Margaret Dumont

Margaret Dumont (October 20, 1882 – March 6, 1965) was an American comedic actress. She is remembered mostly for being the comic foil to Groucho Marx in seven of the Marx Brothers films. Groucho called her "practically the fifth Marx brother" (In fact, there were five Marx brothers, but only four of them ever performed together on film). Born Daisy Juliette Baker in Brooklyn, New York she adopted the stage name Margaret (and/or Marguerite) Dumont... more

Margaret Dumont (October 20, 1882 – March 6, 1965) was an American comedic actress. She is remembered mostly for being the comic foil to Groucho Marx in seven of the Marx Brothers films. Groucho called her "practically the fifth Marx brother" (In fact, there were five Marx brothers, but only four of them ever performed together on film). Born Daisy Juliette Baker in Brooklyn, New York she adopted the stage name Margaret (and/or Marguerite) Dumont. Dumont played wealthy high-society, posh-voiced widows who Groucho alternately insulted and romanced for their money. The roles are Mrs. Potter in The Cocoanuts (1929), Mrs. Rittenhouse in Animal Crackers (1930), Mrs. Gloria Teasdale in Duck Soup (1933), Mrs. Claypool in A Night at the Opera (1935), Emily Upjohn in A Day at the Races (1937), Mrs. Suzanna Dukesbury in At the Circus (1939), and Martha Phelps in The Big Store (1941). Groucho once said that many people believed they were married in real life, even though they were not. A typical... less