Margaret Dumont

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

60

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

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

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

  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

  • What a Way to Go!

    What a Way to Go!

  • Three for Bedroom C

    Three for Bedroom C

  • Animal Crackers

    Animal Crackers

  • Arbor Day

    Arbor Day

  • Rhythm Parade

    Rhythm Parade

  • Zotz!

    Zotz!

  • Kentucky Kernels

    Kentucky Kernels

  • Fifteen Wives

    Fifteen Wives

  • Rendezvous

    Rendezvous

  • The Cocoanuts

    The Cocoanuts

  • Duck Soup

    Duck Soup

  • Here, Prince

    Here, Prince

  • Bathing Beauty

    Bathing Beauty

  • Racket Squad

    Racket Squad

  • Anything Goes

    Anything Goes

  • Dramatic School

    Dramatic School

  • Reckless

    Reckless

  • A Night at the Opera

    A Night at the Opera

  • Diamond Horseshoe

    Diamond Horseshoe

  • About Face

    About Face

  • Little Giant

    Little Giant

  • Shake, Rattle and Rock!

    Shake, Rattle and Rock!

  • Auntie Mame

    Auntie Mame

  • A Day at the Races

    A Day at the Races

  • Gridiron Flash

    Gridiron Flash

  • The Big Store

    The Big Store

  • The Horn Blows at Midnight

    The Horn Blows at Midnight

  • Up in Arms

    Up in Arms

  • After Office Hours

    After Office Hours

  • The Life of the Party

    The Life of the Party

  • For Beauty's Sake

    For Beauty's Sake

  • At the Circus

    At the Circus

  • Sing Your Worries Away

    Sing Your Worries Away

  • Youth on Parole

    Youth on Parole

  • Storm at Daybreak

    Storm at Daybreak

  • Never Give a Sucker an Even Break

    Never Give a Sucker an Even Break

  • Stop, You're Killing Me

    Stop, You're Killing Me

  • The Girl Habit

    The Girl Habit

  • Sunset in El Dorado

    Sunset in El Dorado

  • Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

    Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

  • Tales of Manhattan

    Tales of Manhattan

  • Hollywood: The Dream Factory

    Hollywood: The Dream Factory

  • Song and Dance Man

    Song and Dance Man

  • That's Entertainment, Part II

    That's Entertainment, Part II

  • Seven Days Ashore

    Seven Days Ashore

  • Born to Sing

    Born to Sing

  • The Dancing Masters

    The Dancing Masters

  • The Hollywood Clowns

    The Hollywood Clowns

  • Wise Girl

    Wise Girl

  • Enemies of Women

    Enemies of Women

  • The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell

    The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell

  • A Tale of Two Cities

    A Tale of Two Cities

  • High Flyers

    High Flyers

  • Gypsy Sweetheart

    Gypsy Sweetheart

  • Wonderland of California

    Wonderland of California

  • Around the World with Nellie Bly

    Around the World with Nellie Bly