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