Cy Schindell

Cy Schindell
Schindell in Calling All Curs.
Born	Seymour Schindel March 4, 1907(1907-03-04) Brooklyn, New York
Died	August 24, 1948(1948-08-24) (aged 41) Hollywood, California
Years active	1933-1948

Seymour "Cy" Schindell (March 4, 1907 – August 24, 1948) was an American actor who appeared in 37 Three Stooges short subjects,^[1] mostly as a heavy.

Career

Brooklyn-born Schindell was born Seymour Schindel in 1907. He was a former middleweight boxer with 19 fights from 1926-1928.^[2] He was later bitten by the acting bug, and found work as an extra at Columbia Studios, most notably appearing with comedy team the Three Stooges. Schindell was also a skilled stuntman, performing many pratfalls himself. His ability to deliver straight, tough dialogue ("youse mugs") made him a natural for parts as heavies.^[3] Shorts like Calling All Curs, Nutty But Nice and Fright Night gave Schindell a chance to bully the Stooges around to great effect. The ex-puglist also twice had the chance to be knocked cold by the trio, only to the have the Stooges (concealed behind a curtain) maneuver the unconscious Schindell like a puppet in the films Matri-Phony, Fright Night and Fling in the Ring. Schindell also memorably played Chizzilini, a parody of Benito Mussolini, in the short I'll Never Heil Again.

Besides the Three Stooges, he also appeared briefly in It's a Wonderful Life as "Nick" the bouncer, as well as numerous film appearances playing mainly blue collar roles such as a truck driver, a butcher and a policeman.^[3]

Military service and illness

Schindell enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during the 1920s^[4] and returned to active service for World War II. While on Guadalcanal, he developed a severe case of jungle rot, which eventually developed into terminal cancer. Knowing he was dying, Schindell worked constantly during his illness to assure his family would be financially secure after his death.^[3]

Schindell died on August 24, 1948, and was buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery, Los Angeles, California. His final film appearance was in 1948's Three Stooges film Crime on Their Hands; heavy makeup was used to mask Schindell's cancer-ridden face.

References

1. ^ ThreeStooges.net: The Three Stooges Online Filmography
2. ^ Cy Schindel
3. ^ ^{a b c} Okuda, Ted; Watz, Edward (1986). The Columbia Comedy Shorts. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 232. ISBN 0899501818. 
4. ^ The Leatherneck, Volume 11 Marine Corps Institute, 1928

External links

Biography portal

• Cy Schindell at the Internet Movie Database
• Cy Schindell at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Schindell, Cy
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 4, 1907
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York
Date of death	August 24, 1948
Place of death	Hollywood, California