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
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
Seed
1931
as Jennie
Hot Tip
1935
as Belle McGill
Wife Savers
1928
as Germaine
Monte Carlo
1926
as Hope Durant
Dames
1934
as Matilda Hemingway
Spring Tonic
1935
as Maggie Conklin
The Dummy
1929
as Rose Gleason
War Nurse
1930
as Cushie
Show Business
1932
as Zasu
Blondie of the Follies
1932
as Gertie
Life with Father
1947
as Cousin Cora Cartwright
The Thrill of It All
1963
as Olivia
Passion Flower
1930
as Mrs. Harney
The Soilers
1932
as Zasu
The Perfect Marriage
1947
as Rosa
Francis
1950
as Valerie Humpert
Going Highbrow
1935
as Cora Upshaw
Mannequin
1926
as Annie Pogani
Love, Honor and Oh, Baby!
1933
as Connie Clark
Naughty But Nice
1939
as Aunt Penelope Hardwick
The Honeymoon
1929
as Caecilia
'49–'17
1917
as Party Guest (uncredited)
Back Street
1932
as Mrs. Dole
Uncle Joe
1941
as Julia Jordan
The Big Parade of Comedy
1964
as Mirabelle in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage)
Shopworn
1932
as Aunt Dot
No, No, Nanette
1940
as Pauline Hastings
This Could Be the Night
1957
as Mrs. Shea
Denver and Rio Grande
1952
as Jane Dwyer
Dear Miss Gloria
1946
as Guest star
13 Hours by Air
1936
as Miss Harkins
Broadway Limited
1941
as Myra Pottle
Eternally Yours
1939
as Cary Bingham
The Other Half
1919
as Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid
What Happened to Jones?
1926
as Hilda (as Zazu Pitts)
Ruggles of Red Gap
1935
as Mrs. Judson
It All Came True
1940
as Miss Flint
Broken Lullaby
1932
as Anna, Holderlin's Maid
Thunder Mountain
1925
as Mandy Coulter
Love Birds
1934
as Araminta Tootle
Miss Polly
1941
as Pandora Polly
Monte Carlo
1930
as Bertha
Sneak Easily
1932
as Miss Zasu Pitts - Woman of the Jury
Niagara Falls
1941
as Emmy Sawyer
Once in a Lifetime
1932
as Miss Leyton
Let's Do Things
1931
as Zasu Pitts
Disneyland '59
1959
as Self
Hollywood
1923
as Zasu Pitts
The Gay Bride
1934
as Mirabelle
The Trial of Vivienne Ware
1932
as Gladys Fairweather
The Unexpected Father
1932
as Polly Perkins
Red Noses
1932
as Miss Pitts
The Locked Door
1929
as Telephone Girl
The Bad Sister
1931
as Minnie
1925 Studio Tour
1925
as Self
Sin Takes a Holiday
1930
as Annie
Strangers of the Evening
1932
as Sybil Smith
Nurse Edith Cavell
1939
as Mme. Moulin
Is My Face Red?
1932
as Morning Gazette Telephone Operator
The Plot Thickens
1936
as Hildegarde Withers
Free Love
1930
as Ada, the Maid
Teenage Millionaire
1961
as Aunt Theodora
Old Shoes
1925
Mr. Skitch
1933
as Maddie Skitch
Penrod and Sam
1931
as Mrs. Bassett
So's Your Aunt Emma!
1942
as Aunt Emma Bates
And She Learned About Dames
1934
as Herself
Mad Holiday
1936
as Mrs. Fay Kinney
Weekend for Three
1941
as Anna, Craig's Maid
Tish
1942
as Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts)
The Devil's Holiday
1930
as Ethel
Souls for Sale
1923
as Self - Celebrity Actress in Commissary
The Bashful Bachelor
1942
as Geraldine
The Great Divide
1925
as Polly Jordan
No, No, Nanette
1930
as Pauline Hastings
The Lottery Bride
1930
as Hilda
Their Mad Moment
1931
as Miss Dibbs
This Thing Called Love
1929
as Clara Bertrand
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
1917
as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Roar of the Dragon
1932
as Gabby Woman
Francis Joins the WACS
1954
as Valerie Humpert
Mary of the Movies
1923
as Zasu Pitts (uncredited)
The Wedding March
1928
as Cecelia Schweisser
The Guardsman
1931
as Liesl
The Big Gamble
1931
as Nora Dugan
West of the Water Tower
1924
as Dessie Arnhalt
River's End
1930
as Louise
Sing Me a Love Song
1936
as Gwen Logan
War Mamas
1931
as Zasu
Mickey the Kid
1939
as Lilly Handy
The Great Love
1926
as Nancy
The Crooked Circle
1932
as Nora Rafferty
Westward Passage
1932
as Mrs. Truesdale
Two Alone
1934
as Esthey Roberts
Her First Mate
1933
as Mary Horner
Casey at the Bat
1927
as Camille
Poor Relations
1919
as Daisy Perkins
A Woman's Faith
1925
as Blanche Odile
A Woman of Experience
1931
as Katie
A Society Sensation
1918
as Mary
The Vanishing Frontier
1933
as Aunt Sylvia
Sing and Like It
1934
as Annie Snodgrass
Youth to Youth
1922
as Emily
Finn and Hattie
1931
as Mrs. Hattie Haddock
Risky Business
1926
as Agnes Wheaton
The Girl Who Came Back
1923
as Anastasia Muldoon
Steady Company
1932
as Dot
The Goldfish
1924
as Amelia Pugsley
Meet the Baron
1933
as Zasu
Changing Husbands
1924
as Delia
The Squall
1929
as Lena
Hello, Sister!
1933
as Millie
The Affair of Susan
1935
as Susan Todd
Breakfast in Hollywood
1946
as Elvira Spriggens
Forty Naughty Girls
1937
as Hildegarde Withers
Make Me a Star
1932
as Mrs. Scudder
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 CineFlixo, 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
- Seed (1931) — as Jennie
Where to Watch Zasu Pitts Films
Most Zasu Pitts movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo 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.