
Basil Keko is the ex-husband of Ruth Buzzi. Basil Keko’s wife is an actress and comedienne best known for playing the perpetually bitter spinster Gladys Ormphby on the ’60s comedy show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received five Emmy nominations. Some of her works also include Troublemakers, Freaky Friday, The Villain, It’s Tough to Be a Bird, and Pound Puppies. Ruth has been married twice. Who is Ruth Buzzi’s first husband?
Basil Keko: Bio Summary
Full Name | Basil “Bill” Keko |
famous as | Ruth Buzzi’s ex-husband |
Age | N/A |
Date of Birth | N/A |
Place of Birth | United States of America |
Zodiac sign | N/A |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Caucasian |
Children | N/A |
spouse | Ruth Buzzi (m. 1965–1975) |
Who is Ruth Buzzi’s first husband?
According to Newspapers, Basil Keko was Ruth’s agent. He is the first man to take the American actress and Comedienne to the alter. Talking about their marriage to Great Falls Tribune in 1973, she said- “Depend on Tampax tampons when you want to feel free. The Internal protection mere women trust ways give little presents to one another. Like when I go shopping for myself, I get something for Bill as well.” She also told the paper that she meet her husband Basil Keko when he was producing an off-Broadway children’s musical, “The Em-perior’s Clothes,” and she went to audition for him.
Ruth Buzzi revealed to Great Falls Tribune in 1973- “He called me afterward to tell me that I had not gotten the part. This surprised me. A year later I was in an off-Broadway show and he came by and introduced himself. A year after that he was stage manager for a show I was in. That’s when we started dating.“
Keko and Buzzi tied the knot in a beautiful wedding ceremony in the presence of their friends, families, and loved ones in 1965 in New York per Heritage. Though they promised each other forever, things didn’t go as planned. The couple ended their marriage after a decade together in 1975.
Where is Basil Keko now?
After their marriage came to an end, Basil Keko went totally out of the picture. The reason behind their divorce was also not made public. While it is unclear what went on with Basil Keko after the divorce, Buzzi on the other hand moved on to her second marriage.
The Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In sensation walked down the aisle with actor Kent Perkins after kickstarting her comedy career. Basil and Buzzi’s marriage didn’t produce any child so is her marriage to Kent. Instead, they kept animals on a ranch in Texas.
ALSO, READ; Kent Perkins: Inside the Life Ruth Buzzi’s husband
“Instead of listening to managers and agents, I get to hear cows mooing, roosters crowing and the pitter-patter of little duck feet down by our beautiful lake here at the ranch,” Ruth told Closer in March 2015. “By the way, raising ducks isn’t necessarily what it’s quacked up to be!”

The couple are avid automobile collectors. Their collection focuses on post-war English vehicles, including Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Jaguar, although it also includes several American convertibles and muscle cars. Ruth’s favorite, according to reports by Midland Daily News, is – or at least was in 2003 – a Corniche convertible once owned by Dean Martin. She nicknamed it The Rat Pack Rolls.
In 2021, she announced on her social media account that she officially retired from acting. On July 19, 2022, Ruth Buzzi’s current husband, Kent wrote a heartfelt post on his wife’s Facebook page to share an update on her health with her fans.
“She wants you to know she is not in pain and is aware you are sending your best wishes her way as she battles the results of devastating strokes that have left her bedridden and incapacitated,” he wrote. “She can still speak and understand, she still recognizes all her friends and loved ones. I am reading to her your wonderful comments, and she smiles.”
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