Leonard (Chico) Marx was a hustler from a young age, and in order to navigate the various gang territories he had to pass through to get to a new pool hall or a floating crap game, he learned to fake several accents. This allowed him to blend in and avoid detection, allowing him to continue his hustling activities.
Chico Marx is a member of Actor
Age, Biography and Wiki
💰 Net worth
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A Night at the Opera (1935)
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$175,000 + 15% of gross |
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A Day at the Races (1937)
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$175,000 + 15% of gross |
As a kid trying to negotiate his way through various gang territories to a floating crap game or a new pool hall where he was not yet known as a hustler, Leonard (Chico) Marx learned to fake several accents. Because he later employed an Italian accent in the Marx Brothers' act, people assumed his name was pronounced "Cheeko." Instead, Leonard was dubbed "Chicko" for his other consuming passion, women (or "chicks"), at which he was more successful than gambling, but when a typesetter dropped the "k" out of his name, the brothers let it stay as Chico. Chico was the brother who guided the Marxes to stardom. He took over the act's managment (amicably) from their mother, Minnie, and through audacity and charm, Chico secured the Brothers their first international (London) booking, their first Broadway show and their MGM contract with Irving Thalberg, among other successes.
