Sam Marx | |
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 Marx in 1923 | |
| Born | Simon Marx (1859-10-23)October 23, 1859[1] Mertzwiller,Alsace, France |
| Died | May 10, 1933(1933-05-10) (aged 73) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Other names | Frenchie |
| Occupation | Tailor (madecameo appearance in sons' filmMonkey Business) |
| Years active | 1880–1933 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Manfred Marx (1885–1886)[2] Leonard Joseph "Chico" Marx (1887–1961) Adolph Arthur "Harpo" Marx (1888–1964) Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (1890–1977) Milton "Gummo" Marx (1893–1977) Herbert Manfred "Zeppo" Marx (1901–1979) |
Samuel Simon Marx (bornSimon Marx; October 23, 1859 – May 10, 1933) was the father of the American entertainers known as theMarx Brothers, stars ofvaudeville,Broadway and film, and the husband ofMinnie Marx, who served as the group's manager.[1]
According to his birth certificate, Marx was born as Simon Marx inAlsace, in France.[1] Due to his place of birth, he was known as "Frenchie". His parents were Simon Marx and Johanna Haennchen Isaak. He came to the U.S. from France in 1880. He met Minnie in New York where he was working as a dance teacher. They married in 1884 and had six sons. Their first son, Manfred, born in 1885, died in infancy.[3] The other children wereLeonard (Chico), born in 1887,Adolph (Harpo) in 1888,Julius (Groucho) in 1890,Milton (Gummo) in 1892, andHerbert (Zeppo) in 1901. Marx was an excellentpinochle player and taught the game to his two eldest sons.
Marx became a tailor. According to Groucho, he was a talented cook, often convincing the landlord to delay their rent pay time with a good meal.[4] In his showAn Evening With Groucho, Groucho said:[5]
"My father was a tailor, and a very bad one, and Chico was always short of money, and he used to hock my father's shears, so whenever my father made a suit, of course it didn't fit, and the shears would be hanging up in the pawnshop on Ninety-first Street."
In his last interview, Zeppo joked that his late father "was a very bad tailor but he found some people who were so stupid that they would buy his clothes, and so he'd make a few dollars that way for food".[6]
Marx made acameo appearance in his four sons' filmMonkey Business (1931),[7] sitting on top of luggage behind the brothers on the pier as they wave to the First Officer, having slipped off the ship without being arrested as stowaways. (In some interviews, this scene has been mistakenly attributed toA Night at the Opera.)
Marx died in Hollywood, California, on May 10, 1933, from complications due tokidney failure, aged 73.[7]
He was survived by his brother-in-lawAl Shean, sonsChico,Harpo,Groucho,Gummo andZeppo Marx and grandchildren Maxine,Arthur,Miriam and Robert "Bob" Marx. He was interred atMount Carmel Cemetery inGlendale, Queens next to his late wifeMinnie (who predeceased him in September 1929).
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