curly Howard was born Jerome Lester Horowitz on October 22nd 1903 in Brooklyn New York born of
Lithuanian Jewish ancestry he was the youngest of the five Horwitz brothers because of being
the youngest his brothers called him babe to tease him the name babe stuck with him all his
life he was a quiet child who was an average student babe was a good athlete and played on
the school basketball team he didn't graduate from high school but kept himself busy with odd
jobs he was also an accomplished ballroom dancer and singer and regularly visited the Triangle
Ballroom in Brooklyn curly was interested in show business and would watch his brothers Mon Shem
perform as Stooges and Ted Healy's vaudeville act always a ladies man he was married three
times Curly's first showbiz break was as a comedy musical conductor in 1928 for the Orville Knapp
band though curly enjoyed the gig he watched his older brothers Moe and Shemp and partner Larry
fine make it Vic as some of Ted Healy Stooges vaudeville star Ted Healy had a very popular
stage act in which he would try to tell jokes are saying only to have the Stooges wander on the
stage and interrupt her heckle him Shemp however disliked Healy's bad temper and heavy drinking in
1932 Shemp was offered a contract at the Vitaphone studios in Brooklyn and left the group with Shemp
gone most suggested that babe fill the role of the third stooge but Healy didn't like babe's
look complaining that he didn't look funny when he shaved his head eel equipped boy don't you look
girlie MoMA's heard the joke as curly his stage name naturally became then curly in 1934 Healy
left the group to pursue a solo movie career they renamed the act the Three Stooges that
same year they signed on with Columbia Pictures the Stooges soon became the most popular short
subject performers in the history of film turning themselves into comedy legends over the many years
by 1944 Curly's energy began to wane he checked himself into the hospital in early 1945 and was
diagnosed with extreme high blood pressure a retinal hemorrhage and obesity his hell forced
him to rest and he lost considerable amount of weightt half-wits holiday would be Curly's final
appearance as an official member of the Stooges during filming in May of 1946 Curley suffered
a severe stroke while sitting in director Jules White's chair waiting to film the last scene of
the day when Curley was called by the assistant director to take the stage he did not answer well
went looking for his brother and he found Curley with his head dropped to his chest Moe later
recalled that his mouth was distorted and he was unable to speak only cry Curley was rushed to the
hospital where mode joined him after the filming Curley spent several weeks in the hospital before
returning home after Curley stroke Shemp agreed to replace him in the Columbia shorts but only
until his brother was well enough to rejoin the act Curley partially recovered and with his hair
regrown made a brief cameo appearance as a train passenger barking in asleep hold that line in
1947 and it was the only film that featured Larry fine in all three Howard brothers Mose Shemp and
Curley at the same time still not fully recovered from his stroke Curley met and Valerie Newman and
married her on July 31st 1947 although his health continued to decline after their marriage Valerie
gave birth to a daughter Janie in 1948 and the post-stroke days Curley enjoyed playing gin
rummy and watching the Hollywood stars a local basketball team he and Valerie had a swing pool
installed at their home so Curley could use it for physical therapy a dog lover he enjoyed playing
with his pets a collie named lady and two other pups named salty and shorty later that year Curley
suffered another stroke which left him partially paralyzed he was using a wheelchair by 1950 and
fed boiled rice and apples as part of his diets reduces weight and blood pressure Valerie admitted
him into the motion picture country home in hospital in August of 1950 he was released after
several months of treatment and medical tests in February 1951 he was placed in a nursing home
where he suffered yet another stroke a month later in April he went to live at the North Hollywood
Hospital and sanitarium and December at the North Holly would hospital and sanitarium supervisor
called and advised the Howard family that Curley was becoming a problem for the nursing staff at
the facility because of his mental deterioration they admitted they could no longer care for him
and suggest that he'd be placed in a mental hospital Moe refused and relocated him to the
Baldy View sanitarium in San Gabriel California in January of 1952 Moe was contacted on the Columbia
set to help move Curley for what would be the last time eleven days later on January 18th Curley died
at 48 he was given a Jewish funeral and laid to rest at home of P Cemetery in East Los Angeles