Biografía

His favorite comedians were Jack Benny, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, and Ann Miller is his choice for actress.

He began his career in show business as a song plugger for a St. Louis-based music company, and later became a comedy assistant to the great magician Howard Thurston.

A producer asked famed voice actress June Foray if she knew someone who could do a Joe Besser voice. June responded, "Well, why don't you call Joe Besser?" The verbal exchange made it into Hal Humphreys' newspaper column. Joe later met June Foray in a jewelry store. Besser embraced Foray and said, "June, you saved my career. I was hired for big job I never would have gotten.".

When Columbia shut down its shorts department, The Three Stooges were forced to take the act on the road, and Besser was invited to go. However, he refused because he had to be home to take care of his sick wife. He was not fired as the legend has it.

Was the only member of The Three Stooges to use his actual birth name in the act. All of the other Stooges, and even Ted Healy, used stage or Americanized names.