Marx Brothers (Chico [Leonard, 1887–1961], Harpo [Adolph or Arthur, 1888–1964], Groucho [Julius Henry, 1890-1977], Gummo [Milton, 1892–1977], Zeppo [Herbert, 1901–1979])

The Marx Brothers—in varying combinations—began performing onstage in 1904, earned a reputation on Broadway (for their 1924 musical-comedy revue I’ll Say She Is, which was followed by other stage hits), but claimed an international reputation for their films, beginning in 1929 with The Cocoanuts and continuing through the 1930s with Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932), Duck Soup (1933) A Night at the Opera (1935), and A Day at the Races (1937). Their exuberantly absurdist humor skewered all that was socially respectable—with hilarious results.