Moe Howard

From Grokipedia

Moe Howard (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975) was an American actor and comedian best known as the leader and straight man of the Three Stooges, the iconic slapstick comedy trio that produced over 190 short films for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1957. Born Moses Harry Horwitz in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrant parents Solomon and Jennie Horwitz, he was the fourth of five sons, including brothers Shemp and Jerome (later known as Curly), who also became Stooges members. Howard's signature look featured a bowl haircut and a stern demeanor, often delivering eye pokes, slaps, and exasperated commands like calling his cohorts "knuckleheads" during their chaotic routines.

Howard's career in entertainment began early, with bit roles in silent films at Vitagraph Studios starting in 1909, though many early works were lost in a 1910 studio fire. He briefly attended Erasmus High School before dropping out to pursue acting full-time, later joining comedian Ted Healy's vaudeville act around 1922, where he performed alongside his brother Shemp and violinist Larry Fine. The group formalized as the Three Stooges in 1930 after appearing in Healy's film Soup to Nuts, but they soon parted ways with him and signed with Columbia in 1934, replacing Shemp with Curly and launching a prolific run of two-reel comedies that defined their legacy. Notable shorts included the Academy Award-nominated Men in Black (1934) and wartime efforts like You Nazty Spy! (1940), the first Hollywood production to satirize Adolf Hitler.

In his personal life, Howard married Helen Schonberger on June 7, 1925; the couple had two children, Joan (born 1927) and Paul (born 1935). After Curly's retirement in 1946 due to health issues, the Stooges cycled through Shemp (until 1955), Joe Besser, and finally Curly Joe DeRita, continuing with feature films from 1959 to 1970 and even a Hanna-Barbera animated series in the 1960s. Howard retired in 1970 amid declining health and died of lung cancer on May 4, 1975, at age 77; he was buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California. Posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983, Howard's influence endures as a pioneer of physical comedy, entertaining generations through reruns and inspiring countless performers.

In brief

Moe Howard cut his own hair as a boy and accidentally invented a silhouette. The bowl cut became a trademark; the real trademark was a leader who could take a poke in the eye and still run the company.

Ted Healy’s stooges became a self-contained engine. Moe kept the books, the bookings, and the glare that told Larry and Curly the bit was working.