Marx was born in New York in 1890. His mother encouraged him and his brothers Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo to enter show business at an early age. They worked the vaudeville circuit, then moved to Broadway in the early 1920s, writing their own musical comedies. One of their Broadway comedies, Cocoanuts, became their first film, in 1929. Their slapstick hits also included Horse Feathers (1932) and Duck Soup (1933). After the brothers stopped making films in the 1940s, Groucho continued to have a successful performing career. He also put his keen sense of comedy into writing three memoirs: Groucho and Me(1959), Memoirs of a Mangy Lover (1964), and The Groucho Letters (1967). The actor died at the age of 86 in 1977.

(With thanks to History.com)