Shemp Howard

Birth Name:

Samuel Horwitz

Birth Place:

Manhattan, New York, United States

Profession

Actor, Soundtrack

Attended the Baron De Hirsch Trade School with his brother Moe, where he studied to be a plumber
Performed in vaudeville and amateur acts with his brother Moe until 1922, when his former schoolmate Ted Healy asked them to join his act at the Brooklyn Prospect Theater
Best known as a member of the slapstick comedy group The Three Stooges
Returned to The Three Stooges in 1946 after a series of strokes left Curly unable to perform
Starred in numerous Vitaphone comedies in 1932 and played Knobby Walsh in the "Joe Palooka" series after leaving The Three Stooges
Appeared in several feature films for Universal in the 1940s, including "Hellzapoppin!" and "Buck Privates․"
Appeared in the John Wayne film "Pittsburgh" in 1942 and the W․C․ Fields film "The Bank Dick" in 1940
Appeared with Moe in a short called "Spring Fever" in 1919 with Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player Honus Wagner, which has since been lost
Got the name "Shemp" from his mother, who would pronounce the name "Sam" that way in her thick European accent
The Hollywood filming term "get a Shemp" evolved after Columbia Studios needed to create four Three Stooges shorts after Shemp died, and so had Joe Palma stand in to "be Shemp" during filming

Fast Facts