![Image of Zasu Pitts](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w342/yzz6JRsLsmciHcsv7lEigYy2cEy.jpg)
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).
Movie | The Big Parade of Comedy | Mirabelle in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage) | 1964-09-02 |
Movie | The Thrill of It All | Olivia | 1963-07-17 |
Movie | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Gertie - Switchboard Operator | 1963-11-07 |
Series | Burke's Law | Unknown | 1963-09-20 |
Movie | Teenage Millionaire | Aunt Theodora | 1961-08-01 |
Series | Guestward, Ho! | Unknown | 1960-09-29 |
Movie | Disneyland '59 | Self | 1959-06-15 |
Series | The Dennis O'Keefe Show | Unknown | 1959-09-22 |
Movie | This Could Be the Night | Mrs. Shea | 1957-05-14 |
Series | Perry Mason | Unknown | 1957-09-21 |
Series | The Gale Storm Show | 1956-09-29 | |
Series | The 20th Century Fox Hour | Unknown | 1955-10-05 |
Movie | Francis Joins the WACS | Valerie Humpert | 1954-07-30 |
Series | Private Secretary | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Movie | Denver and Rio Grande | Jane Dwyer | 1952-05-16 |
Series | What's My Line? | Herself - Mystery Guest | 1950-02-02 |
Movie | Francis | Valerie Humpert | 1950-02-08 |
Series | The Philco Television Playhouse | Unknown | 1948-10-03 |
Movie | The Perfect Marriage | Rosa | 1947-01-24 |
Movie | Life with Father | Cousin Cora Cartwright | 1947-09-13 |
Movie | Breakfast in Hollywood | Elvira Spriggens | 1946-02-26 |
Movie | Let's Face It | Cornelia Pigeon | 1943-08-04 |
Movie | Tish | Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts) | 1942-09-17 |
Movie | The Bashful Bachelor | Geraldine | 1942-03-19 |
Movie | Mexican Spitfire at Sea | Miss Pepper | 1942-03-13 |
Movie | So's Your Aunt Emma! | Aunt Emma Bates | 1942-04-17 |
Movie | Niagara Falls | Emmy Sawyer | 1941-10-17 |
Movie | Broadway Limited | Myra Pottle | 1941-06-13 |
Movie | Uncle Joe | Julia Jordan | 1941-10-18 |
Movie | The Mexican Spitfire's Baby | Emily Pepper | 1941-11-28 |
Movie | Miss Polly | Pandora Polly | 1941-11-14 |
Movie | Weekend for Three | Anna, Craig's Maid | 1941-12-12 |
Movie | It All Came True | Miss Flint | 1940-04-06 |
Movie | No, No, Nanette | Pauline Hastings | 1940-12-19 |
Movie | Eternally Yours | Cary Bingham | 1939-10-07 |
Movie | Naughty But Nice | Aunt Penelope Hardwick | 1939-06-23 |
Movie | The Lady's from Kentucky | Dulcey Lee | 1939-04-27 |
Movie | Mickey the Kid | Lilly Handy | 1939-07-03 |
Movie | Nurse Edith Cavell | Mme. Moulin | 1939-08-31 |
Movie | Wanted! | Winnie Oatfield | 1937-08-23 |
Movie | Forty Naughty Girls | Hildegarde Withers | 1937-09-24 |
Movie | 52nd Street | Letitia Rondell | 1937-11-19 |
Movie | 13 Hours by Air | Miss Harkins | 1936-04-30 |
Movie | Mad Holiday | Mrs. Fay Kinney | 1936-11-13 |
Movie | Sing Me a Love Song | Gwen Logan | 1936-12-25 |
Movie | The Plot Thickens | Hildegarde Withers | 1936-12-11 |
Movie | Ruggles of Red Gap | Mrs. Judson | 1935-03-08 |
Movie | Going Highbrow | Cora Upshaw | 1935-07-06 |
Movie | Spring Tonic | Maggie Conklin | 1935-06-27 |
Movie | She Gets Her Man | Esmeralda | 1935-08-05 |
Movie | Hot Tip | Belle McGill | 1935-08-20 |
Movie | The Affair of Susan | Susan Todd | 1935-09-01 |
Movie | And She Learned About Dames | Herself | 1934-03-27 |
Movie | Three on a Honeymoon | Alice Mudge | 1934-03-22 |
Movie | Two Alone | Esthey Roberts | 1934-01-26 |
Movie | The Meanest Gal in Town | Tillie Prescott | 1934-01-12 |
Movie | Sing and Like it | Annie Snodgrass | 1934-04-20 |
Movie | Love Birds | Araminta Tootle | 1934-05-04 |
Movie | The Gay Bride | Mirabelle | 1934-12-14 |
Movie | Dames | Matilda Hemingway | 1934-09-01 |
Movie | Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch | Miss Hazy | 1934-10-28 |
Movie | Their Big Moment | Tillie Whim | 1934-08-17 |
Movie | Maids a la Mode | Miss Pitts | 1933-03-04 |
Movie | The Bargain of the Century | Zasu | 1933-04-08 |
Movie | Out All Night | Bonny | 1933-04-08 |
Movie | They Just Had to Get Married | Molly Hull | 1933-01-05 |
Movie | She Whoops To Conquer | Beula | 1933-01-01 |
Movie | Hello, Sister! | Millie | 1933-04-14 |
Movie | Asleep in the Feet | Zasu | 1933-01-21 |
Movie | I've Got to Sing a Torch Song | Unknown | 1933-09-23 |
Movie | Meet the Baron | Zasu | 1933-10-20 |
Movie | One Track Minds | 1933-05-20 | |
Movie | Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men | Sybby 'Sib' | 1933-10-18 |
Movie | Mr. Skitch | Maddie Skitch | 1933-12-22 |
Movie | Professional Sweetheart | Elmerada de Leon | 1933-06-09 |
Movie | Her First Mate | Mary Horner | 1933-08-03 |
Movie | The Old Bull | Zasu | 1932-06-04 |
Movie | The Trial of Vivienne Ware | Gladys Fairweather | 1932-05-01 |
Movie | Strangers of the Evening | Sybil Smith | 1932-05-14 |
Movie | Strictly Unreliable | Pitts | 1932-04-30 |
Movie | Westward Passage | Mrs. Truesdale | 1932-05-27 |
Movie | Steady Company | Dot | 1932-03-13 |
Movie | Broken Lullaby | Anna, Holderlin's Maid | 1932-01-19 |
Movie | Sealskins | Zasu Pitts | 1932-02-06 |
Movie | Red Noses | Miss Pitts | 1932-03-18 |
Movie | Shopworn | Aunt Dot | 1932-03-25 |
Movie | Destry Rides Again | Temperance Worker | 1932-04-17 |
Movie | Show Business | Zasu | 1932-08-20 |
Movie | Once in a Lifetime | Miss Leyton | 1932-10-02 |
Movie | Madison Square Garden | Florrie | 1932-11-04 |
Movie | Sneak Easily | Miss Zasu Pitts - Woman of the Jury | 1932-12-10 |
Movie | Is My Face Red? | Morning Gazette Telephone Operator | 1932-06-17 |
Movie | The Crooked Circle | Nora Rafferty | 1932-09-25 |
Movie | The Soilers | Zasu | 1932-10-29 |
Movie | Roar of the Dragon | Gabby Woman | 1932-07-08 |
Movie | Alum and Eve | Zasu | 1932-09-24 |
Movie | Back Street | Mrs. Dole | 1932-08-04 |
Movie | Make Me a Star | Mrs. Scudder | 1932-07-01 |
Movie | Blondie of the Follies | Gertie | 1932-09-01 |
Movie | Let's Do Things | Zasu Pitts | 1931-06-06 |
Movie | Their Mad Moment | Miss Dibbs | 1931-07-12 |
Movie | Seed | Jennie | 1931-05-14 |
Movie | The Bad Sister | Minnie | 1931-03-29 |
Movie | Finn and Hattie | Mrs. Hattie Haddock | 1931-02-04 |
Movie | Catch-As Catch-Can | ZaSu | 1931-08-22 |
Movie | Beyond Victory | Fritzi Mobley | 1931-04-03 |
Movie | A Woman of Experience | Katie | 1931-07-08 |
Movie | War Mamas | Zasu | 1931-11-14 |
Movie | The Big Gamble | Nora Dugan | 1931-09-27 |
Movie | The Guardsman | Liesl | 1931-10-20 |
Movie | The Secret Witness | Bella | 1931-12-12 |
Movie | On the Loose | Zasu | 1931-12-26 |
Movie | Penrod and Sam | Mrs. Bassett | 1931-10-01 |
Movie | The Pajama Party | Zasu | 1931-10-03 |
Movie | The Squealer | Bella | 1930-08-20 |
Movie | Little Accident | Monica | 1930-08-03 |
Movie | Honey | Mayme | 1930-03-29 |
Movie | Monte Carlo | Bertha | 1930-08-27 |
Movie | No, No, Nanette | Pauline Hastings | 1930-01-03 |
Movie | The Devil's Holiday | Ethel | 1930-05-09 |
Movie | Sin Takes a Holiday | Annie | 1930-11-10 |
Movie | Passion Flower | Mrs. Harney | 1930-12-06 |
Movie | The Lottery Bride | Hilda | 1930-09-29 |
Movie | Free Love | Ada, the Maid | 1930-12-01 |
Movie | War Nurse | Cushie | 1930-11-22 |
Movie | River's End | Louise | 1930-11-01 |
Movie | Her Private Life | Timmins | 1929-08-25 |
Movie | The Squall | Lena | 1929-05-09 |
Movie | Oh, Yeah! | The Elk | 1929-10-19 |
Movie | The Locked Door | Telephone Girl | 1929-11-16 |
Movie | Paris | Harriet | 1929-11-07 |
Movie | This Thing Called Love | Clara Bertrand | 1929-12-13 |
Movie | Wife Savers | Germaine | 1928-01-07 |
Movie | Buck Privates | Hulda | 1928-01-29 |
Movie | The Wedding March | Cecelia Schweisser | 1928-10-06 |
Movie | Casey at the Bat | Camille | 1927-03-08 |
Movie | Mannequin | Annie Pogani | 1926-01-11 |
Movie | What Happened to Jones | Hilda (as Zazu Pitts) | 1926-02-08 |
Movie | Risky Business | Agnes Wheaton | 1926-10-04 |
Movie | Sunny Side Up | Evelyn | 1926-08-02 |
Movie | The Great Divide | Polly Jordan | 1925-02-15 |
Movie | Old Shoes | 1925-04-08 | |
Movie | 1925 Studio Tour | Self | 1925-04-09 |
Movie | Lazybones | Ruth Fanning | 1925-11-06 |
Movie | Pretty Ladies | Maggie Keenan | 1925-09-06 |
Movie | Wine of Youth | Lucy | 1924-09-15 |
Movie | The Goldfish | Amelia Pugsley | 1924-03-30 |
Movie | Changing Husbands | Delia | 1924-06-22 |
Movie | Secrets of the Night | Celia Stebbins | 1924-11-12 |
Movie | Greed | Trina | 1924-12-04 |
Movie | Souls for Sale | Self - Celebrity Actress in Commissary | 1923-04-22 |
Movie | Poor Men's Wives | Apple Annie | 1923-01-28 |
Movie | Mary of the Movies | Zasu Pitts (uncredited) | 1923-05-27 |
Movie | Hollywood | Zasu Pitts | 1923-08-19 |
Movie | Three Wise Fools | Mickey | 1923-08-19 |
Movie | Tea- With a Kick! | 'Brainy' Jones | 1923-08-26 |
Movie | For the Defense | Jennie Dunn | 1922-06-04 |
Movie | Patsy | Patsy | 1921-02-01 |
Movie | Heart of Twenty | 1920-06-20 | |
Movie | Better Times | Nancy Scroggs | 1919-07-13 |
Movie | The Other Half | Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid | 1919-08-18 |
Movie | How Could You, Jean? | Oscar's Sweetheart | 1918-06-29 |
Movie | A Society Sensation | Mary | 1918-09-22 |
Movie | A Lady's Name | Emily | 1918-12-10 |
Movie | Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Undetermined Role (uncredited) | 1917-09-22 |
Movie | '49–'17 | Party Guest (uncredited) | 1917-10-15 |
Movie | A Little Princess | Becky | 1917-11-05 |
Movie | A Modern Musketeer | A Kansas Belle (uncredited) | 1917-12-30 |