Groucho Marx

Groucho Marx was an iconic American comedian, TV host, and actor who made several critically acclaimed comedies with his brothers in the 1930s, and has since been widely regarded as one of America's greatest comedic talents. Born and raised in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Groucho, whose birth name was Julius Henry Marx, and his brothers were encouraged by their mother to put together a vaudeville act when they were young.

Having no formal education, Groucho and his brothers began making the rounds on the vaudeville circuit, first as a singing group known as "The Four Nightingales," and later as the comedy act that would become The Marx Brothers. After a number of years honing their act on the vaudeville circuit, The Marx Brothers went on to become one of the most popular vaudeville acts in New York City, even being enough of a draw to put on three successful Broadway musical comedies: "I'll Say She Is" (1924-25), "The Cocoanuts" (1925-26), and "Animal Crackers" (1928-29).

The brothers' huge success on stage eventually drew the attention of Hollywood, and over the course of the 1930s and 40s Groucho and his brothers made 13 comedies together, many of which have since been deemed classics of the genre. These Marx Brothers comedies include "Animal Crackers" (1930), "Duck Soup" (1933), "A Night at the Opera" (1935), and "At the Circus" (1939).

It was also during his thriving film career in the 1930s that Marx became recognizable for his distinctive look of bushy eyebrows, glasses, grease paint mustache, and a cigar. Groucho had developed this idiosyncratic look during his vaudeville days in the early 20s, and retained the look through the remainder of his career. After a stall in his film-acting career in the mid-40s, Groucho began searching for new opportunities in show business.

He eventually turned to the thriving new medium called radio and in 1947 debuted the quiz show "You Bet Your Life" on ABC radio. The show allowed Marx to interview people and ad-lib on the spot, thus showing off his quick wit, and audiences loved it. In 1950 "You Bet Your Life" (NBC, 1950-60) moved over to television, where it would remain on the air for the next decade, becoming one of the most popular shows on television while simultaneously making Groucho Marx a household name.

After "You Bet Your Life" ended its run, Groucho continued appearing on television and in films, most notably playing a mobster named God in Otto Preminger's trippy 1968 comedy "Skidoo" (1969). In 1972 Groucho returned to the stage and performed a one-man show at Carnegie Hall in New York City. That performance was later released as a double album "An Evening With Groucho" (1972).

By the mid-70s Groucho's health began to decline. He made one of his final public appearances at the 1974 Academy Awards where Jack Lemmon presented him with an honorary Oscar for his numerous contributions to the film industry. In June of 1977 Groucho was hospitalized with pneumonia. He died two months later on August 19, 1977 at the age of 86.