Larry Fine
| Larry Fine | |
|---|---|
Fine in Disorder in the Court (1936)
|
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| Born |
Louis Feinberg October 5, 1902 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 24, 1975 (aged 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, musician, boxer |
| Years active | 1923–1970 |
| Spouse(s) | Mabel Fine (m. 1926; her death 1967) |
| Children | 2 |
Louis Feinberg (October 5, 1902 – January 24, 1975), known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian, violinist and boxer, who is best known as a member of the comedy act The Three Stooges.
Fine was born to a Jewish family at 3rd and South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 5, 1902. His father, Joseph Feinberg (who was Russian Jewish), and mother, Fanny Lieberman, owned a watch repair and jewelry shop.
In his early childhood, Fine's arm was accidentally burned with acid. His father used the acid to test jewelry for its gold content. On one occasion, the young Fein mistook the acid for a beverage and raised the bottle to his lips. Before he could drink any, his father knocked the bottle from Fine's hand, splashing Fine's forearm with acid and causing extensive damage to it.
His parents later gave Fine violin lessons to help strengthen the damaged muscles in his forearm. He became so proficient on the violin that his parents wanted to send him to a European music conservatory. However, that plan was thwarted by the outbreak of World War I. Fine later played the violin in the Stooge films. In scenes where all three Stooges are playing fiddles, only Larry is actually playing, while the other two are pantomiming.
To further strengthen his damaged arm, Fine took up boxing in his teens, winning one professional bout. His father, opposed to Larry's fighting in public, put an end to his brief career as a boxer.
At an early age, Fine started performing as a violinist in vaudeville. In March 1928, while starring as the master of ceremonies at Chicago's Rainbo Gardens, Fine met Shemp Howard and Ted Healy. At the time, Healy and Howard were performing in the Shubert Brothers' A Night in Spain. Since Howard was leaving the play for a few months, they asked him to be a replacement 'stooge. Fine joined Ted's other stooges, Bobby Pinkus and Sam 'Moody' Braun. Howard returned in September 1928 to finish Spain's national tour.
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