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
Screen Director's Playhouse
1955
as Selma
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
The Gale Storm Show
1956
Guestward, Ho!
1960
Private Secretary
1953
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
Professional Sweetheart
1933
as Elmerada
Pretty Ladies
1925
as Maggie Keenan
Hot Tip
1935
as Belle McGill
Seed
1931
as Jennie
Blondie of the Follies
1932
as Gertie
Spring Tonic
1935
as Maggie Conklin
Wife Savers
1928
as Germaine
Life with Father
1947
as Cousin Cora Cartwright
The Perfect Marriage
1947
as Rosa
The Squall
1929
as Lena
Monte Carlo
1926
as Hope Durant
War Nurse
1930
as Cushie
Dames
1934
as Matilda Hemingway
Mannequin
1926
as Annie Pogani
The Thrill of It All
1963
as Olivia
The Soilers
1932
as Zasu
The Dummy
1929
as Rose Gleason
Show Business
1932
as Zasu
A Society Sensation
1918
as Mary
The Big Parade of Comedy
1964
as Mirabelle in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage)
Shopworn
1932
as Aunt Dot
Uncle Joe
1941
as Julia Jordan
Love, Honor and Oh, Baby!
1933
as Connie Clark
Ruggles of Red Gap
1935
as Mrs. Judson
Sin Takes a Holiday
1930
as Annie
Francis
1950
as Valerie Humpert
Passion Flower
1930
as Mrs. Harney
'49–'17
1917
as Party Guest (uncredited)
No, No, Nanette
1940
as Pauline Hastings
Dear Miss Gloria
1946
as Guest star
Sing Me a Love Song
1936
as Gwen Logan
Going Highbrow
1935
as Cora Upshaw
Broadway Limited
1941
as Myra Pottle
Mary of the Movies
1923
as Zasu Pitts (uncredited)
Naughty But Nice
1939
as Aunt Penelope Hardwick
Francis Joins the WACS
1954
as Valerie Humpert
This Could Be the Night
1957
as Mrs. Shea
Penrod and Sam
1931
as Mrs. Bassett
Denver and Rio Grande
1952
as Jane Dwyer
Back Street
1932
as Mrs. Dole
The Honeymoon
1929
as Caecilia
Eternally Yours
1939
as Cary Bingham
The Bashful Bachelor
1942
as Geraldine
The Trial of Vivienne Ware
1932
as Gladys Fairweather
It All Came True
1940
as Miss Flint
The Other Half
1919
as Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid
Niagara Falls
1941
as Emmy Sawyer
Monte Carlo
1930
as Bertha
13 Hours by Air
1936
as Miss Harkins
What Happened to Jones?
1926
as Hilda (as Zazu Pitts)
Disneyland '59
1959
as Self
Broken Lullaby
1932
as Anna, Holderlin's Maid
The Bad Sister
1931
as Minnie
Love Birds
1934
as Araminta Tootle
Hollywood
1923
as Zasu Pitts
So's Your Aunt Emma!
1942
as Aunt Emma Bates
On the Loose
1931
as Zasu
Red Noses
1932
as Miss Pitts
Better Times
1919
as Nancy Scroggs
Souls for Sale
1923
as Self - Celebrity Actress in Commissary
Tish
1942
as Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts)
1925 Studio Tour
1925
as Self
Sneak Easily
1932
as Miss Zasu Pitts - Woman of the Jury
Let's Do Things
1931
as Zasu Pitts
The Devil's Holiday
1930
as Ethel
Nurse Edith Cavell
1939
as Mme. Moulin
The Gay Bride
1934
as Mirabelle
Patsy
1921
as Patsy
The Unexpected Father
1932
as Polly Perkins
Teenage Millionaire
1961
as Aunt Theodora
Weekend for Three
1941
as Anna, Craig's Maid
Forty Naughty Girls
1937
as Hildegarde Withers
Strangers of the Evening
1932
as Sybil Smith
Once in a Lifetime
1932
as Miss Leyton
The Great Divide
1925
as Polly Jordan
Poor Relations
1919
as Daisy Perkins
The Plot Thickens
1936
as Hildegarde Withers
West of the Water Tower
1924
as Dessie Arnhalt
Westward Passage
1932
as Mrs. Truesdale
Old Shoes
1925
Miss Polly
1941
as Pandora Polly
The Wedding March
1928
as Cecelia Schweisser
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
1917
as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Thunder Mountain
1925
as Mandy Coulter
Mr. Skitch
1933
as Maddie Skitch
No, No, Nanette
1930
as Pauline Hastings
Mickey the Kid
1939
as Lilly Handy
The Goldfish
1924
as Amelia Pugsley
The Locked Door
1929
as Telephone Girl
Seeing It Through
1920
as Betty Lawrence
Mad Holiday
1936
as Mrs. Fay Kinney
Casey at the Bat
1927
as Camille
Is My Face Red?
1932
as Morning Gazette Telephone Operator
The Great Love
1926
as Nancy
The Guardsman
1931
as Liesl
Twin Beds
1929
as Tillie
Roar of the Dragon
1932
as Gabby Woman
Maids a la Mode
1933
as Miss Pitts
River's End
1930
as Louise
The Vanishing Frontier
1933
as Aunt Sylvia
And She Learned About Dames
1934
as Herself
Two Alone
1934
as Esthey Roberts
This Thing Called Love
1929
as Clara Bertrand
Free Love
1930
as Ada, the Maid
Finn and Hattie
1931
as Mrs. Hattie Haddock
Hello, Sister!
1933
as Millie
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
1934
as Miss Hazy
The Squealer
1930
as Bella
The Crooked Circle
1932
as Nora Rafferty
Strictly Unreliable
1932
as Pitts
Breakfast in Hollywood
1946
as Elvira Spriggens
The Old Bull
1932
as Zasu
Early to Wed
1926
as Mrs. Dugan
Sealskins
1932
as Zasu Pitts
Honey
1930
as Mayme
Meet the Baron
1933
as Zasu
The Lottery Bride
1930
as Hilda
The Big Gamble
1931
as Nora Dugan
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
- Professional Sweetheart (1933) — as Elmerada
- Pretty Ladies (1925) — as Maggie Keenan
- Hot Tip (1935) — as Belle McGill
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.