Erin Leslie Fleming (August 13, 1941 â€" April 15, 2003[1]) was a
Canadian actress best known as the companion and manager of Groucho
Marx in his final years.Fleming was born Marilyn Suzette Fleming on
August 13, 1941, in New Liskeard, Ontario, Canada. She appeared in
minor roles in six films between 1965 and 1976, during which time she
became acquainted with Groucho Marx and was hired as his secretary.
She appeared in the 1972 Woody Allen movie Everything You Always
Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask).[2]Fleming's
influence and relationship with Marx were controversial. She was
initially (and extemporaneously) hired as his secretary, but
eventually assumed the role of his manager. Many close to Marx
acknowledged that she did much to revive his popularity, by arranging
a series of personal appearances and one-man shows culminating in a
sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall, which was released on a
best-selling record album. She also lobbied for the honorary Academy
Award Marx received in 1974.[3] Others, including Groucho's son
Arthur, charged her with embezzling money and pushing the increasingly
frail Marx to the limits of his endurance, largely for her own
personal gain. There were also charges of mental and possibly physical
abuse.[4] Marx's friend, writer Sidney Sheldon wrote a roman à clef
on Fleming's relationship with Marx titled A Stranger in the Mirror,
published in 1976. [5] In a 1993 television adaptation, Lori Loughlin
performed the role inspired by Fleming.[6]
Canadian actress best known as the companion and manager of Groucho
Marx in his final years.Fleming was born Marilyn Suzette Fleming on
August 13, 1941, in New Liskeard, Ontario, Canada. She appeared in
minor roles in six films between 1965 and 1976, during which time she
became acquainted with Groucho Marx and was hired as his secretary.
She appeared in the 1972 Woody Allen movie Everything You Always
Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask).[2]Fleming's
influence and relationship with Marx were controversial. She was
initially (and extemporaneously) hired as his secretary, but
eventually assumed the role of his manager. Many close to Marx
acknowledged that she did much to revive his popularity, by arranging
a series of personal appearances and one-man shows culminating in a
sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall, which was released on a
best-selling record album. She also lobbied for the honorary Academy
Award Marx received in 1974.[3] Others, including Groucho's son
Arthur, charged her with embezzling money and pushing the increasingly
frail Marx to the limits of his endurance, largely for her own
personal gain. There were also charges of mental and possibly physical
abuse.[4] Marx's friend, writer Sidney Sheldon wrote a roman à clef
on Fleming's relationship with Marx titled A Stranger in the Mirror,
published in 1976. [5] In a 1993 television adaptation, Lori Loughlin
performed the role inspired by Fleming.[6]
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