William Robert Laughlin (July 5, 1932 – August 31, 1948) was an American

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

. He is best known for playing the character Froggy in the ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

'' short films in 1940–44, its final years of production.

Early life

Laughlin was born on July 5, 1932 in San Gabriel,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, to Robert Vine Laughlin (August 28, 1901 – September 30, 1972) and Charlotte C. Cruikshank (March 11, 1903 – June 4, 1992). According to ''Our Gang'' actor

Robert Blake Robert Blake may refer to: Sportspeople * Bob Blake (American football) (1885–1962), American football player * Robbie Blake (born 1976), English footballer * Bob Blake (ice hockey) (1914–2008), American ice hockey player * Rob Blake (born 19 ...

, Laughlin was "dearly loved".

Career

Laughlin rose to fame at the age of eight when he appeared in his first ''Our Gang'' film, '' The New Pupil'' as "Harold", in 1940. He worked in support of

Alfalfa Switzer Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, ...

in his first three films and then replaced the now too old Switzer as the comic lead of the group with the 1941 films. His character was known for his strange, guttural voice, which was reminiscent of a frog's croak. Laughlin's last ''Our Gang'' short film was the last film of the series in 1944 called '' Dancing Romeo''. Laughlin did the voice himself without dubbing, basing it on a

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Johnny Doesn't Live Here Any More ''Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' is a 1944 American comedy/romance film starring Simone Simon, James Ellison, William Terry, and featuring Robert Mitchum in an early role. Produced by King Brothers Productions, it was co-written by Philip ...

'', his only non-''Our Gang'' film, speaking in his natural voice for the only time on film.

Death

Laughlin died at a hospital on August 31, 1948, after a speeding truck struck the Cushman motor scooter on which he was delivering newspapers near his home in

La Puente La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. History The original inhabitants of the ...

. The 16-year-old friend who was operating the scooter, John Wilband, made a U-turn in front of the truck, but survived with minor injuries.(09-02-1948)."Crash Kills Youth of 16". ''Los Angeles Times''. The scooter was given to Laughlin by his parents two weeks prior to the accident. Only 16, Laughlin died younger than any of the other actors who appeared in the ''Our Gang'' films. Laughlin is interred in a grave at the Rose Hills Memorial Park Cemetery in Whittier,

next to his parents.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Laughlin, Billy American male child actors Male actors from California Road incident deaths in California 1932 births 1948 deaths People from San Gabriel, California 20th-century American male actors Burials at Rose Hills Memorial Park American male comedy actors Our Gang