Joe Besser..

Joe Besser's real name is Joe Besser.  He was the only Stooge who used his real name.  Joe was named Shemp's replacement in January of 1956. oe was totally different from the other third Stooges.  He definetely had his own style.  He had a sissy-like character, but he was the only third Stooge who dared to hit Moe back with regularity.  Joe also took less hits than the other Stooges, because he had a clause in his contract that prohibited Moe from doing bodily harm to him.  So, Larry took most of the hits in the Stooge comedies with Joe.  Joe's tenure as a Stooge was very short-lived.  After two years and only sixteen comedies, Columbia Studios axed the Stooges series, leaving the boys unemployed.  Joe's wife also suffered a heart attack around this time, so Joe left the Stooges to care for her.

Joe was born in 1907 to Morris and Fanny Besser.  He, like Moe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp, was an orthodox Jew.  Joe, like the other Stooges, was interested in show business at an early age, but, unlike the others, his family encouraged him to become an actor.

Joe got his first job as a magician's assistant in 1920, at the age of thirteen.  He worked as assistants to magicians and circus performers for several years before finally going into vaudeville.  He toured with several theatre circuits for over ten years.  It was during this time that he met Erna Kay, a dancer, and they married in 1932.  She was nicknamed "Ernie." 

In 1938, Joe signed an exclusive contract with Columbia Pictures.  He made his big screen debut in a 1938 All-Star Comedy short called "Cuckoorancho."  He made several films at Columbia over the next fifteen years, including "Hey, Rookie!", and "Talk About a Lady."  He, like Shemp, also appeared in several Abbott and Costello films, including "Africa Screams."  He also was a regular on Abbott and Costello's TV show in the fifties, playing the character "Stinky."  

After leaving the Stooges in 1958, Joe went on to make more movies. He appeared in several Jerry Lewis comedies.  He also made several television appearances.  He was a regular on the Joey Bishop show.  He played the apartment superintendent in 88 episodes.  Joe also voiced several cartoon characters, including the fire-breathing dragon on "The Alvin Show" and the Babu character on "Jeannie."

Joe died of heart failure on March 1, 1988.  His favorite Stooge comedy was "Flying Saucer Daffy" (1958).