Born Name:  Charles Ernest Lee Nash

Born Date:  October 1, 1896

Born Place:  Kaufman, Texas

Died Date:  December 21, 1937

Died Place:  Los Angeles, California

Occupations:  Comedian, actor

Brief Biography:  Ted Healy was best known as the creator and leader of the act that became The Three Stooges. Born Ernest Lea Nash in Kaufman, Texas (some sources say Houston), he rose to become one of the highest-paid entertainers in the country during the early 1930s, known for his raucous, chaotic style of comedy.

Early Life and Vaudeville:
Early Career: As a teenager in 1912, he partnered with childhood friend Harry Moses Horwitz (later known as Moe Howard) in a vaudeville diving act.
Creating "Stooges": In the 1920s, he developed a successful act where he used "stooges" (including Moe Howard and later Larry Fine and Shemp Howard) who would interrupt his act, leading to physical comedy.
Name Change: He adopted the stage name Ted Healy during his rise in vaudeville.

Ted Healy and His Stooges:
Healy is recognized as the originator of the "Three Stooges" brand.
The Lineup: The group went through several iterations, primarily featuring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard, and later Curly Howard.
Split: The Stooges left Healy in 1934 to pursue their own successful career at Columbia Pictures, partly due to Healy's heavy drinking and underpayment, though he often utilized other performers in his act afterward.

Film Career:
After parting ways with the Stooges, Healy established a successful solo film career, appearing in several Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) films.
Notable Films: Mad Love (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Operator 13 (1934).
Final Film: Hollywood Hotel (1937) was released shortly after his death.