The heavy-browed, cigar-wielding comic genius known as Groucho Marx was born Julius Henry Marx on Oct. 2, 1890, in New York City. It was his mother, Minnie Schoenberg -- who came from a famous vaudeville family -- who launched Groucho and his brothers Chico, Harpo, Gummo and Zeppo into show biz.The Marx Brothers made their first film, The Cocoanuts, in 1929, a result of their stage success.
In the '30s, they made a series of outrageous comedies that became classics: Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, A Day at the Races, Horse Feathers and their two greatest, Duck Soup (1933) and A Night at the Opera (1935).As the popularity of the Marx Brothers films waned, Groucho moved on to solo success as a radio and TV entertainer, hosting the long-running hit "You Bet Your Life," which showcased his talent for ad lib. He made film appearances through 1968's Skidoo, and died on Aug. 19, 1977.