Biography
Curly Howard — stooge with roots in the Russian Empire
Curly Howard (born Jerome Lester Horwitz) was the most popular member of The Three Stooges, the slapstick comedy trio whose short films became enduring American classics. His signature shaved head, nyuk-nyuk laugh, and rubbery physical comedy made him one of the most recognisable comedians of the 20th century.
Russian Connection
Tracing the roots — Kaunas (Lithuania)
Born in Brooklyn on 22 October 1903 to Solomon Horwitz and Jennie Horwitz (née Gorovitz), Lithuanian Jews from Kaunas (Kovno), then the capital of the Kovno Governorate of the Russian Empire. The parents, second cousins, spoke the Litvak dialect of Yiddish and emigrated to New York around 1890.
Family Tree
Subject
Curly Howard🇺🇸 USA
↑
Parents
Solomon Horwitz
Jennie Horwitz (née Gorovitz)
↑
Origin
Kaunas (Lithuania)🇷🇺 Russian Empire
Historical context
Russian Empire · c. 1721–1917
.svg?width=900)
Kaunas (Lithuania). At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
Map: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
Member of the Three Stooges at Columbia Pictures from 1934 until a stroke in May 1946
02
Catchphrases 'Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk' and 'Woo, woo, woo'
03
Men in Black (1934) — nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject
"Nyuk nyuk nyuk!"
Curly Howard