Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthdate
1895-03-11
Day of Death
1955-11-22
Place of Birth
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Shemp Howard
Biography
Samuel (born Shmuel) Horwitz (March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955), known professionally as Shemp Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He is best known today for his role as the third stooge in the Three Stooges, a role he first portrayed at the beginning of the act in the early 1920s (1923–1932) while the act was still associated with Ted Healy and known as "Ted Healy and his Stooges", and again from 1946 until his death in 1955. Between his times with the Stooges, Shemp had a successful film career as a solo comedian. He was born in Manhattan, New York and raised in Brooklyn, the third-born of five Horwitz brothers, sons of Lithuanian Jewish parents. Moses - professionally known as Moe Howard - and Jerome - professionally known as Curly Howard - were his younger brothers. Throughout his career Shemp seldom stuck to the script and would liven up scenes with ad-libbed incidental dialogue or wisecracks. This became a trademark of his performances. His most notable characteristic as a Stooge was a high-pitched "bee-bee-bee-bee-bee-bee!" sound, a sort of soft screech done by inhaling. It became his signature sound. He used his somewhat homely appearance for comic effect, often mugging grotesquely or allowing his hair to fall in disarray. Shemp was married to the former Gertrude Frank, whom he wed in September 1925. The couple had one child, Morton (1926–1972). On November 22, 1955, while returning home in a taxicab following attending a boxing match with friends, Shemp, age 60, died of a sudden massive heart attack. The Three Stooges have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street.
Filmography (198)
Three Stooges Comedy Collection
2024
Stooge O-Rama: The Men Behind the Mayhem - And Even More Mayhem!
2023
The Three Stooges in 3D
2012
The Three Stooges: Five of Their Greatest Shorts
2009
Shemp Cocktail: A Toast to the Original Stooge
2008
Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Special
2003
The Three Stooges Story
2001
The Three Stooges: Kings Of Laughter
2001The Three Stooges - Simply Hilarious
2000
The Three Stooges Greatest Hits!
1997
The Lost Stooges
1990
Classic Comedy Teams
1986Three Stooges: Greatest Routines
1964
Triple Crossed
1959
