Groucho Marx

Groucho Marx, born Julius Henry Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977), was a Jewish-American vaudeville comedian. He is most famous for his appearances with his brothers Chico and Harpo as the "Three Marx Brothers".

Early life

As a young Jew growing up in Manhattan, Julius Marx and his four brothers — Leonard (Chico), Arthur (Harpo), Milton (Gummo), and Herbert (Zeppo) — followed their uncle's footsteps into vaudeville. Each brother developed a characteristic stage persona; for example, Groucho wore a greasepaint mustache and smoked a fat cigar in imitation of a college professor, while Harpo rarely said anything except through a horn. Chico's stage persona was that of an Italian immigrant. Chico's "ancestry" became a running gag in the Marx Brothers' act. For example, at one point in the film Animal Crackers Groucho turns to Chico and asks, "When did you become Italian?".

Solo career

Groucho went on to host the game show You Bet Your Life and appear on Dick Cavett.