Curly was born Jerome Horwitz on October 22, 1903 outside of Brooklyn, NY. As the youngest of the family, he was called Babe, then Jerry. In some early Stooge shorts, Jerry appears in the credits. Curly started his climb in show business at age 4, as Moe and Shemp would include him in thier "basement" productions which cost 2 cents admission. Curly enjoyed dancing, and with time, became quite good as a ballroom dancer. Curly would hang around backstage while Moe and Shemp performed. When Shemp became unhappy and left the act, Moe encouraged Curly to take his place. Curly reluctantly agreed to shave his hair and moustache and joined the group. His loss of hair gave him an inferiority complex and he took to drinking heavily. It is said that Curly was a bad manager of money, and would blow his paycheck shortly after receiving it. Curly was very shy, and quiet around most people. Curly did have a great love for women, and was married 4 times. Curly was father to 2 children, Marilyn and Janie. In 1946, while filming his 97th Stooge comedy, Curly suffered a stroke. His health stabilized, but never improved. Curly died on January 18, 1952 at the age of 48.