Who was Larry Fine? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Louis Feinberg

Died At Age: 72

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Mabel Fine (m. 1926; her death 1967)

father: Joseph Feinberg

mother: Fanny Lieberman

siblings: Morris Fienberg

children: John Fine (Son), Phyllis Fine (Daughter)

Actors Comedians

Died on: January 24, 1975

place of death: Los Angeles, California, United States

U.S. State: Pennsylvania

Ancestry: Russian American

Cause of Death: Stroke

City: Philadelphia

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Childhood & Early Life

Larry Fine was born on 5th October 1902 to a Russian Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father’s name was Joseph Feinberg while his mother’s name was Fanny Lieberman. His parents owned a watch repair and jewelry shop.

Fine suffered an accidental acid burn during his childhood which severely damaged his arms. His parents gave him violin lessons to help strengthen his damaged muscles. After much practice, he became very proficient in playing the violin.

Later he also took up boxing and for some years he even earned his living as a musician and a boxer.

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The Three Stooges

Larry Fine teamed up with Ted Healy and Moe Howard and the three performed in many plays. They soon came to be known as ‘The Three Stooges’. The group made their feature film debut in 1930 in the American film ‘Soup to Nuts’ which was directed by Benjamin Stollof.

Throughout his career, Fine was known for mostly staying in the background and being the voice of reason for his co-actors Moe and Curly. In 1933, they made a cameo appearance in the film ‘Turn Back the Clock’. They also appeared in the comedy film ‘Meet the Baron’ which unfortunately didn’t perform well commercially. The same year, the group appeared in the films ‘Dancing Lady’ and ‘Myrt and Marge’.

In 1934, they appeared in the film ‘Fugitive Lovers’ which was directed by Richard Boleslavesky. It told the story of a dancer in New York who runs away in order to escape from the advances of a gangster. The same year, they played cameo roles in the movies ‘Hollywood Party’ as well as ‘The Captain Hates the Sea’. They also appeared in many short films, which at the time were known as short subjects.

The short films in which the Three Stooges appeared include ‘Meet the Baron’ (1933), ‘Woman Haters’ (1934), ‘Heroes Collars’ (1934), ‘Three Missing Links’ (1938), ‘Loco Boy Makes Good’ (1942), ‘The Hot Scots’ (1948), ‘I’m a Monkey’s Uncle’ (1948), ‘Three Arabian Nights’ (1951), ‘Commotion to the Ocean’ (1956), ‘Pies and Guys’ (1958), and ‘The Outlaws is Coming’ (1965).

The feature films they worked in include ‘Time Out for Rhythm’ (1941), ‘Swing Parade of 1946’ (1946), ‘Have Rocket Will Travel (1959), ‘Snow White and the Three Stooges’ and ‘The Three Stooges in Orbit’ (1962).

The group had also started their own comedy TV show called ‘The New Three Stooges’. The show, which was a combination of live-action as well as animated segments, aired from 1965 to 1966. It featured Larry Fine along with Moe Howard, Joe DeRita and Emil Sitka. The group faced a lot of financial issues during the making of the show.

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Major Works

‘Myrt and Marge’ is one of the many movies Larry Fine acted in with the Three Stooges. The film is notable as it co-starred the Stooges and Ted Healy before his departure from the group. Directed by Al Boasberg, the film starred actors Myrtle Vail, Donna Damerel, Thomas E Jackson, and Trixie Friganza.

The Three Stooges played the main roles in the 1945 movie ‘Rockin in the Rockies’. Directed by Vernon Keays, the film starred the Stooges along with other actors like Mary Beth Hughes, Jay Kirby, Gladys Blake, and Jack Clifford.

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Awards & Achievements

The Three Stooges have a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in recognition of their immense contribution to cinema.

Personal Life

Larry Fine was married to Mabel Haney. They had a son named John and a daughter named Phyllis.

He was known to be a very social person. He was a terrible businessman, however, and was bad at managing his finances.

Fine suffered many strokes before he finally passed away on 24 January 1975 at a nursing home in Woodland Hills. He was 72. He was interred at the Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery alongside his wife and son who predeceased him.

Larry Fine was portrayed by actor Sean Hayes in the 2012 film ‘The Three Stooges’. The film was written, directed, and produced by the Farrelly brothers.

Larry Fine Biography