Marx Brothers

All five Marx brothers, the eldest of whom was Leonard Joseph Marx (Chico, 1887–1961), were born to Minnie (née Schoenberg) and Samuel Marx in New York City. Minnie helped introduce her sons to the performing arts by way of her brother Abraham Schoenberg, who performed on the vaudeville stage as Al Shean in the duo Gallagher and Shean. Using the name Minnie Palmer, the Marx Brothers’ mother later managed the comedy troupe of which Chico, Harpo, and Groucho formed the core. Chico built his stage persona around popular American stereotypes of Italians, a caricature often used to set up punch lines for the brothers’ acts. Following Minnie Marx’s death in 1929, Chico became the informal manager for the Marx Brothers. He died in Hollywood.