Nicky Arnstein

Julius Wilford "Nicky" Arnstein (born Arndstein; July 1, 1879 – October 2, 1965) was an American professional gambler and con artist. He was known primarily as Julius Arnold, but among his aliases were "Jules Arndtsteyn", "Nick Arnold," "Nicholas Arnold", "Wallace Ames", "John Adams", and "J. Willard Adair". He was best known as the second husband of entertainer Fanny Brice.

Early life Arnstein was born Julius Arndstein in Berlin, German Empire. His father, Moses Arndstein, was a German Jew from Berlin who fought in the Franco-Prussian War. His mother, born Thekla van Shaw, was Dutch. The couple raised their children in the Episcopal 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 nickname he received in the 1890s when, as a teenager, Arnstein rode a bicycle with nickel-plated spokes in professional bike races.

Fanny Brice Arnstein met Fanny Brice in Philadelphia in 1912 where she was performing in The Whirl of Society. He entered Sing Sing and served two years of a three year sentence before Brice got him pardoned.

On May 16, 1924, having been convicted of conspiracy to sell $5 million of stolen securities, Arnstein entered Leavenworth prison, where he remained for almost two years. Brice divorced him on September 17, 1927 on grounds of infidelity.

Third marriage On October 18, 1929, Arnstein married Isabelle McCullough whom he met in 1927 through her husband, Chicago promoter Charles McCullough. She had a fortune of $2 million and the couple lived at Sutton Place in New York City. but was released two days later when it was shown he only resembled the actual culprit.

According to Arnstein, he "tried industriously" to find legitimate work during the 1930s. He said he tried advertising in Manhattan but failed, then moved to Los Angeles and tried an air conditioning business that struggled during the depression.

The stage musical Funny Girl opened on Broadway in 1964, in which Arnstein was portrayed by Sydney Chaplin. 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. Three years later, Omar Sharif assumed the role in the 1968 Barbra Streisand film and its 1975 sequel Funny Lady.

Death Arnstein died October 2, 1965 in Los Angeles, California. His death notice and burial at Mount Olive Memorial Park were listed under the name of Jules Arnold.