51 Facts About Curly Howard

Jerome Lester Horwitz, better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor.

Curly Howard was best known as a member of the American comedy team the Three Stooges, which featured his elder brothers Moe and Shemp Howard and actor Larry Fine.

Curly Howard was generally considered the most popular and recognizable of the Stooges.

An untrained actor, Curly borrowed the "woo woo" from "nervous" comedian Hugh Herbert.

Curly Howard had to leave the Three Stooges act in May 1946 when a massive stroke ended his show business career.

Curly Howard suffered serious health problems and several more strokes until his death in 1952 at age 48.

Curly Howard was born Jerome Lester Horwitz in the Bensonhurst section of the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on October 22,1903.

However, when his elder brother Shemp Howard married Gertrude Frank, who was nicknamed "Babe", the brothers called him "Curly" to avoid confusion.

Curly Howard was a mediocre student, but excelled as an athlete on the school basketball team.

Curly Howard did not graduate high school; instead, he kept himself busy with odd jobs and constantly following his older brothers, whom he idolized.

Curly Howard was an accomplished ballroom dancer and singer and regularly turned up at the Triangle Ballroom in Brooklyn, occasionally bumping into actor George Raft.

When Curly Howard was 12, he accidentally shot himself in the left ankle while cleaning a rifle.

Curly Howard was so afraid of surgery that he never had the limp corrected.

Curly Howard was interested in music and comedy, and watched his brothers Shemp and Moe perform as stooges in Ted Healy's vaudeville act.

Curly Howard liked to hang around backstage, although he never participated in any of the routines.

Curly Howard married his first wife, Julia Rosenthal, on August 5,1930, but the marriage was annulled shortly afterward.

Curly Howard left the room and returned minutes later with his head shaven.

The Stooges soon became the studio's most popular short-subject attraction, with Curly Howard playing an integral part in the trio's work.

Curly Howard was known in the act for having an "indestructible" head, which always won out by breaking anything that assaulted it, including saws.

Moe Howard later confirmed that when Curly forgot his lines, that merely allowed him to improvise on the spot so that the "take" could continue uninterrupted:.

Curly Howard developed a set of Brooklyn-accented reactions and expressions that the other Stooges would imitate long after he had left the act:.

On several occasions, Moe Curly Howard was convinced that rising star Lou Costello was stealing material from his brother.

Curly Howard was the only "third Stooge" who never made a series of his short films, without Moe or Larry, either before joining the Stooges or after leaving.

Moe Curly Howard pleaded with Harry Cohn to allow his younger brother some time off upon discharge to regain his strength, but Cohn would not halt the production of his profitable Stooge shorts and flatly refused his request.

Curly Howard had lost considerable weight, and lines had creased his face.

Moe immediately alerted White, leading the latter to rework the scene quickly, dividing the action between Moe and Larry while Curly Howard was rushed to the hospital, where Moe joined him after the filming.

Curly Howard spent several weeks at the Motion Picture Country House in Woodland Hills before returning home for further recovery.

An extant copy of the Stooges' 1947 Columbia Pictures contract was signed by all four Stooges and stipulated that Shemp's joining "in place and stead of Jerry Howard" would be only temporary until Curly recovered sufficiently to return to work full-time.

Curly Howard was visiting the set; this was sometime after his stroke.

In June 1948, Curly Howard filmed a second cameo as an angry chef for the short Malice in the Palace, but due to his illness, his performance was not deemed good enough, and his scenes were cut.

Still not fully recovered from his stroke, Curly Howard met Valerie Newman and married her on July 31,1947.

Later that year, Curly Howard suffered a second massive stroke, which left him partially paralyzed.

Curly Howard used a wheelchair by 1950 and was fed boiled rice and apples as part of his diet to reduce his weight.

Curly Howard was released after several months of treatment and medical tests, although he would return periodically until his death.

In December 1951, the North Hollywood Hospital and Sanitarium supervisor told the Howard family that Curly was becoming a problem to the nursing staff at the facility because of his mental deterioration.

Curly Howard lived the shortest life of the Stooges, dying at the age of 48.

Curly Howard was given a Jewish funeral and was buried at the Western Jewish Institute section of Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles.

Curly Howard generally kept to himself and was an introvert, rarely socializing with people unless he had been drinking.

Curly Howard refrained from engaging in the antics for which he became famous unless he was with family, performing for an audience, or intoxicated.

Curly Howard was known for his kindness to stray dogs.

Curly Howard married his second wife, Elaine Ackerman, on June 7,1937.

Curly Howard was insecure about his shaved head, believing it made him unappealing to women.

Curly Howard increasingly drank to excess and caroused to cope with his feelings of inferiority.

Curly Howard took to wearing a hat in public to convey an image of masculinity, saying he felt like a little kid with his hair shaved off.

Curly Howard never drank while performing in film or on stage, but after the work day had ended, he would head out to nightclubs where he ate, drank, and caroused to excess to cope with the stress of work.

Curly Howard was a profligate spender, especially on wine, food, women, and homes, and was often near bankruptcy.

Curly Howard found constant companionship in his dogs and often befriended strays whenever the Stooges traveled.

Curly Howard would pick up homeless dogs and take them with him from town to town until he found them a home somewhere else on the tour.

Moe urged Curly Howard to find himself a wife, hoping it would persuade his brother to finally settle down and allow his health to improve somewhat.

Curly Howard is considered by many fans and critics alike to be their favorite member of the Three Stooges.

Curly Howard was merriment personified, a creature of frantic action whose only concern was to satisfy his immediate cravings.