Julius "Nicky" W. Arnstein (July, 1879 - October 2, 1965) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, professional gambler, and con artist. Among his aliases were Nick Arnold, Nicholas Arnold, Julius Arnold, Wallace Ames, John Adams, and J. Willard Adair. He was best known as the second husband of
Fanny BriceFanny Brice was a popular and influential American comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances but is best remembered as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show...
.
Arnstein's father, Berlin-born Moses Arndstein, fought in the
Franco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between France and Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and Bavaria...
. Even though his father was Jewish, he and his wife Thekla Van Shaw, of
DutchThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
extraction, raised their children in the Episcopalian church.
Julius "Nicky" W. Arnstein (July, 1879 - October 2, 1965) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, professional gambler, and con artist. Among his aliases were Nick Arnold, Nicholas Arnold, Julius Arnold, Wallace Ames, John Adams, and J. Willard Adair. He was best known as the second husband of
Fanny BriceFanny Brice was a popular and influential American comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances but is best remembered as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show...
.
Arnstein's father, Berlin-born Moses Arndstein, fought in the
Franco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between France and Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and Bavaria...
. Even though his father was Jewish, he and his wife Thekla Van Shaw, of
DutchThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
extraction, raised their children in the Episcopalian church. First settling in New Jersey, the couple had two other children besides middle-child Nicky; son Louis (born 1877), and daughter Gesina (born 1883).
"Nicky" was short for nickel plate, a
sobriquetA sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
bestowed in the 1890s when as a boy, Arnstein rode a gleaming nickel-plated bicycle in the then-popular bike racing craze. However, he spent more time throwing races than winning them. He graduated to gambling on transatlantic liners and in European casinos, and eventually fell in with
Arnold RothsteinArnold "The Brain" Rothstein was a New York businessman and gambler who became a famous kingpin of organized crime, the Jewish mafia. Rothstein was also widely reputed to have been behind baseball's Black Sox Scandal, in which the 1919 World Series was fixed...
, a
loan sharkA loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at high interest rates to individuals, often backed by blackmail or threats of violence....
,
bookmakerA bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
, fence of property stolen by others,
Wall StreetWall Street is a street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. It runs east from Broadway to South Street on the East River, through the historical center of the Financial District. It is the first permanent home of the New York Stock Exchange; over time Wall Street became the...
swindler, real estate speculator, and labor racketeer who was best known for fixing the
1919 World SeriesThe 1919 World Series matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. Although most World Series have been of the best-of-seven format, the 1919 World Series was a best-of-nine series...
.
In 1915, Arnstein was convicted of swindling, and the following year he entered
Sing SingSing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in the Village of Ossining, Town of Ossining, New York, United States. It is located approximately 30 miles north of New York City on the banks of the Hudson River...
to serve out his term. Brice visited him every week while he was there, and in 1918 Arnstein's wife Carrie sued her for alienation of his affection. She subsequently divorced him, leaving him free to marry Brice in October of that year.
On May 16, 1924, having been convicted of conspiracy to carry stolen securities into the District of Columbia, Arnstein entered
Leavenworth prisonFort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active U.S. Army post west of the Mississippi River, in operation for over 170 years...
, where he remained for three years. Brice divorced him on September 17, 1927, soon after his release.
Arnstein remained out of trouble for the remainder of his life. He lived long enough to see himself immortalized in the Broadway musical
Funny Girl, in which he was portrayed in a somewhat whitewashed version by
Sydney Earle ChaplinSydney Earl Chaplin was an award winning film and theatre actor. The third son of Sir Charles Chaplin and the second by his second wife, actress Lita Grey, Sydney Chaplin was named after his uncle Sydney Chaplin .Lita Grey was 16 when she married the 35-year-old Charles Chaplin in 1924...
. (In the musical, Arnstein is found guilty of embezzlement, has never been married to anyone but Fanny, and serves only one prison sentence - after being married for several years.)
Omar SharifOmar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in many Hollywood films. He is most famous for his roles in Doctor Zhivago, Funny Girl and Lawrence of Arabia...
assumed the role in the
1968Funny Girl is a musical film based on the stage musical of the same name. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway and film star and comedienne Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein. Its original title was My Man...
film and its
1975The year 1975 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January 28 - George Lucas creates the second draft of what would eventually become Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope...
sequel,
Funny LadyFunny Lady is a 1975 film starring Barbra Streisand, James Caan, Omar Sharif, Roddy McDowall, and Ben Vereen.A sequel to the 1964 Broadway musical and subsequent 1968 film version of Funny Girl, it is a highly fictionalized account of the later life and career of comedienne Fanny Brice and her...
.