Larry Fine Net Worth

What was Larry Fine's net worth?

Larry Fine was an American comedian, actor, violinist, and boxer who had a net worth of $500 thousand. That's the same as around $3 million in today's dollars.

Larry Fine is best known as a member of the comedy act the "Three Stooges" and was often called "The Middle Stooge". He had over 230 acting credits to his name, appearing in other classic films like Fugitive Lovers, Dancing Lady and Meet the Baron. In 1951 he shared a Golden Laurel award with his fellow Stooges and was later honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983.

He started his career as a violinist in vaudeville before meeting Moe Howard. He was known for spending his money as soon as he earned it and had a gambling addiction. Fine was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Larry and Curly in 1983 at 1560 Vine Street. Larry Fine passed away on January 24, 1975 at the age of 72.

Early Life

Louis Feinberg better known by his stage name Larry Fine was born on October 5, 1902 to a Russian Jewish family at 3rd and South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a middle-class household with his parents owning a watch repair and jewelry shop.

Fine got into an accident during his childhood that severely injured his forearm. He had picked up his dad's jewelry testing acid out of curiosity and it spilled on his arm leaving him badly burned. When he recovered, his parents introduced him to the violin in a bid to help him strengthen his injured muscles. To their surprise, he began playing the instrument so well that

they considered sending him to a prestigious music school in Europe. However, their plans were disrupted by the onset of World War I. Despite this, Fine's violin skills continued flourishing and he showcased his musical talent later in his career in the Stooge films.

Larry took up boxing in his teens as well to strengthen his injured arm even further. He displayed as much talent in the ring as he did with the violin, even winning a professional bout. Unfortunately, his father disapproved of his involvement in public fighting so he decided to cut short his promising boxing career.

Acting Career

Fine went back to playing the violin hoping to make a career out of it. He started performing in Vaudeville between 1925 and 1928 while also serving as the master of ceremonies at Rainbo Gardens in Chicago. One night he met Shemp Howard and Ted Healy who were performing in the Shubert Brothers' "A Night in Spain". The three spoke for a while and Ted proposed that Fine step in as a replacement stooge since Howard would be leaving the play for a few months. He agreed and joined Ted's other stooges, performing in Venice from 1929 until March 1930. In 1932 they added Curly Howard to the group.

Fine was easily recognizable in the Stooge films by his weird hairstyle: a prominent bald spot on top surrounded by a thick halo of bushy, curly auburn hair. Rumour has it that this iconic look started during Fine's first encounter with Healy. Fine had just soaked his hair in a sink and as they chatted it dried in an odd way. Healy liked it and urged him to keep the quirky hairstyle.

Three Stooges Features

In 1934 The Three Stooges began the most prolific period in their career, creating 206 short films and several features. This era starred Fine, Moe Howard, and Curly Howard. Sadly, they were in constant disputes with Healy over pay, film contracts and his drinking and verbal abuse leading them to part ways with him for good sometime that year.

Larry's character took a backseat in the subsequent Curly-era films focusing more on reacting than taking the spotlight. He remained in the background acting as the voice of reason amidst Moe and Curly's wild and wacky antics. Things changed in May 1946 when Curly suffered a debilitating stroke. Shemp replaced him in the act and his era marked a period of increased onscreen presence for Larry who had been relegated to a background role during the Curly era. He frequently indulged in utterly nutty behavior and livened scenes up with improvised remarks or ridiculous actions. He even became the focus of several films such as "Fuelin' Around" (1949) and "He Cooked His Goose" (1952).

On November 22, 1955 Shemp died of a heart attack. Joe Palma stepped in for the next four films before being replaced by Joe Besser as the third Stooge in 1956. The next year Columbia Pictures shut down its comedy-shorts division and Joe DeRita took over from Besser.

In 1959 Columbia Pictures released a treasure trove of Three Stooges shorts on TV and suddenly the slapstick kings who had been slipping into obscurity found themselves catapulted back into the limelight.

Final Acting Years and Death

In 1965 Fine, Moe Howard and Joe DeRita started a new TV comedy show "The New 3 Stooges". This wild concoction blended live-action and animated segments. While it bore good ratings, it was evident that time had caught up with the vaudeville veterans. Fine, in particular, displayed signs of mental impairment and frequently fumbled his lines. A few years later they started working on another TV series, "Kook's Tour".

On January 9, 1970 Fine suffered a severe stroke that left his left side paralyzed, signaling the closing of the curtains on his performing career. Like Curly Howard, he suffered several more strokes before tragically dying on January 24, 1975.

Many people including his colleagues paid heartfelt tributes to him. Director Charles Lamont described Larry's goofiness as an extension of his laid-back personality while Writer-director Edward Bernds recalled that although Larry's script suggestions were often "whacky," they occasionally contained brilliant comic ideas.

Personal life

Fine met his wife Mabel Haney in 1922 when both were working in vaudeville. Their relationship blossomed and they got married in 1926. Mabel passed away of a sudden heart attack in 1967. This sorrowful event happened nearly six years after they had lost their only son in a car crash on November 17, 1961 aged only 24.

Legacy

The Three Stooges were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 30, 1983 in honor of their contributions to the motion pictures industry. Former stooge Joe Besser attended the ceremony. There's a large mural of Fine on a wall at the busy intersection of 3rd and South Streets near his birthplace in Philadelphia.

Fine has been immortalized in several films including the 2000 made-for-TV movie where he was played by Evan Handler and the 2012 Farrelly brothers' film "The Three Stooges" in which Sean Hayes portrayed him with Lance Chantiles-Wertz playing a younger version.

In 2009 Larry was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Associated Alumni of Central High School in Philadelphia despite never graduating.