Richard Crenna

Crenna's son Richard Anthony Crenna is also an actor. Being the final living member of the original Three Stooges act, his epitaph reads, "The Last Stooge.". He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6714 Hollywood Blvd. Curly Joe DeRita died in Los Angeles on July 3, 1993. Suffering from pancreatic cancer, Crenna died of heart failure in Los Angeles, California at the age of 75. In later years, DeRita attempted to form "The New Three Stooges," featuring actors unrelated to the originals, but the act failed and DeRita retired. Crenna had a long career in films, appearing in such movies as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, First Blood (and its following Rambo sequels), Hot Shots! Part Deux and The Flamingo Kid. However, Larry Fine suffered a stroke in 1970, permanently disbanding the Stooges.

He remained with the cast of the latter show when it transitioned to television. When Our Miss Brooks was canceled, he moved to another television program, The Real McCoys. Through the 1960s, DeRita became a readily accepted member of the team, participating in animated series and television series such as The New 3 Stooges. Born in Los Angeles, California, Crenna got his acting start on radio, appearing in Boy Scout Jamboree, Date With Judy and Our Miss Brooks. The team formed Comedy III Productions, Inc., and created a number of theatrical Three Stooges films, including Have Rocket, Will Travel and Snow White Meets the Three Stooges. Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1927 - January 18, 2003) was an American actor. With the advent of longer theatrical films, Columbia Pictures' short films studio shut down, leaving the Stooges to seek their own full-length features. DeRita's arrival coincided with necessary changes to the formula.

Noticing his physical resemblance of predecessors Besser and Curly Howard, DeRita was named "Curly Joe," and became the third Stooge in 1958. Familiar with DeRita's work, Howard asked him to join the act, which he readily accepted. After Shemp Howard died in 1955, Moe Howard and Larry Fine tried to complete the "Three Stooges" act with Joe Besser, who left shortly thereafter over creative differences. During World War II, DeRita joined the USO, performing through Great Britain and France with such celebrities as Bing Crosby and Randolph Scott.

Taking his mother's maiden name, DeRita, the actor joined the Burlesque circuit during the 1920s, gaining fame as a comedian. Wardell's father was a stage technician, and his mother, a professional stage dancer; the three often acted on stage together from his early childhood. "Curly" Joe DeRita (July 12, 1909 - July 3, 1993), born Joseph Wardell, was an American comedian who is best known as the "sixth" of the Three Stooges.