Biography
Margaret Dumont was an American stage and film actress. She is best known for her roles as the wealthy, often flustered straight woman opposite the Marx Brothers in seven of their films, including Duck Soup (1933) as Mrs Gloria Teasdale, Animal Crackers (1930) as Mrs Rittenhouse, The Cocoanuts (1929) as Mrs Potter, A Night at the Opera (1935) as Mrs Claypool and A Day at the Races (1937) as Mrs Upjohn.
Born Daisy Juliette Baker in Brooklyn, New York, she began her career on the stage around 1902 and appeared in the Broadway productions of The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers before reprising the roles on screen. She also played similar parts alongside other comedians such as W. C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, and Jack Benny, and took occasional straight dramatic roles.
Dumont died in Hollywood, California, on 6 March 1965.
