October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977
Widely considered one of the sharpest wits in American comedy history, Groucho Marx was as known for his zings and punchlines as he was for his distinctive appearance.
As the middle of 5 boys growing up on the upper east side of Manhattan around the turn of the 20th century, Julius Henry Marx wanted to be a doctor. The only thing that stood in the way of that goal was an abject lack of money, talented siblings, a famous Vaudevillian uncle and mother with dreams. All the boys were talented, but Julius could sing like an angel. By the time he was 15, he was on tour singing with the Gene Leroy Trio. By 19, his mom had he and his brothers Arthur (Harpo) and Milton (Gummo) singing in vaudeville houses throughout the northeast. Billed as “The Four Nightingales”, they ended up moving to the Midwest, where the boys started riffing on stage when shows didn’t go well. They soon found out two things: 1) They were better at being funny than singing. And 2) Audiences LOVED it.
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