Harpo Marx

Born as Adolph Deur Marx, famous as Harpo Marx was a man who had many feathers in his hat. An Actor, a Mime star, a Musician, and famous for his curly reddish blonde hair wig. Harpo’s comic style was a pure visual treat! No dialogues, nothing verbal just whistling sometimes to communicate with audiences. He was a Prop star who used horn cone, tape, bulb horn, etc. in his acts. He was born in a Jewish family to Sam Marx and Minnie Schoenberg Marx in New York City.

Harpo was a dropout but got a little formal education & left the school at the age of eight all because of bullying. He started odd jobs with brother Chico to help the family like working as an office boy, to selling newspapers to even working in a butcher’s shop. In the year 1910, Harpo joined with his both brothers Julius (American comedian, Film and TV star) & Milton (Actor, Comedian & Theatrical Agent)to form “The Three Nightingales’’ later changing it to “The Marx Brothers.’’ Julius while remembering his brother wrote that Harpo was very clumsy in learning dialogues hence chose to Mime.

Harpo got his stage name from the dealer at Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg because he was the only one who knew how to tune the Harp which he learned holding from a picture of an angel.“Humour Risk” with his brother in 1921 was his first screen appearance, but “Too many kisses” was his solo act in a silent movie with one and only line ever spoken by Harpo ‘”You sure you can’t move. Harpo communicated through his vivid expressions and mime.

In Moscow, he did a tour where he stayed for six weeks as US goodwill ambassador for US diplomatic relation with The Soviet Union and became friends with foreign minister Maxim Litvinov and performed stage together. During his stay, he used to smuggle messages to and from the US embassy. He appeared in a sitcom named ‘’I Love Lucy’’ in 1955. In the 1960s, he made television appearances in various shows like The DuPont shows with June Allyson, Play your hunch, Candid camera, I’ve got a secret, Here’s Hollywood, The red skeleton show and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

He married to actress Susan Fleming. President Franklin Roosevelt sent a telegram to congratulate the couple The couple adopted four kids Bill, Alex, Jimmy & Minnie. He told that he wants as many kids as he has windows in his house, so every child from every window waves him goodbye. Harpo was rather a silent person because he spoke very less although as confirmed by his son Bill he had a husky matured soft voice. On January 19, 1963, Harpo announced his retirement & took several minutes to speak about his work in entertainment industry.

On September 28, 1964, on his 28th marriage anniversary, he set for heavenly abode in West Los Angeles after heart surgery aged 74. His remains were cremated & the ashes were dispersed at a golf course in Rancho Mirage, California. Harpo is known for his signature outfit: a trench coat, large coat pockets, and red wig.