage
1932
as Mrs. Truesdale
Passion Flower
1930
as Mrs. Harney
Greed
1924
as Trina
Professional Sweetheart
1933
as Elmerada
Shopworn
1932
as Aunt Dot
Buck Privates
1928
as Hulda
Hello, Sister!
1933
as Millie
Mr. Skitch
1933
as Maddie Skitch
Private Scandal
1934
as Miss Coates
Twin Beds
1929
as Tillie
The Bad Sister
1931
as Minnie
Old Shoes
1925
The Lottery Bride
1930
as Hilda
Patsy
1921
as Patsy
No, No, Nanette
1940
as Pauline Hastings
The Gay Bride
1934
as Mirabelle
Denver and Rio Grande
1952
as Jane Dwyer
So's Your Aunt Emma!
1942
as Aunt Emma Bates
Nurse Edith Cavell
1939
as Mme. Moulin
Wife Savers
1928
as Germaine
Her Private Life
1929
as Timmins
Hot Tip
1935
as Belle McGill
Oh, Yeah!
1929
as The Elk
The Thrill of It All
1963
as Olivia
Mannequin
1926
as Annie Pogani
Breakfast in Hollywood
1946
as Elvira Spriggens
Dear Miss Gloria
1946
as Guest star
Blondie of the Follies
1932
as Gertie
Naughty but Nice
1939
as Aunt Penelope Hardwick
The Meanest Gal in Town
1934
as Tillie Prescott
Forty Naughty Girls
1937
as Hildegarde Withers
A Woman's Faith
1925
as Blanche Odile
'49–'17
1917
as Party Guest (uncredited)
The Unexpected Father
1932
as Polly Perkins
She Whoops To Conquer
1933
as Beula
Sing Me a Love Song
1936
as Gwen Logan
This Could Be the Night
1957
as Mrs. Shea
Souls for Sale
1923
as Self - Celebrity Actress in Commissary
No, No, Nanette
1930
as Pauline Hastings
Disneyland '59
1959
as Self
Little Accident
1930
as Monica
Life with Father
1947
as Cousin Cora Cartwright
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
1917
as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
The Big Parade of Comedy
1964
as Mirabelle in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage)
It All Came True
1940
as Miss Flint
Youth to Youth
1922
as Emily
The Bashful Bachelor
1942
as Geraldine
The Other Half
1919
as Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid
The Pajama Party
1931
as Zasu
Broadway Limited
1941
as Myra Pottle
Secrets of the Night
1924
as Celia Stebbins
Out All Night
1933
as Bonny
Francis Joins the WACS
1954
as Valerie Humpert
The Big Gamble
1931
as Nora Dugan
The Devil's Holiday
1930
as Ethel
Beyond Victory
1931
as Fritzi Mobley
And She Learned About Dames
1934
as Herself
Francis
1950
as Valerie Humpert
Ruggles of Red Gap
1935
as Mrs. Judson
Spring Tonic
1935
as Maggie Conklin
On the Loose
1931
as Zasu
Seed
1931
as Jennie
Monte Carlo
1930
as Bertha
Is Matrimony a Failure?
1922
as Mrs. Wilbur
The Plot Thickens
1936
as Hildegarde Withers
The Secret Witness
1931
as Bella
Broken Lullaby
1932
as Anna, Holderlin's Maid
Tillie of the Nine Lives
1917
Sin Takes a Holiday
1930
as Annie
The Great Love
1926
as Nancy
13 Hours by Air
1936
as Miss Harkins
Back Street
1932
as Mrs. Dole
Mother's Helper
1933
Pretty Ladies
1925
as Maggie Keenan
Why They Left Home
1917
as Mary Mandrake
Finn and Hattie
1931
as Mrs. Hattie Haddock
Roar of the Dragon
1932
as Gabby Woman
Love, Honor and Oh, Baby!
1933
as Connie Clark
Teenage Millionaire
1961
as Aunt Theodora
Casey at the Bat
1927
as Camille
The Goldfish
1924
as Amelia Pugsley
Two Alone
1934
as Esthey Roberts
A Little Princess
1917
as Becky
A Woman of Experience
1931
as Katie
The Girl Who Came Back
1923
as Anastasia Muldoon
Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men
1933
as Sybby 'Sib'
The Squall
1929
as Lena
Eternally Yours
1939
as Mrs. Bingham
Thunder Mountain
1925
as Mandy Coulter
Sing and Like It
1934
as Annie Snodgrass
Once in a Lifetime
1932
as Miss Leyton
Her Big Night
1926
as Gladys Smith
Her First Mate
1933
as Mary Horner
What Happened to Jones?
1926
as Hilda (as Zazu Pitts)
The Crooked Circle
1932
as Nora Rafferty
Weekend for Three
1941
as Anna, Craig's Maid
The Trial of Vivienne Ware
1932
as Gladys Fairweather
Poor Men's Wives
1923
as Apple Annie
Is My Face Red?
1932
as Morning Gazette Telephone Operator
Meet the Baron
1933
as Zasu
Niagara Falls
1941
as Emmy Sawyer
Make Me a Star
1932
as Mrs. Scudder
Monte Carlo
1926
as Hope Durant
Their Big Moment
1934
as Tillie Whim
Sins of the Fathers
1928
as Mother Spengler
War Nurse
1930
as Cushie
The Wedding March
1928
as Cecelia Schweisser
Strangers of the Evening
1932
as Sybil Smith
The Locked Door
1929
as Telephone Girl
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
1934
as Miss Hazy
A Society Sensation
1918
as Mary
1925 Studio Tour
1925
as Self
Let's Face It
1943
as Cornelia Pigeon
The Perfect Marriage
1947
as Rosa
Mexican Spitfire at Sea
1942
as Miss Pepper
His Fatal Beauty
1917
as Perscilla
Risky Business
1926
as Agnes Wheaton
The Soilers
1932
as Zasu
About Zasu Pitts
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… With 206 credits spanning from 1917 to 1964, Zasu Pitts has appeared in 195 films and 11 TV shows.
Fans searching for Zasu Pitts movies, Zasu Pitts filmography, or the latest projects starring Zasu Pitts can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Zasu Pitts Movies
- Love Birds (1934) — as Araminta Tootle
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) — as Gertie - Switchboard Operator
- Westward Passage (1932) — as Mrs. Truesdale
- Passion Flower (1930) — as Mrs. Harney
- Greed (1924) — as Trina
Where to Watch Zasu Pitts Films
Most Zasu Pitts movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Zasu Pitts, check our movies catalogue and browse page.