Shemp Howard

Who was Shemp Howard?

Shemp Howard was an American actor and comedian. Born Samuel Horwitz, he was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent. 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 while the act was still associated with Ted Healy and known as "Ted Healy and his Stooges", and again from 1947 until his death in 1955. Between those times, Shemp had a successful film career as a solo comedian.