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CONTEXT

Howard Joel Wolowitz, portrayed by Simon Helberg, is one of the main characters of The Big Bang Theory. He is an aerospace engineer at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he works on equipment for NASA and the International Space Station. He is the only one in the main group without a Ph.D. — he holds a Master's degree from MIT — which earns him constant mockery from Sheldon .

He lives with his mother, Debbie Wolowitz, a possessive and overbearing woman whose voice is heard but who is never seen, until he marries Bernadette Rostenkowski and moves in with her. Howard is Rajesh Koothrappali's best friend, with whom he shares a fusion-like relationship often described as an "ersatz homosexual marriage" by Leonard's mother .

Howard is known for his eccentric outfits, including themed belt buckles and turtleneck shirts, as well as his often clumsy and inappropriate pickup attempts in the early seasons. Over the course of the series, he evolves considerably, from "sleazy womanizer" to devoted husband and attentive father .

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BIOGRAPHY

Howard was born in Pasadena, California, between March and September 1981 . His childhood was marked by two major events: his mother's overprotection, which forced him to wear rubber gloves in kindergarten to avoid germs, and the mysterious departure of his father, Sam Wolowitz, when he was eleven years old . This departure left a deep wound that Howard never fully healed, partly explaining his constant need for validation and sometimes immature behavior.

He was bullied at school, notably by a certain Scott Kapinski . Despite this, he showed an early aptitude for engineering. He earned a Master's degree from MIT, after briefly studying medicine — which he dropped out of due to a fear of blood .

He returned to Pasadena after his studies and began working at Caltech, where he met Leonard Hofstadter and Rajesh Koothrappali. Together, they formed a social group that later expanded to include Sheldon Cooper .

Howard has achieved several notable professional accomplishments: he worked on the Mars rover (which he accidentally stuck in a ditch), designed a robotic arm for the International Space Station (which he used inappropriately, getting stuck), and was ultimately selected as a payload specialist for a space mission, becoming the first in the group to go to space .

He married Bernadette Rostenkowski in a ceremony on the rooftop of the apartment building, just before his departure for space . They have two children: a daughter, Halley, and a son, Neil Michael (called Michael) . His mother, Debbie, passed away in 2015, an event that deeply affected Howard .

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