Groucho Marx

As an entertainer and comedian, Groucho Marx remains a well-known figure some 30 years after his death. Marx's grease-paint bushy eyebrows and mustache, and trademark cigar, made him immediately recognizable, and he gained a reputation for smart ad-libs and cutting insults. While he came to fame on the stage and movie screen in the company of his brothers (The Marx Brothers), he also had a high-profile solo career, working in radio during the '30s and '40s, television during the '50 and '60s, and as a performer of one-man shows in the '70s.

Marx was born Julius Henry Marx in New York City on October 2, 1890. Although he dreamed of becoming a doctor, he dropped out of school at 12 to help support his family. In 1905, he began performing as a boy singer on the vaudeville stage, and later, with the help of his mother-manager, Minnie Marx, was joined by his brothers as the singing troupe the Four Nightingales. Later, the brothers developed into a successful comedy act, leading to several successful Broadway plays and, in the late '20s, movies like Animal Crackers. Marx initially adapted a German accent for his stage persona, but quickly switched to a fast-talking smart aleck when anti-German sentiment became prevalent on the eve of WW I. The popularity of his persona also helped him establish a career outside of his work with his brothers during the early '30s.

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