Margaret Dumont

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

59

Gender

Female

Birthday

1882-10-19

Day of death

1965-03-06 (82 years old)

Place of Birth

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Margaret Dumont

Biography

Margaret Dumont would probably consider it a tragedy that she is best-known for her performances as the ultimate straight woman in seven of the Marx Brothers' films (including most of their best). By all accounts she never understood their jokes (offscreen and on), which is of course a major reason why she's so funny. Apart from a small role in a 1917 Dickens adaptation, she spent her early career on the stage, ending up with the Marxes in the late 1920s in the stage versions of The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930), and was given a Paramount contract at the same time they were. She played similar roles alongside other great comedians, including W.C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy and Jack Benny and also played straight dramatic parts (her chief love), but few of them made much impact - it is as Groucho Marx's foil that she ranks among the immortals, and she died shortly after being reunited with him on "The Hollywood Palace" (1964).

Known For

  • The Donna Reed Show

    The Donna Reed Show

  • The Colgate Comedy Hour

    The Colgate Comedy Hour

  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

  • Racket Squad

    Racket Squad

  • Youth on Parole

    Youth on Parole

  • A Night at the Opera

    A Night at the Opera

  • Kentucky Kernels

    Kentucky Kernels

  • The Cocoanuts

    The Cocoanuts

  • Song and Dance Man

    Song and Dance Man

  • Tales of Manhattan

    Tales of Manhattan

  • Animal Crackers

    Animal Crackers

  • Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

    Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

  • What a Way to Go!

    What a Way to Go!

  • Sunset in El Dorado

    Sunset in El Dorado

  • Reckless

    Reckless

  • A Day at the Races

    A Day at the Races

  • Arbor Day

    Arbor Day

  • Duck Soup

    Duck Soup

  • Sing Your Worries Away

    Sing Your Worries Away

  • Dramatic School

    Dramatic School

  • At the Circus

    At the Circus

  • Up in Arms

    Up in Arms

  • Rhythm Parade

    Rhythm Parade

  • Diamond Horseshoe

    Diamond Horseshoe

  • Storm at Daybreak

    Storm at Daybreak

  • The Hollywood Clowns

    The Hollywood Clowns

  • Shake, Rattle and Rock!

    Shake, Rattle and Rock!

  • Hollywood: The Dream Factory

    Hollywood: The Dream Factory

  • Enemies of Women

    Enemies of Women

  • Gypsy Sweetheart

    Gypsy Sweetheart

  • The Big Store

    The Big Store

  • For Beauty's Sake

    For Beauty's Sake

  • Here, Prince

    Here, Prince

  • Stop, You're Killing Me

    Stop, You're Killing Me

  • Anything Goes

    Anything Goes

  • The Girl Habit

    The Girl Habit

  • After Office Hours

    After Office Hours

  • Auntie Mame

    Auntie Mame

  • Zotz!

    Zotz!

  • The Life of the Party

    The Life of the Party

  • Little Giant

    Little Giant

  • Bathing Beauty

    Bathing Beauty

  • Seven Days Ashore

    Seven Days Ashore

  • Gridiron Flash

    Gridiron Flash

  • A Tale of Two Cities

    A Tale of Two Cities

  • Rendezvous

    Rendezvous

  • That's Entertainment, Part II

    That's Entertainment, Part II

  • Fifteen Wives

    Fifteen Wives

  • About Face

    About Face

  • Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults

    Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults

  • The Horn Blows at Midnight

    The Horn Blows at Midnight

  • Born to Sing

    Born to Sing

  • The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell

    The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell

  • Never Give a Sucker an Even Break

    Never Give a Sucker an Even Break

  • Wise Girl

    Wise Girl

  • The Dancing Masters

    The Dancing Masters

  • Three for Bedroom C

    Three for Bedroom C

  • Wonderland of California

    Wonderland of California

  • High Flyers

    High Flyers