Joe DeRita

Joe DeRita, born Joseph Wardell, holds a peculiar place in my affection. Stepping in as Curly Joe, the final Curly of The Three Stooges, meant accepting a role he would be endlessly compared to and rarely credited for. That takes humility. I have a soft spot for the craftsmen who fill a beloved seat rather than chase the spotlight, who keep a legendary act alive through sheer professionalism. From 1909 to 1993 he gave his life to making people laugh in service of an ensemble. To me, that supporting devotion deserves more applause than it usually gets.

This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.

Name (English)

Joe DeRita

Name (Japanese)

ジョー・デ・リタ

Reading

じょー・で・りた

Born

July 12, 1909 – July 3, 1993

Origin

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Occupation

comedian / television actor / film actor / voice actor / actor

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Cancer / Rooster

• Official sitehttps://www.threestooges.net/cast/actor/492
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe%20DeRita
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q705408

Tags

• Pennsylvania
• comedian
• television actor
• film actor

Last updated

September 25, 2026

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.