How Each of the Three Stooges Actors Died

the three stooges were a touchstone of american comedy in a near 50-year span from 1922 to 1970 their vaudeville humor had a profound impact on the industry who can forget their slapstick style complete with frenetic farce physical foolishness and silly sound effects and though these hijinks were the foundation of their shorts the storylines often dealt in satire social commentary and class struggles in their long run the three stooges made 190 short films all filled with their signature razzmatazz what you may not realize is though they were called the three stooges it was not always the same actors throughout their filmography there were several changes and change backs in the cast unfortunately all six actors who took on the mantle of the various stooges have passed away keep watching as we examine some of the moments in the life careers and deaths of these funny men moses harry horowitz mo howard moses horowitz was better known under his stage name mo howard possibly his most memorable feature as a member of the three stooges was his distinctive hairdo which he did himself with a pair of scissors however before he became famous for his bowl-cut buffoonery mo had to work his way to the top as a youngster he would skip school to sneak away and see shows with his brother sometimes they would book singing gigs at bars it wasn't long before mo's talent was recognized comedian ted healy hired mo to be a heckler at his shows the routine would bring huge laughs healey wanted to develop the bit so he hired moe's brother shemp and another comedian larry fine the group became known as ted healy and his stooges the jokes were similar to what we'd see later on healy would be purposely interrupted on set by the three men and he would dish out abuse this was the launching pad the group needed ultimately they released their first short film soup to nuts produced by fox because their many films were produced on a shoestring budget there wasn't enough to hire stunt doubles the trio did the physical humor themselves though they became very good at it there were some injuries and it seemed mo howard took the worst of it over the years mo recalls having broken an ankle cracking ribs and suffering numerous concussions because he was the first to join the healey troupe and stayed with the stooge ensemble the entire time mo howard could be considered the first member of the group he stayed with the stooges for nearly 50 years but it was actually heavy smoking that led to his demise in 1977 mo howard died of lung cancer at age 77. his autobiography detailing the stories of his stooging was published posthumously the comedian also has a star on the hollywood walk of fame lewis feinberg larry fine louis feinberg went by the stage name larry fine along with mo he was the other longtime member of the stooges his career began with music out of necessity when he was a young boy there was an accident with the acid his father used in his capacity as a jeweler fine was about to mistakenly drink the acid when his father knocked it away though it saved his life fein's arm was badly burned to rebuild the muscles it was suggested he'd take up violin years of musical practice pushed larry towards the stage playing gigs as a vaudeville violinist larry met ted healy after noticing his talent both musically and comedically healey signed fine onto his stooges team along with healy mo larry and champ were finally a group as the three stooges developed their routine larry fell into the natural position as the straight man he would act as the go-between and sometimes the voice of reason for the bickering brothers mo and shemp unlike mo larry didn't do well financially he was terrible with money management much of his pay was pumped into his gambling addiction or lent to friends he too had a prolific 50-year career with the stooges in 1970 feins suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed he lived his final years in a nursing home where he was always available to dazzle fans with his stoogen five years later he had additional strokes that led to his death at age 72. while he was certainly a star on screen larry fine insisted the work was not fun the painful antics were tasking but the job paid well hey if you're enjoying this video be sure to give it a like and subscribe to facts first if you haven't already samuel horowitz shem powered samuel horowitz following his brother's lead changed his stage name to shemp howard he tagged along with his brother to join the ted healy comedy group after the four starred in soup to nuts schemp larry and mo had a falling out with healy healy was becoming power-hungry and attempted to stop the trio from branching out on their own but they did break away from healy to work under the name the three lost souls however a few years later they were approached by healy to work together again while healy had solid connections in the industry he still had the same abrasive attitude shemp was so disillusioned with his behavior he decided to branch out from the group in his 14 years away from the group shemp had a fairly successful solo career he starred in many short films and worked alongside such comedians as wc fields and abbott and costello in 1946 shemp rejoined the three stooges to fill in for his then-replacement brother curly who fell ill it was meant to be a short-term gig but curly never recovered shemp worked with the stooges for nine more years in 1955 he was in the middle of telling a joke cigar in hand when he suffered a massive heart attack he died at age 60. jerome lester horwitz curley howard when shemp left the group in 1932 they felt they needed an immediate replacement enter jerome horwitz jerome was the younger brother of shemp and mo like his brothers he created a stage name curly howard though he wasn't an original member curly built a reputation quickly he was the man who's remembered for his high-pitched voice and iconic sound effects his natural comedy fit right in with the group although he didn't sport a wild hairdo like his colleagues this bald funny man is regarded as the most popular member of all the stooges for many years curly was the star of the show mo and larry could easily drift off the many funny quirks he brought to the group however by 1944 crowley's health started to decline he suffered from heart conditions and weight issues in 1946 he suffered a debilitating stroke he was no longer well enough to be a stooge mo helped take care of his brother when he made a mild recovery curly had some cameos in their films in 1947 as his health declined curly retired he had additional strokes and was limited to a wheelchair a few years later in 1952 curly died at 48. joe besser after shem howard's fatal heart attack mo and larry wanted to continue their act as the two stooges the studios quickly rejected this idea they knew it had to be three men they tapped joe besser as the man for the job not only did besser have a resume of comedy working with abbott and costello but he was also already under contract at columbia studios it wasn't a great match mo already didn't want to work with besser making things worse besser had a stipulation in his contract that kept him from being hit excessively considering physical humor was the stooges foundation this didn't go over well besser's character was seen as whiny and annoying and he didn't take physical punishment in the films basser was only with the three stooges from 1955-59 although besser always fondly spoke of his years with the stooges his role on the team is largely forgettable after his stint with the stooges he continued his solo comedy career in 1988 he died from heart problems at age 80. joe dorita curly joe after shemp died and besser didn't work out mo and larry contemplated retirement however their shorts aired on tv and they had a career renaissance they became a highly sought after act so they began to look for a new member joe dorita perfected his comedy during world war ii he joined the uso and performed for the troops alongside bing crosby and randolph scott when moe and larry came across his act they invited him to be the third stooge initially dorita took on the spot left empty by besser and curly however to give himself his own persona and avoid any confusion dorita became the stooge known as curly joe the new group saw success not only did they star in six feature-length films but they also had a half-live-action half-animated series called the new three stooges throughout the 60s their popularity was restored as they became one of the highest paid acts in america this continued for a number of years until larry fine died of a stroke in 1974 dorita tried to revive the three stooges by himself but it never gained traction he was the last surviving member he died in 1993 from pneumonia so what do you think which actor was the greatest stooge ever do you think their style of comedy is timeless let us know in the comments section below and before you go make sure you give this video a like and subscribe to fax first if you haven't already click the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest content you

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Length: 9min 34sec (574 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 29 2021