June 7, 1963, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Spouse
John E. Woodall, Tom Gallery
Fact
Her first name is pronounced "Zay-soo"
ZaSu Pitts (January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who appeared in many silent films and talkies. She is best known for her comic roles in films such as It (1927), The Patsy (1928), and Stella Dallas (1937).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwZR_hgRmeA
Pitts was born in Parsons, Kansas, to Rulandus and Lizzie Pitts, both of English descent. She had four brothers and sisters. Her father died when she was four years old, and her family moved to Santa Cruz, California, where she was raised.
Pitts began her career as a child actress in the 1910s. She appeared in a number of silent films, including The Little Princess (1917), Stella Dallas (1925), and It (1927). In 1928, she appeared in The Patsy, one of her most famous roles.
Pitts continued to appear in films throughout the 1930s and 1940s. She appeared in such classics as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and The Miracle Worker (1962). In 1963, she appeared in her final film, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Pitts was married three times. Her first husband was actor Tom Gallery. They were married from 1919 to 1922 and had one child together, a son named Thomas. Her second husband was actor Frank Faylen. They were married from 1926 to 1934 and had two children together, a son named Frank Jr. and a daughter named Zasu. Her third husband was businessman and investor William A. Leach. They were married from 1945 until Pitts’ death in 1963.
Pitts died of cancer on June 7, 1963, at the age of 69.
General Info
Full Name
ZaSu Pitts
Died
June 7, 1963, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Height
1.68 m
Profession
Actor
Education
Santa Cruz High School
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
John E. Woodall, Tom Gallery
Children
Donald Michael Gallery, Ann Gallery
Parents
Nellie Shay Pitts, Rulandus Pitts
Accomplishments
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Movies
Greed, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, All Quiet on the Western Front, Ruggles of Red Gap, The Wedding March, Life with Father, The Little Princess, The Thrill of It All, On the Loose, Dames, The Crooked Circle, Broadway Limited, Sing and Like It, Blondie of the Follies, The Plot Thickens, The Guar...
I was what they called a feature player, never a star. They say I was in 500 films, everything but the newsreels.
2
[on being fired by D.W. Griffith from The Greatest Thing in Life (1918) and having all her scenes cut out because she looked too much like star Lillian Gish] Of course, I was flattered. But I was out of a job again.
Facts
#
Fact
1
Upon the death of MGM beauty Barbara LaMarr Zasu adopted her orphaned son Don Mike.
Pitts inadvertently began her career as a comedienne when she was selected by her high school graduation class to recite "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" as a joke. Her attempts to give it a melodramatic reading were met with laughter from students and staff, who thought she was genuinely funny. Although initially embarrassed, she was coaxed to finish it and found that making others laugh was the key to social acceptance for her. The young girl who was previously made fun of by her peers, found acceptance in making them laugh.
4
Worked in radio with Lum and Abner.
5
Was known for giving speeches as a very conservative Republican and reportedly when Nancy Davis took Ronald Reagan to a speech by Pitts, he switched his allegiance from Democrat Helen Gahagan Douglas to Richard Nixon during the 1950 Senatorial race in California.
When she met D.W. Griffith, the director rejected her because he said she looked too much like Lillian Gish. Instead of being hurt, Pitts said it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her.
8
After initially being rejected by the Sennett, Chaplin and Christie studios, the determined Pitts was finally was given a successful screen test and work as a stock player at Universal by the LaSalle and Joker unit.
9
In 1958, William Howe and Casey Adams (Max Showalter) wrote "My Square Laddie", a version of "My Fair Lady" with a gender reversed. Miss Pitts, in addition to Reginald Gardner and Nancy Walker, are heard on the musical LP, and could possibly be the only LP album made by the actress.
10
Under contract to Hal Roach Studios she made a series of 16 comedy shorts with Thelma Todd in the early 1930s. Unhappy with her contract, like other Roach actors, and with a breakdown in renewal negotiations she was replaced with Patsy Kelly.
11
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6654 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
12
The 1930 Census shows her still living with husband, though reportedly legally separated. It also shows them as the adoptive parents of a boy named Don Mike, who is listed as "child actor".
13
Charles Chaplin took an interest in her around 1917 or 1918 during her first brush with popularity. He actually signed her to a six-month contract but never used her.
14
A close friend from her high school days was actress Lois Nelson (aka Lois Nelson). They shared a Hollywood apartment while both were fledgling actors.
15
According to "Classic Images" biographer Charles Stumpf, she claimed that Rudolph Valentino taught her to dance while appearing together in the film A Society Sensation (1918).
16
Was an excellent cook and a collector of candy recipes, which culminated into a cook book entitled "Candy Hits by ZaSu Pitts", which was published posthumously in 1963.
Following her death, she was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.
20
Her best friend during the 1920s was ill-fated actress Barbara La Marr; the two worked in three films together during 1923. Pitts and her husband Tom Gallery adopted La Marr's son Marvin when she died in 1926. The little boy was renamed Don Gallery.
21
Her trademark gesture was seen in all of her fingers aflutter at once.
Legally separated from first husband Tom Gallery on November 24, 1926, she did not file for divorce from him until January 14, 1932. The final decree came 10 weeks later.
24
When the comic strip "Thimble Theatre" became the animated series "Popeye", the producers used Zasu's hand-wringing and nervous speech pattern to characterize the on-screen persona of Olive Oyl.
25
The favorite actress of Erich von Stroheim, who called her "the greatest tragedienne of the screen".
26
Her marriage to John Woodall was not revealed to the public until February 12, 1934 when they went on their honeymoon.
27
Director Alfred E. Green once said her face "has been on more cutting-room floors than any other actress". She was a famous scene-stealer who often overshadowed the star. Her scenes were usually cut to keep peace on the set.
28
Named "Zasu" because her mother's two sisters, Eliza and Susan, both wanted her named after them. Her mother did not want to disappoint either of them, so she formed the name from the last two letters of Eliza and the first two letters of Susan.
