Howard was born as Moses Harry Horwitz on June 19, 1897, in the Brooklyn, New York neighborhood of Bensonhurst to Solomon Horwitz and Jennie Gorovitz, the fourth-born of five brothers of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry. He was named Moe when he was younger and later called himself Harry. Howard\'s parents and brothers, Benjamin (“Jack”) and Irving, were not involved in show business, but his older brother Shemp Howard, younger brother Curly Howard, and he, eventually became known as members of the Three Stooges. He loved to read as his older brother Jack recalled: "I had many Horatio Alger books, and it was Moe\'s greatest pleasure to read them. They started his imaginative mind working and gave him ideas by the dozen. I think they were instrumental in putting thoughts into his head to become a person of good character and to become successful." This helped him in his acting career in later years, such as in memorizing his lines quickly and easily.\n', '

Howard\'s "bowl cut" hairstyle became his trademark, despite his mother initially refusing to cut his hair in childhood, letting it grow to shoulder length. He secretly cut his hair in his backyard shed, after being frequently teased in school. During one appearance on the Mike Douglas show in the 1970s, he stated, "I used to fight my way to school, in school, and back home from school."\n', '

Howard began to develop an interest in acting to the point where his grades worsened and he began to play hookey from school. He said, "I used to stand outside the theater knowing the truant officer was looking for me. I would stand there \'til someone came along, and then ask them to buy my ticket. It was necessary for an adult to accompany a juvenile into the theater. When I succeeded I\'d give him my ten cents—that\'s all it cost—and I\'d go up to the top of the balcony where I\'d put my chin on the rail and watch, spellbound, from the first act to the last. I would usually select the actor I liked the most and follow his performance throughout the play."\n', '

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