Joe Besser(1907-1988)
- Actor
- Writer
Joe Besser was born on August 12, 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri. Short,
chubby, balding, childish character actor who began his career on the
vaudeville circuit before breaking into films in the early 1930s. He
was a frequent foil of Bud Abbott and
Lou Costello in their films and
played Stinky on their 1950s situation comedy. Joe joined
The Three Stooges in 1956, but quit
the team to be with his ailing wife in 1958. He spent the 1960s
appearing in numerous films and television series, including 88
performances on
The Joey Bishop Show (1961)
and a regular role as the voice of Babu on the animated series
Jeannie (1973). Joe Besser died at
age 80 of heart failure on March 1, 1988 in North Hollywood,
California.
