Acting · Brooklyn, New York, USA · Born October 19, 1882
Margaret Dumont would probably 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). By all accounts she never understood their jokes (offscreen and on), which is of course a major reason why she's so funny. 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).
MovieHidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults
1999
as (archive footage)
MovieThe Marx Brothers in a Nutshell
1982
as (archive footage)
MovieThe Hollywood Clowns
1979
as (archive footage)
MovieThat's Entertainment, Part II
1976
as (archive footage)
MovieBrother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
as Self (archive footage)
MovieHollywood: The Dream Factory
1972
as Self (archive footage)
MovieWhat a Way to Go!
1964
as Mrs. Foster
MovieZotz!
1962
as Persephone Updike
MovieAround the World with Nellie Bly
1960
as Dowager #1
MovieAuntie Mame
1958
as Noblewoman in Play (uncredited)
TVThe Donna Reed Show
1958
MovieShake, Rattle and Rock!
1956
as Georgianna Fitzdingle
TVThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956
as Self
MovieStop, You're Killing Me
1952
as Mrs. Whitelaw
MovieThree for Bedroom C
1952
as Mrs. Agnes Hawthorne
TVRacket Squad
1951
TVThe Colgate Comedy Hour
1950
as Self
MovieSusie Steps Out
1946
as Mrs. Starr
MovieLittle Giant
1946
as Mrs. Hendrickson
MovieSunset in El Dorado
1945
as Aunt Dolly / Aunt Arabella
MovieDiamond Horseshoe
1945
as Mrs. Standish
MovieThe Horn Blows at Midnight
1945
as Mme. Traviata / Miss Rodholder
MovieBathing Beauty
1944
as Mrs. Allenwood
MovieSeven Days Ashore
1944
as Mrs. Croxton-Lynch
MovieUp in Arms
1944
as Mrs. Willoughby
MovieThe Dancing Masters
1943
as Louise Harlan
MovieRhythm Parade
1942
as Ophelia MacDougal
MovieTales of Manhattan
1942
as Mme. Langehanke (uncredited)
MovieAbout Face
1942
as Mrs. Culpepper
MovieSing Your Worries Away
1942
as Flo Faulkner - Landlady
MovieBorn to Sing
1942
as Mrs. E. V. Lawson
MovieNever Give a Sucker an Even Break
1941
as Mrs. Hemogloben
MovieThe Big Store
1941
as Martha Phelps
MovieFor Beauty's Sake
1941
as Mrs. Franklin Evans
MovieAt the Circus
1939
as Mrs. Suzanna Dukesbury
MovieDramatic School
1938
as Pantomime Teacher
MovieWise Girl
1937
as Mrs. Bell-Rivington
MovieHigh Flyers
1937
as Martha Arlington
MovieYouth on Parole
1937
as Mrs. Abernathy
MovieThe Life of the Party
1937
as Mrs. Penner
MovieA Day at the Races
1937
as Emily Upjohn
MovieArbor Day
1936
as Woman Outside (uncredited)
MovieSong and Dance Man
1936
as Mrs. Whitney
MovieAnything Goes
1936
as Mrs. Wentworth
MovieA Night at the Opera
1935
as Mrs. Claypool
MovieRendezvous
1935
as Mrs. Hendricks (uncredited)
MovieReckless
1935
as Woman in Audience Yelling 'Get Off the Stage' (uncredited)
Gypsy Sweetheart
1935
as Mrs. Van Updyke
MovieAfter Office Hours
1935
as Mrs. Murchison (uncredited)
MovieKentucky Kernels
1934
as Mrs. Baxter
MovieGridiron Flash
1934
as Mrs. Fields
MovieFifteen Wives
1934
as Sybilla Crum
MovieDuck Soup
1933
as Gloria Teasdale
MovieStorm at Daybreak
1933
as Duchess Sophie (uncredited)
MovieWonderland of California
1933
as Self
Here, Prince
1932
as The Queen of Deleria (uncredited)
MovieThe Girl Habit
1931
as Blanche Ledyard
MovieAnimal Crackers
1930
as Mrs. Rittenhouse
MovieThe Cocoanuts
1929
as Mrs. Potter
MovieEnemies of Women
1923
as French Beauty
MovieA Tale of Two Cities
1917
as Aristocrat (uncredited)
