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Groucho Marx

Julius Henry Marx, known as Groucho Marx, (October 2, 1890-August 19, 1977), was a comedian and frontman for the Marx Brothers.

The Marx family grew up on the Upper East Side of New York City, in a small Jewish neighborhood sandwiched between Irish/German and Italian neighborhoods. Leonard Marx, the oldest Marx brother, developed the "Italian" accent he used as "Chico" to convince some roving bullies that he was Italian, not Jewish.

The Marxes had ancestors who had done traveling theater in Europe, and their mother was eager to put them on the stage.

Groucho Marx developed a routine as a wise-cracking chicken-walking man with a greasepaint mustache, improvising insults to stuffy grande dames who stood in his way. He and his brothers starred in a series of movies and stage shows, often departing from the scripts they were working with.

Late in his life, Groucho was the host of the television program You Bet Your Life.

Groucho Marx died on August 19, 1977 and was interred in the Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

Groucho Marx Facts

Birth NameJulius Henry Marx
OccupationActor
BirthdayOctober 2, 1890
SignLibra
BirthplaceNew York, New York, USA
Date of deathAugust 19, 1977 (age 86)
Height5' 8" (1m73)  How tall is Groucho Marx compared to you?
Awards1974 Academy Awards: Honorary Award

Selected Filmography

Not available.