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
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Belinda Pryde
What's My Line?
1950
as Self
Burke's Law
1963
as Mrs. Bowie
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
Screen Director's Playhouse
1955
as Selma
The Gale Storm Show
1956
Private Secretary
1953
Guestward, Ho!
1960
General Electric Theater
1953
as Aunt Laura
The Dennis O'Keefe Show
1959
Movies (195)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1963
as Gertie - Switchboard Operator
Greed
1924
as Trina
Seed
1931
as Jennie
Spring Tonic
1935
as Maggie Conklin
Show Business
1932
as Zasu
Francis
1950
as Valerie Humpert
Wife Savers
1928
as Germaine
Pretty Ladies
1925
as Maggie Keenan
Going Highbrow
1935
as Cora Upshaw
The Thrill of It All
1963
as Olivia
The Big Parade of Comedy
1964
as Mirabelle in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage)
Dames
1934
as Matilda Hemingway
Professional Sweetheart
1933
as Elmerada
War Nurse
1930
as Cushie
It All Came True
1940
as Miss Flint
Blondie of the Follies
1932
as Gertie
The Perfect Marriage
1947
as Rosa
The Bad Sister
1931
as Minnie
Eternally Yours
1939
as Cary Bingham
Naughty But Nice
1939
as Aunt Penelope Hardwick
Life with Father
1947
as Cousin Cora Cartwright
Denver and Rio Grande
1952
as Jane Dwyer
Souls for Sale
1923
as Self - Celebrity Actress in Commissary
Miss Polly
1941
as Pandora Polly
Broadway Limited
1941
as Myra Pottle
The Gay Bride
1934
as Mirabelle
Ruggles of Red Gap
1935
as Mrs. Judson
This Could Be the Night
1957
as Mrs. Shea
Two Alone
1934
as Esthey Roberts
Broken Lullaby
1932
as Anna, Holderlin's Maid
Monte Carlo
1930
as Bertha
Disneyland '59
1959
as Self
What Happened to Jones?
1926
as Hilda (as Zazu Pitts)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
1917
as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Shopworn
1932
as Aunt Dot
Sing Me a Love Song
1936
as Gwen Logan
Hollywood
1923
as Zasu Pitts
The Squall
1929
as Lena
Passion Flower
1930
as Mrs. Harney
The Wedding March
1928
as Cecelia Schweisser
13 Hours by Air
1936
as Miss Harkins
Nurse Edith Cavell
1939
as Mme. Moulin
Back Street
1932
as Mrs. Dole
The Other Half
1919
as Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid
No, No, Nanette
1940
as Pauline Hastings
The Vanishing Frontier
1933
as Aunt Sylvia
Old Shoes
1925
The Crooked Circle
1932
as Nora Rafferty
Penrod and Sam
1931
as Mrs. Bassett
This Thing Called Love
1929
as Clara Bertrand
Mad Holiday
1936
as Mrs. Fay Kinney
The Plot Thickens
1936
as Hildegarde Withers
Hot Tip
1935
as Belle McGill
Let's Do Things
1931
as Zasu Pitts
Francis Joins the WACS
1954
as Valerie Humpert
Once in a Lifetime
1932
as Miss Leyton
The Mexican Spitfire's Baby
1941
as Emily Pepper
The Bashful Bachelor
1942
as Geraldine
1925 Studio Tour
1925
as Self
The Secret Witness
1931
as Bella
Strangers of the Evening
1932
as Sybil Smith
The Guardsman
1931
as Liesl
Little Accident
1930
as Monica
Niagara Falls
1941
as Emmy Sawyer
The Great Divide
1925
as Polly Jordan
River's End
1930
as Louise
Sin Takes a Holiday
1930
as Annie
Uncle Joe
1941
as Julia Jordan
Mr. Skitch
1933
as Maddie Skitch
And She Learned About Dames
1934
as Herself
Meet the Baron
1933
as Zasu
The Trial of Vivienne Ware
1932
as Gladys Fairweather
Mickey the Kid
1939
as Lilly Handy
Sins of the Fathers
1928
as Mother Spengler
The Locked Door
1929
as Telephone Girl
Weekend for Three
1941
as Anna, Craig's Maid
Forty Naughty Girls
1937
as Hildegarde Withers
Beyond Victory
1931
as Fritzi Mobley
Hello, Sister!
1933
as Millie
Make Me a Star
1932
as Mrs. Scudder
Their Mad Moment
1931
as Miss Dibbs
Monte Carlo
1926
as Hope Durant
Poor Relations
1919
as Daisy Perkins
The Argyle Case
1929
as Mrs. Wyatt
Mary of the Movies
1923
as Zasu Pitts (uncredited)
Roar of the Dragon
1932
as Gabby Woman
War Mamas
1931
as Zasu
Let's Face It
1943
as Cornelia Pigeon
No, No, Nanette
1930
as Pauline Hastings
Madison Square Garden
1932
as Florrie
The Lady's from Kentucky
1939
as Dulcey Lee
Honey
1930
as Mayme
Is My Face Red?
1932
as Morning Gazette Telephone Operator
So's Your Aunt Emma!
1942
as Aunt Emma Bates
The Goldfish
1924
as Amelia Pugsley
'49–'17
1917
as Party Guest (uncredited)
Tish
1942
as Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts)
Thunder Mountain
1925
as Mandy Coulter
The Unexpected Father
1932
as Polly Perkins
Red Noses
1932
as Miss Pitts
The Big Gamble
1931
as Nora Dugan
Risky Business
1926
as Agnes Wheaton
Westward Passage
1932
as Mrs. Truesdale
A Daughter of Luxury
1922
as Mary Cosgrove
Breakfast in Hollywood
1946
as Elvira Spriggens
A Woman of Experience
1931
as Katie
Wanted!
1937
as Winnie Oatfield
Her First Mate
1933
as Mary Horner
Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men
1933
as Sybby 'Sib'
52nd Street
1937
as Letitia Rondell
Buck Privates
1928
as Hulda
On the Loose
1931
as Zasu
Lazybones
1925
as Ruth Fanning
The Squealer
1930
as Bella
The Devil's Holiday
1930
as Ethel
Oh, Yeah!
1929
as The Elk
The Dummy
1929
as Rose Gleason
The Soilers
1932
as Zasu
Wages for Wives
1925
as Luella Logan
Their Big Moment
1934
as Tillie Whim
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
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) — as Gertie - Switchboard Operator
- Greed (1924) — as Trina
- Seed (1931) — as Jennie
- Spring Tonic (1935) — as Maggie Conklin
- Show Business (1932) — as Zasu
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.