Curly Howard

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Curly Howard; Scene from the short film Disorder in the Court (1936)

Curly Howard (born October 22, 1903 in Brooklyn , New York City , † January 18, 1952 in San Gabriel , California ; actually Jerome Lester Horwitz ) was an American comedian.

Life

Curly was born the youngest of five sons of Jennie Mary (1870-1939) and Solomon Nathan Horwitz (1872-1943). His brothers were Irving (1891-1939), Benjamin Jacob (1893-1976), Shemp (1895-1955) and Moe (1897-1975).

He was temporarily a member of the comedian troupe The Three Stooges , which he joined in 1932 when his brother Shemp Howard left, and which celebrated its greatest successes during this phase. For the sake of comedy he shaved bald and called himself Curly ( curly hair ). He quickly became the most popular member of the Stooges.

After his first marriage was annulled, he married Elaine Ackerman on June 7, 1937. His daughter Marilyn was born in 1938, but the marriage ended in divorce in July 1940. In 1945 he married Marion Buxbaum, his third wife, from whom he separated after only three months of an unhappy marriage. The divorce came about amid scandals and dirty laundry washing in public. Curly had led a dissolute life, and this was not without consequences in the long run: soon after his separation, his health began to deteriorate rapidly. On May 6, 1946, he suffered a first stroke while filming an episode of Drei Stooges . On July 31, 1947, he married his fourth wife, Valerie Newman. She also cared for him when his health deteriorated further. In 1948, Curly's daughter Janie was born. In 1949 he had several strokes and spent most of the time in hospitals and sanatoriums. Valerie nursed him until his death on January 18, 1952, when Curly Howard succumbed to a massive brain hemorrhage at the age of 48 . He was buried in the Home of Peace Memorial Park in East Los Angeles.

Filmography (selection)

  • 1933: Nertsery Rhymes (short film)
  • 1933: Broadway to Hollywood
  • 1934: Fugitive Lovers
  • 1934: Operator 13
  • 1938: Wee Wee Monsieur (short film)
  • 1941: Some More of Samoa (short film)
  • 1947: Hold that Lion! (Short film)

Web links

Commons : Curly Howard  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Jerome Howard of Three Stooges Fame Succumbs," Los Angeles Times, Jan 19, 1952, Part I, page 4.
personal data
SURNAME Howard, Curly
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Horwitz, Jerome Lester (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American comedian
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York City
DATE OF DEATH January 18, 1952
Place of death San Gabriel , California