Dedicated to the wit and comedy of Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, and Gummo
Zeppo Marx
Birth name
Herbert Marx Date of birth (location)
February 5, 1901
New York, NY Date of death (details)
Nov 30, 1979 Palm Springs, California (cancer) Height
5' 8" Married
Barbara Blakely (1962-1972)divorced
Marion Benda (1927-1954)divorced Bio
The youngest of the Marx Brothers, Zeppo was put into the role of the straight man after his brother, Gummo, left the act. Zeppo also acted as an understudy to all three of his brothers, and he has been said to have played Grouchos part better than Groucho himself! After playing small parts in the first five Marx Brothers movies, Zeppo felt his talent wasnt being used to its full extent and left the act to join Gummo as an agent. Somewhat of a mechanical whiz, Zeppo invented a wristwatch that would monitor the pulse rate of cardiac patients, and his company, Marman Products, produced clamping devices which were used in the first atomic bomb raids over Japan in 1945. Zeppo died on November 30th, 1979 from cancer.When Milton "Gummo" Marx left the troupe of brothers early in their Vaudville days to become a manufacturer, Zeppo, the youngest of the 5 Marx Brothers, joined the troupe as the new Marx Brother. Zeppo was the least zaniest of the quartet and would alwyas play the straight man to the other brothers. After doing 5 movies, Duck Soup was the last, Zeppo decided that he did not fit in as a straight man in a comedy troupe. He left the group to start a talent management company in Hollywood, and was later joined by Gummo to help run it. In 1969, Zeppo Marx patented a wristwatch for cardiac patients, from which an alarm would sound if the wearer went into caridiac arrest. One of Zeppo's best movie appearances was "Horsefeathers", where he sang "Everyone Says I Love You", displaying a fine tenor voice used in the Marx Brothers stage hits. Usually played the romantic straight man in films with his brothers.
Since he'd missed out when his brothers received their nicknames, he was given one by his siblings. He was always practicing acrobatics, so he was named "Zippo" -- after a "Mr. Zippo," the star of a well-known chimpanzee act. Feeling it was unflattering, he insisted it be Zeppo.
Trivia
Ashes scattered at sea.
Throughout his life, he had many careers such as being a commercial fisherman and growing grapefruits.
