Question: What were the six character names that made up the official Three Stooges lineup?
Answer: There were officially six men who played the on-screen Stooges during their five-decade career: Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Joe, and Curly-Joe. Though the act was always billed as The Three Stooges, only three performed at a time, with Moe Howard and Larry Fine serving as the long-running mainstays from the 1920s until 1970. The third slot shifted over the years—first with Shemp Howard, an original member who left in 1932 but returned in 1946 until his death in 1955; then with his younger brother Curly Howard, who performed from 1932 until a stroke forced his retirement in 1946. After Shemp’s passing, Joe Besser joined briefly from 1956 to 1957, followed by Curly-Joe DeRita, who carried the role until Larry’s retirement in 1970.
