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About Fanlistings: A fanlisting is a place where fans of any one particular subject/person can come together. It's fun to see just how many people are fans of the same thing, and it's also a great way to meet fellow fans. All approved fanlistings can be found at TheFanlistings.org, a great website that lists a ton of fanlistings in just about every category you can imagine. ............................................................. Who was Groucho Marx? Groucho Marx was born Julius Henry Marx on October 2, 1890, in New York. It is widely believed that he acquired his stage name simply because of his cynical disposition. Another story claims that he used to carry a "grouch bag," around with him, as did other actors of the time period. Personally I find the former explanation more plausible. As the middle child of a family of 5 boys, Groucho was often left out by his siblings as well as his mother, and this may have contributed to his adult temperament. He was the first of his brothers to begin his career in show business, even though he probably would have rather stayed in school. He began as a singer, but gradually his brothers joined the act, which switched to comedy and eventually became known as "The Four Marx Brothers." Together they starred in 3 hit broadway plays, and make 13 movies throughout the 1920's, '30's, and '40's. Groucho was essentially the leader of the group. He was a fast-talker and constant wise-cracker. His jokes contained numerous double entendres and innuendoes that are still quoted today. His character in many of their movies was trying to romance a rich widow played by Margaret Dumont. It was clear to the viewer that he was only after her money, but it was never apparent to her character, which added greatly to the humor. After the Marx brothers went their separate ways in the 40's, Groucho ended up having the most successful solo career of all the other brothers, which explains why he became an American icon and one of the greatest-known comedians of all time. His quiz show, "You bet your life," was a success on radio, and was transferred to television where it ran for 11 seasons. Groucho's announcer on the show was George Fenneman, whose dignity made him the perfect foil for Groucho's jokes, causing him to be later dubbed as, "the male Margaret Dumont." Groucho also wrote several books in his lifetime (and according to his son, Arthur, would rather have been a writer than an actor), including "Groucho and me," his autobiography. Unfortunately, his personal life was not as successful as his career. He was divorced 3 times in his lifetime - his last marriage was to a woman almost 40 years younger than him. He had 3 children: Arthur, Miriam, and Melinda. After "You Bet Your Life" ended, Groucho went into retirement but still continued doing one-man shows and comedy routines until his death on August 19, 1977. He had the misfortune of dying around the same time as Elvis Presley, and the news of Groucho's death was sadly unnoticed by many at the time.