LEONARD JOSEPH ” CHICO ” MARX (22 de marzo de 1887 – 11 de octubre de 1961) fue un comediante, músico y actor estadounidense. Fue miembro de los hermanos Marx (con Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx y Zeppo Marx). Su personaje en el acto era el de un estafador encantador, sin educación pero astuto, aparentemente de origen rural italiano, que vestía ropa raída y lucía una peluca de pelo rizado y un sombrero tirolés.. En la pantalla, Chico está a menudo en alianza con Harpo, generalmente como socios en el crimen, y también se le ve con frecuencia tratando de estafar o ser más astuto que Groucho. Leonard era el mayor de los hermanos Marx en vivir más allá de la primera infancia (el primogénito Manfred Marx había muerto en la infancia). Además de su labor como intérprete, jugó un papel importante en la gestión y desarrollo del acto en sus primeros años.

Biografía y carrera
Chico nació en Manhattan, Nueva York, el 22 de marzo de 1887. Sus padres fueron Sam Marx (llamado “Frenchie” durante toda su vida) y su esposa, Minnie Schoenberg Marx. El hermano de Minnie era Al Shean. La familia Marx era judía franco-alemana. Su padre era un nativo de Alsacia que trabajaba como sastre y su madre era de Frisia Oriental en Alemania.

Chico se convirtió en el gerente no oficial de los hermanos Marx después de que su madre, Minnie , muriera en 1929. Como gerente, hizo un trato para que los hermanos recibieran un porcentaje de los ingresos brutos de una película, la primera de su tipo en Hollywood. Además, fue la conexión de Chico con Irving Thalberg de Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lo que llevó a Thalberg a fichar a los Brothers cuando estaban en una depresión profesional después de Duck Soup (1933), la última de sus películas para Paramount.

Durante un tiempo, en las décadas de 1930 y 1940, Chico dirigió una big band. El cantante Mel Tormé inició su carrera profesional cantando con la Orquesta Chico Marx. Durante la década de 1950, Chico apareció ocasionalmente en una variedad de programas de antología de televisión y algunos comerciales de televisión, de manera más memorable con Harpo en “The Incredible Jewelry Robbery”, un episodio de pantomima de General Electric Theatre en 1959.

Muerte
Chico murió de arteriosclerosis a los 74 años el 11 de octubre de 1961 en su casa de Hollywood. Fue el hermano mayor y el primero en morir.

LEONARD JOSEPH “CHICO” MARX (March 22, 1887 – October 11, 1961) was an American comedian, musician, and actor. He was a member of the Marx Brothers (with Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx and Zeppo Marx). His character on the spot was that of a charming, uneducated but cunning con man, apparently of rural Italian descent, who wore shabby clothes and sported a curly-haired wig and a Tyrolean hat. On screen, Chico is often in alliance. with Harpo, usually as partners in crime, and is also frequently seen trying to scam or outsmart Groucho. Leonard was the oldest of the Marx Brothers to live beyond early childhood (the firstborn Manfred Marx had died in infancy). In addition to his work as an interpreter, he played an important role in the management and development of the event in its early years.

Biography and career
Chico was born in Manhattan, New York, on March 22, 1887. His parents were Sam Marx (called “Frenchie” throughout his life) and his wife, Minnie Schoenberg Marx. Minnie’s brother was Al Shean. The Marx family were French-German Jews. His father was a native of Alsace who worked as a tailor and his mother was from East Frisia in Germany.

Chico became the unofficial manager of the Marx Brothers after their mother, Minnie, died in 1929. As a manager, he made a deal for the brothers to receive a percentage of the gross proceeds from a movie, the first of its kind. in Hollywood. Additionally, it was Chico’s connection to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Irving Thalberg that led Thalberg to sign the Brothers when they were in a professional slump after Duck Soup (1933), the last of his Paramount films.

For a time, in the 1930s and 1940s, Chico led a big band. The singer Mel Tormé began his professional career singing with the Chico Marx Orchestra. During the 1950s, Chico appeared occasionally on a variety of television anthology shows and some television commercials, most memorably with Harpo in “The Incredible Jewelry Robbery,” a 1959 General Electric Theater pantomime episode.
Personal life
Chico was married twice. His first marriage was to Betty Karp in 1917. Their union produced a daughter named Maxine (1918-2009). His first marriage was plagued by his infidelity, which ended in divorce in 1940; He was very close to his daughter Maxine and gave her acting lessons. Chico’s second marriage was to Mary De Vithas. They were married in 1958, three years before his death.

Death
Chico died of arteriosclerosis at age 74 on October 11, 1961 at his home in Hollywood. He was the older brother and the first to die.

Filmography
Movies of the four Marx Brothers
1921 Humor Risk
1929 The four coconuts
1930 The conflict of the Marx
1931 Freshwater Gunmen
1932 Horse feathers
1933 Goose soup.
Movies of the three Marx Brothers (without Zeppo)
1935 A night at the opera
1937 A day at the races
1938 The mess hotel
1939 An afternoon at the circus
1940 The Marx Brothers in the West
1941 Crazy Shop
1946 A night in Casablanca
1949 Canned Love
1957 The history of mankind.
Chico Marx solo movies
1950 Pope Romani.

Créditos: Tomado de Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chico_Marx