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Margaret Dumont(1882-1965)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Margaret Dumont
Margaret Dumont would not 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). It is a popular myth that she never understood their jokes (offscreen and on); restored footage of Groucho's "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" shows her laughing at his ad libs. 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).
BornOctober 20, 1882
DiedMarch 6, 1965(82)
BornOctober 20, 1882
DiedMarch 6, 1965(82)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

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Known for

Groucho Marx, Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera (1935)
A Night at the Opera
7.8
  • Mrs. Claypool
  • 1935
Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in Duck Soup (1933)
Duck Soup
7.7
  • Gloria Teasdale
  • 1933
Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in Animal Crackers (1930)
Animal Crackers
7.4
  • Mrs. Rittenhouse
  • 1930
Groucho Marx, Mary Eaton, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, Oscar Shaw, and The Marx Brothers in The Cocoanuts (1929)
The Cocoanuts
6.8
  • Mrs. Potter
  • 1929

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress



  • Gene Kelly, Robert Mitchum, Paul Newman, Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin, Dick Van Dyke, and Robert Cummings in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    What a Way to Go!
    6.9
    • Mrs. Foster
    • 1964
  • Julia Meade and Tom Poston in Zotz! (1962)
    Zotz!
    5.9
    • Persephone Updike
    • 1962
  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1956)
    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Dowager no. 1
    • 1960
  • The Donna Reed Show (1958)
    The Donna Reed Show
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Mrs. Westcott Trilling
    • 1959
  • Coral Browne, Peggy Cass, Fred Clark, Patric Knowles, Rosalind Russell, Roger Smith, and Forrest Tucker in Auntie Mame (1958)
    Auntie Mame
    7.9
    • Noblewoman in Play (uncredited)
    • 1958
  • Hal Baylor, Hans Conried, and Chuck Hicks in Schlitz Playhouse (1951)
    Schlitz Playhouse
    7.4
    TV Series
    • 1958
  • Shake, Rattle & Rock! (1956)
    Shake, Rattle & Rock!
    5.6
    • Georgianna Fitzdingle
    • 1956
  • Studio 57 (1954)
    Studio 57
    7.0
    TV Series
    • Mrs. Sabine
    • 1956
  • Bob Hope in The Bob Hope Show (1950)
    The Bob Hope Show
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Lady Fabian
    • 1956
  • Mary Shipp and Marie Wilson in My Friend Irma (1952)
    My Friend Irma
    6.9
    TV Series
    • Mrs. Richard Rhinelander Jr
    • 1953
  • Hollywood Opening Night
    5.8
    TV Series
    • 1953
  • Stop, You're Killing Me (1952)
    Stop, You're Killing Me
    6.1
    • Mrs. Harriet Whitelaw
    • 1952
  • Gloria Swanson and James Warren in Three for Bedroom C (1952)
    Three for Bedroom C
    5.6
    • Mrs. Agnes Hawthorne
    • 1952
  • Stuart Erwin in The Stu Erwin Show (1950)
    The Stu Erwin Show
    6.8
    TV Series
    • Mrs. Selkirk
    • 1951–1952
  • Chevron Theatre (1952)
    Chevron Theatre
    6.6
    TV Series
    • 1952

Soundtrack



  • Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Marcy McGuire, Elaine Shepard, Freddie Slack, Amelita Ward, and Freddie Slack and His Orchestra in Seven Days Ashore (1944)
    Seven Days Ashore
    5.4
    • performer: "Sobre las Olas (Over the Waves)" (1887) (uncredited)
    • 1944
  • Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in Duck Soup (1933)
    Duck Soup
    7.7
    • performer: "His Excellency Is Due" (1933), "These Are the Laws of My Administration" (1933) (uncredited)
    • 1933
  • Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in Animal Crackers (1930)
    Animal Crackers
    7.4
    • performer: "Hello, I Must Be Going" (1930), "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" (1928) (uncredited)
    • 1930

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Daisy Baker
  • Height
    • 5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
  • Born
    • October 20, 1882
    • Brooklyn, New York, USA
  • Died
    • March 6, 1965
    • Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • John Moller, Jr.September 22, 1910 - December 24, 1918 (his death)
  • Other works
    The Fan (1921). Satire. Book adapted by Pitts Duffield. Based on the French play by Robert de Flers and Gaston Armand De Caillavet. Directed by Edgar J. MacGregor. Punch and Judy Theatre: 3 Oct 1921- Oct 1921 (closing date unknown/32 performances). Cast: Margaret Dumont (as "Madame Oviedo"), Jackson Dunn (as "Pierre"), Harold Heaton (as "Jacques de Landeve"), Horace James (as "Monsieur Oviedo"), Eva Leonard Boyne (as "Germaine de Landeve"), Ian Maclaren (as "François Trevoux"), Rosalie Mathieu (as "Therese"), Beatrice Miller (as "Blanch Bertier"), J.A. Osborne (as "Michel"), Hilda Spong (as "Giselle Vaudrey"), Frank Sylvester (as "Garin-Miclaux"), Edward H. Wever (as "Marc d'Arnot").
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    She was bald and wore wigs for several years on and off camera.
  • Quotes
    [on first joining the Marx Brothers act] After three weeks as a leading lady, Groucho had pushed me out of windows, pulled chairs out from under me, broiled steaks in the fireplace of my apartment, put frogs in my bathtub and made my life miserable, on the stage and off.
  • Trademark
      Best known as her roles as the haughty straight woman for the Marx Brothers.

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Margaret Dumont die?
    March 6, 1965
  • How did Margaret Dumont die?
    Heart attack
  • How old was Margaret Dumont when she died?
    82 years old
  • Where did Margaret Dumont die?
    Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • When was Margaret Dumont born?
    October 20, 1882

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