Curly Howard, whose real name was Jerome Lester Horwitz (October 22, 1903 - January 18, 1952), was one of the Three Stooges. His name, especially on marquees, sometimes appeared as "Curley".

He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

When he was twelve, he shot himself in the ankle while playing with a rifle. He ended up with a small limp afterwards. He took up ballroom dancing, partly to overcome the limp.

He joined the other Stooges in 1932 when Shemp walked out. At first thought to be too handsome to be a Stooge, one of the conditions was that he had to shave off his mustache and wavy hair. He did, but insisted on being called "Curly". Later the act moved to the movie screen. Two of his most famous lines were, "N'yuk! N'yuk! N'yuk!" and "Woooo! Woooo! Woooo!".

The income from his successful career was carelessly spent, often leaving Curly near poverty. He began to drink and spend money on houses, cars, food, dogs and women. He was married four times, including a youthful marriage which was annuled in six months. Offstage, Curly was a quiet, introverted person.

Curly's physical and mental health began to deteriorate in 1945. After a stroke in 1946, he had to retire from the Stooges. After a stroke in 1949, he was confined to a wheelchair.

He died in San Gabriel, California.

External links

• Extensive biographical page