Groucho Marx's Biography

Groucho's real name was Julian Marx and he was born in New York in 1890.*

Together with his brothers, who took the stage names Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo, Groucho formed the Marx Brothers who went on to achieve great success in comedy films, particularly in the 1930s.

Groucho Marx acted in 26 films including Duck Soup, Animal Crackers, A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera.

Groucho was recognisable by his round eye-glasses, moustache made of grease paint and slouching duck-like walk.

Groucho Marx hosted You Bet Your Life, a quiz show which began on radio and swiftly moved onto American TV. The series ran from 1950-1961.

Groucho was married three times.

When Groucho Marx and the Marx Brothers' fame was at its peak, Groucho was earning $3,000 a week in the 1930s independently from movie contracts. In the '30s he signed a $1.5 million contract for five films with Paramount Pictures.

Groucho Marx was a good friend of Charlie Chaplin. In an interview with Playboy, he describes how he met Charlie Chaplin. On The Hy Gardner Show in 1961 Groucho described how Chaplin envied the fact that Groucho could speak during his films.

Groucho Marx died aged 86 at his home in Los Angeles in 1977.

* Note many sources such as Chambers Biographical Dictionary and The New Penguin Dictionary of Modern Quotations list Groucho as being born in 1990. As with the likes of Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong it is difficult to be too definitive about when Groucho Marx was born.