Shemp Howard
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Samuel (born Shmuel) Horwitz (March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955), known professionally as Shemp Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He is best known today for his role as the third stooge in the Three Stooges, a role he first portrayed at the beginning of the act in the early 1920s (1923–1932) while the act was still associated with Ted Healy and known as "Ted Healy and his Stooges", and again from 1946 until his death in 1955. Between his times with the Stooges, Shemp had a successful film career as a solo comedian. He was born in Manhattan, New York and raised in Brooklyn, the third-born of five Horwitz brothers, sons of Lithuanian Jewish parents. Moses - professionally known as Moe Howard - and Jerome - professionally known as Curly Howard - were his younger brothers. Throughout his career Shemp seldom stuck to the script and would liven up scenes with ad-libbed incidental dialogue or wisecracks. This became a trademark of his performances. His most notable characteristic as a Stooge was a high-pitched "bee-bee-bee-bee-bee-bee!" sound, a sort of soft screech done by inhaling. It became his signature sound. He used his somewhat homely appearance for comic effect, often mugging grotesquely or allowing his hair to fall in disarray. Shemp was married to the former Gertrude Frank, whom he wed in September 1925. The couple had one child, Morton (1926–1972). On November 22, 1955, while returning home in a taxicab following attending a boxing match with friends, Shemp, age 60, died of a sudden massive heart attack. The Three Stooges have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street.
Known for
Credits
Hold That Ghost (1941)
as Soda Jerk
In the Navy (1941)
as Dizzy
Another Thin Man (1939)
as Wacky (uncredited)
Tricky Dicks (1953)
as Shemp
Buck Privates (1941)
as Chef
Africa Screams (1949)
as Gunner
The Invisible Woman (1940)
as Frankie
Arabian Nights (1942)
as Sinbad
The Flame of New Orleans (1941)
as Oyster Bed Cafe Waiter (uncredited)
Spooks! (1953)
as Shemp
Knutzy Knights (1954)
as Shemp
Merry Mavericks (1951)
as Shemp
It Ain't Hay (1943)
as Umbrella Sam
The Bank Dick (1940)
as Joe Guelpe
Bubble Trouble (1953)
as Shemp
Trouble Chasers (1945)
as Shemp Howard
Creeps (1956)
as Shemp / Shemp's son
Hellzapoppin' (1941)
as Louie
Gold Raiders (1951)
as Shemp
Musty Musketeers (1954)
as Shemp
Slaphappy Sleuths (1950)
as Shemp
Out West (1947)
as Shemp
Hokus Pokus (1949)
as Shemp
Mississippi Gambler (1942)
as Milton Davis - Brooklyn Cab Driver
Pittsburgh (1942)
as Shorty (The Tailor)
Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Special (2003)
as Shemp (archive footage)
Brideless Groom (1947)
as Shemp
Headin' East (1937)
as Windy Wylie
Gents in a Jam (1952)
as Shemp
Butch Minds the Baby (1942)
as 'Squinty' Sweeny
Loose Loot (1953)
as Shemp
Crazy House (1943)
as Mumbo
Murder Over New York (1940)
as Shorty McCoy alias Rashid the Fakir
Husbands Beware (1956)
as Prof. Shemp Howard
Private Buckaroo (1942)
as Sgt. 'Muggsy' Shavel
I Scream (1934)
as Moran's Henchman
Fling in the Ring (1955)
as Shemp
Hot Ice (1955)
as Shemp
A Missed Fortune (1952)
as Shemp
Society Mugs (1946)
as Shemp
Stone Age Romeos (1955)
as Shemp
Wham-Bam-Slam! (1955)
as Shemp
The Leather Pushers (1940)
as Sailor McNeill
Dopey Dicks (1950)
as Shemp
Fright Night (1947)
as Shemp
Hugs and Mugs (1950)
as Shemp
Pardon My Backfire (1953)
as Shemp
One Exciting Week (1946)
as Marvin Lewis
Three of a Kind (1944)
as Shemp Howard
Scotched in Scotland (1954)
as Shemp
Don't Throw That Knife (1951)
as Shemp
Rumpus in the Harem (1956)
as Shemp (archive footage)
The Tooth Will Out (1951)
as Shemp
The Gentleman Misbehaves (1946)
as Marty
Goof on the Roof (1953)
as Shemp
Too Many Blondes (1941)
as Hotel Manager Ambrose Tripp
Give Us Wings (1940)
as Buzz Berger
I'm a Monkey's Uncle (1948)
as Shemp
The Ghost Talks (1949)
as Shemp
Tight Shoes (1941)
as Okay
Love at First Bite (1950)
as Shemp
Baby Sitters Jitters (1951)
as Shemp
Pals and Gals (1954)
as Shemp
Home on the Rage (1938)
as Happy
Millionaires in Prison (1940)
as Professor
The Hot Scots (1948)
as Shemp
In the Dough (1933)
as Bugs
Rip, Sew and Stitch (1953)
as Shemp
Soup to Nuts (1930)
as Fireman
Blondie Knows Best (1946)
as Jim Gray
Boobs in the Woods (1940)
as Gus
Paul Revere, Jr. (1933)
as Attendant
Dangerous Business (1946)
as Monk
Bedlam in Paradise (1955)
as Shemp
A Snitch in Time (1950)
as Shemp
Where the Pest Begins (1945)
as Shemp Howard
Three Hams on Rye (1950)
as Shemp
Strange Affair (1944)
as Laundry Truck Driver
He Cooked His Goose (1952)
as Shemp
Everybody Likes Music (1934)
as Shemp Howard
Booty and the Beast (1953)
as Shemp
Vagabond Loafers (1949)
as Shemp
Mr. Dynamite (1941)
as 'Abdullah'
Jiggers, My Wife (1946)
as Woodcock 'Woody' J. Strinker
Three Dark Horses (1952)
as Shemp
Road Show (1941)
as Moe Parker (uncredited)
Income Tax Sappy (1954)
as Shemp
Cracked Nuts (1941)
as Eddie / Ivan
Of Cash and Hash (1955)
as Shemp
Henry the Ache (1934)
as Artie - One of King Henry's Lackeys
Triple Crossed (1959)
as Shemp (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hula-La-La (1951)
as Shemp
Keep 'Em Slugging (1943)
as Binky
Self Made Maids (1950)
as Shemp / Shempetta
Scheming Schemers (1956)
as Shemp (archive footage)
Not Guilty Enough (1938)
as Brother-in-Law
Listen Judge (1952)
as Shemp
Shemp Cocktail: A Toast to the Original Stooge (2008)
as Self (archive footage)
Art Trouble (1934)
as Short Painter
Dunked in the Deep (1949)
as Shemp
Squareheads of the Round Table (1948)
as Shemp
Hit the Road (1941)
as Dingbat
Open Season for Saps (1944)
as Woodcock Q. Strinker
Meet the Chump (1941)
as Stinky Fink
The Three Stooges: Kings Of Laughter (2001)
as Shemp (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Strange Case of Doctor Rx (1942)
as Det. Sgt. Sweeney
Gypped in the Penthouse (1955)
as Shemp
Hollywood Round-Up (1937)
as Oscar Bush
Scrambled Brains (1951)
as Shemp
The Blonde Bomber (1936)
as Knobby Walsh
Spring Fever (1919)
Actor
Hot Stuff (1956)
as Shemp (archive footage)
Sing a Song of Six Pants (1947)
as Shemp
The Knife of the Party (1934)
as Shemp Howard
San Antonio Rose (1941)
as Benny the Bounce
Malice in the Palace (1949)
as Shemp
The Three Stooges Story (2001)
as Shemp (archive footage) (uncredited)
Pest Man Wins (1951)
as Shemp
Heavenly Daze (1948)
as Shemp
Pardon My Clutch (1948)
as Shemp
The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940)
as Joe - a Pickpocket
Hold That Lion! (1947)
as Shemp
Up in Daisy's Penthouse (1953)
as Shemp / Shemp Howard Sr.
Cuckoo on a Choo Choo (1952)
as Shemp
Bride and Gloom (1947)
as Shemp
A Hit with a Miss (1945)
as Rameses - Prizefighter
Three Stooges Comedy Collection (2024)
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Shivering Sherlocks (1948)
as Shemp
Classic Comedy Teams (1986)
as Shemp (archive footage)
Why Pay Rent? (1935)
as Henry
Crazy Knights (1944)
as Shemp
Fuelin' Around (1949)
as Shemp
Blunder Boys (1955)
as Various Days
Smoked Hams (1934)
as Henry Howard
Who Done It? (1949)
as Shemp
Punchy Cowpunchers (1950)
as Shemp
The Three Stooges Greatest Hits! (1997)
as Self / Shemp (archive footage)
Jerks of All Trades (1949)
as Shemp
Fiddlers Three (1948)
as Shemp
Glove Slingers (1939)
as Pat Patrick
Studio Stoops (1950)
as Shemp
Flagpole Jitters (1956)
as Shemp
While the Cat's Away (1936)
as Henry
The Lost Stooges (1990)
as (archive footage)
All Gummed Up (1947)
as Shemp
A Peach of a Pair (1934)
as Butler
Shot in the Frontier (1954)
as Shemp
Moonlight and Cactus (1944)
as Punchy Carter
Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga (1941)
as Gabby
Pugs and Kisses (1934)
as Dopey Traynor
The Three Stooges: Five of Their Greatest Shorts (2009)
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Convention Girl (1935)
as Dan Higgins
Columbia Laff Hour (1956)
as Shemp
Crime on Their Hands (1948)
as Shemp
Three Arabian Nuts (1951)
as Shemp
Stooge O-Rama: The Men Behind the Mayhem - And Even More Mayhem! (2023)
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Mushrooms (1934)
as Thorndike
The Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Edition: Tales from the Three Stooges Vol. 1 (1947)
as Himself
The Officer's Mess (1935)
as Gus Doakes
Corny Casanovas (1952)
as Shemp
Punch and Beauty (1936)
as Knobby Walsh
My Mummy's Arms (1934)
as Kenneth
Strictly in the Groove (1942)
as Pops
Mummy's Dummies (1948)
as Shemp
Gobs of Fun (1933)
as Club patron
The Three Stooges - Simply Hilarious (2000)
as Shemp (archive footage) (uncredited)
Serves You Right (1935)
as Johnny Spivens
For Crimin' Out Loud (1956)
as Shemp
Commotion on the Ocean (1956)
as Shemp (archive footage)
The Three Stooges in 3D (2012)
as Shemp (archive footage) (uncredited)
Mr. Noisy (1946)
as Noisy
On the Wagon (1935)
as Henry
Pick a Peck of Plumbers (1944)
as Elmer Peabody
Salt Water Daffy (1933)
as Wilbur the Kleptomaniac
Pure Feud (1934)
as Clem McCarthy
Dizzy & Daffy (1934)
as Lefty Howard
Daredevil O'Dare (1934)
as Butch
So You Won't T-T-T-Talk (1934)
as Henry
Howd' Ya Like That? (1934)
as Sailor
Taking the Count (1937)
as Knobby Walsh
The Three Stooges: Live and Hilarious (1941)
as Shemp
Here Comes Flossie! (1933)
as Ezry
Absorbing Junior (1936)
as Henry, the Husband
Off Again, On Again (1945)
as Woodcock Q. Strinker
Very Close Veins (1934)
as Sourdough
For the Love of Pete (1936)
as Knobby Walsh
How's About It (1943)
as Alf
Kick Me Again (1937)
as Knobby Walsh
Pleased to Mitt You (1940)
as Pat Patrick
Close Relations (1933)
as One of the Moles
His First Flame (1935)
as Smokey Moe
Corn on the Cop (1934)
as Reginald / Reggie
Three Stooges: Greatest Routines (1964)
as Shemp
Money Squawks (1940)
as Shemp
The Wrong, Wrong Trail (1934)
as Piano Mover
The Choke's on You (1936)
as Knobby Walsh
Here's Howe (1936)
as Knobby Walsh
Rambling 'Round Radio Row #9 (1934)
as Songwriters' Representative