Moses Harry Horwitz

 Moses Harry Horwitz, known as Moe Howard (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975)

He was best known as the de facto leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades. His distinctive hairstyle came about when he was a boy and cut off his curls with a pair of scissors, producing a ragged shape approximating a bowl cut. In 1922 he and his older brother Shemp began working vaudeville with his childhood friend Ted Healy, whom they had known since 1909. Three years later, in 1925, Larry Fine joined their act. He worked on and off directing and producing plays at Bensonhurst's Jewish Community House, and a short time later returned to performing with his old vaudeville gang. They experienced much success together, and the good reviews continued when they ventured into Broadway and later into films, even after Shemp was replaced by their youngest brother Jerome, who was later to be nicknamed Curly.

After making quite a number of films with Ted Healy, they parted ways in 1934 and began making short subjects at Columbia as the Three Stooges. Over the next 24 years they starred in 190 two-reelers, occasionally also appearing in features. However, it wasn't until 1959, after both Shemp and Curly had passed away and the act had finished their quota of two-reelers with Joe Besser, who was replaced by Joe DeRita, that they were actually put in feature-length films of their own, not just as supporting players to a bigger star. They made six features from 1959 to 1963, and throughout the 1960s also constantly made television appearances, starred in commercials, marketed Three Stooges merchandise aimed at children, who at the time were their core audience, and recorded a number of albums.

He was also a very generous person, believing in giving to others, and active in charities. Moe Howard died of lung cancer at age 77, and is interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, CA.