Alexander Knox

He died in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California. He also wrote two adventure novels, Night of the White Bear and Totem Dream. It is said he would throw away good cards (with the knowledge of spectators) to make the play "more interesting". He had major roles in The Vikings, Europa '51, The Longest Day, You Only Live Twice and Nicholas and Alexandra. He had a reputation as a world-class pinochle player. Knox was unable to follow up with any Hollywood success, and he returned to England. Because of his gambling, the brothers finally took the money as he earned it and put him on an allowance, which he stayed on until he died.

In 1944 he was chosen by Darryl F. Zanuck to star in Wilson, the biographical film about Woodrow Wilson, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Chico Marx had a lifelong gambling habit, which usually kept him short of funds, and which compelled him to continue in show business long after his brothers had retired in comfort from their Hollywood income. (Groucho continued to host the long-running televison show "You Bet Your Life" out of his love of being before an audience rather than any financial need.) The last two Marx brothers movies were made for Chico's benefit; the other brothers twice returned to the screen to bail Chico out of debt. During the 1930s he moved to London where he appeared in several movies. For a while in the 1930s and 1940s Chico led a big band; young Mel Torme began his professional career singing with the Chico Marx Orchestra. Born in Strathroy, Ontario, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts to appear on the stage. As manager he cut a deal to get the Marx Brothers a percentage of a film's gross receipts - the first of its kind in Hollywood. Alexander Knox (January 16, 1907 - April 25, 1995) was a Canadian actor. Chico became manager of the Marx Brothers after their mother Minnie, died.

As part of the act he would play passages with his thumb up and index finger straight--like a gun. He was known for "shooting" the keys of the piano. Before performances he would soak his fingers in hot water before going on instead. Groucho Marx one time said that Chico never practiced the pieces he played.

Harpo however could only play a few tunes on the piano, which often would get both brothers fired. The two brothers looked so much alike, no one could tell the difference. He would acquire the job with his piano playing skills, work for a few nights, and then substitute Harpo on one of the jobs. Sometimes Chico would even get work playing in two places at the same time.

As a young boy, he would get jobs playing piano to earn money for the Marx family. Chico was a talented pianist. Stereotyped ethnic characters were common with Vaudeville comedians, and all the Marx brothers sometimes performed "dialect characters" early in their careers, but Chico was the only one to continue this. Chico developed the "Italian" accent he used to convince some roving bullies that he was Italian, not Jewish.

A typesetter accidentally dropped the k in his name and it became Chico, but it was still pronounced as if it were Chicko. Originally nicknamed Chicko because in those days women were referred to as chicks and the guys who chased them as chicken chasers, of which he was one. Leonard Marx, known as Chico, (March 22, 1887 - October 11, 1961) was one of the Marx Brothers.