"What's the shape of the world?" was a question brother Groucho Marx (playing a teacher, with Chico as a student) asked in one of their early routines; years later, the two used the question to cheer each other up.
W.C. Fields said that The Marx Brothers were the only act he couldn't follow on the live stage. He is known to have appeared on the same bill with them only once, during an engagement at Keith's Orpheum Theatre in Columbus, OH, in January 1915. At the time the Marx Brothers were touring "Home Again", and it didn't take Fields long to realize how his quiet comedy juggling act was faring against the anarchy of the Marxes. Fields later wrote of the engagement (and the Marxes), "They sang, danced, played harp and kidded in zany style. Never saw so much nepotism or such hilarious laughter in one act in my life. The only act I could never follow . . . I told the manager I broke my wrist and quit.".
Allegedly, during the opening night party for their Broadway run of 'The Cocoanuts', Groucho informed Chico that Tallulah Bankhead had just walked into the room and wanted to meet him. Chico strode up to Bankhead and introduced himself with, "Miss Bankhead, I would like to fuck you". Bankhead laughed and replied "So you shall darling, so you shall". The story has since become a part of show business lore.
Before he was born, his parents gave birth to a son named Manfred, who died in infancy 6 months afterwards.
Chico Marx' birth name was Leonard Marx. The origin of his stage name is a commentary on his habitual womanizing. During the Marx Brothers' vaudeville days, show business slang for a woman was 'chick,' and Leonard Marx was rarely seen without a woman. Because all of the Marx brothers were adopting stage names ending with the letter 'O,' Leonard Marx's stage name became 'Chicko,' spelled with the 'K' intact and pronounced with a soft 'I.' An early Broadway program, however, misspelled 'Chicko,' omitting the 'K.' Rather than reprint the program, Leonard began spelling his stage name 'Chico.' The correct pronunciation, however, remained 'Chick-oh,' with the accent on the syllable 'Chick.' Leonard and the other Marx brothers always used that pronunciation.
Father of Maxine Marx, from his marriage to Betty Carp.
Father-in-law of Shamus Culhane.
He and Harpo were usually mistaken as twins when they were young.
He was portrayed by actor Irwin Pearl in the Broadway show, "Minnie's Boys", which ran at the Imperial Theatre for 80 performances, from Mar 26 to May 30, 1970.
He was voted as one of The Marx Brothers the 62nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA, in the Freedom Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Worship.
Nephew of actor Al Shean.
Son of Sam Marx and Minnie Palmer.
The famous phrase "Well, who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?" is often referred to as a Groucho Marx quote, but it was actually delivered by Chico, in his characteristic Italian accent, in Duck Soup (1933) , playing the character Chicolini while impersonating Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho).
The oldest of The Marx Brothers, he was a gambling addict and initially joined his brothers' act to pay off debts. However, he became the unofficial manager of the group once he joined (taking over from his mother), using the hustling charms he attained as a gambler to further The Marx Brothers' fortunes.
Unmade-up and out of costume, the resemblance between Chico and his brother Harpo Marx was extraordinary. On the TV game show "I've Got a Secret" (1952), Chico once appeared in Harpo's wig and costume, with the "secret" "I'm Pretending To Be Harpo Marx (I'm Chico)" and fooled all the panelists - including Groucho Marx.