Bobbie Beard (August 2, 1930 – October 16, 1999) was an American

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

, best known for portraying "Cotton" in several ''

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, who also pr ...

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

s from 1932 to 1934. He was a native of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. His older brother was Matthew "Stymie" Beard, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters.

''Our Gang'' years

As older brother Stymie was the main breadwinner for the Beard family, his success with the ''Our Gang'' series opened the door for his siblings. Bobbie Beard appeared as Stymie's younger brother in '' Hi'-Neighbor!'', ''

Forgotten Babies ''Forgotten Babies'' is a 1933 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 121st ''Our Gang'' short to be released. Plot The children are taking care of their baby brothers and sisters on a Saturday, but would much ...

'', '' Fish Hooky'', '' A Lad an' a Lamp'' and '' Birthday Blues''. His most memorable appearance was in ''A Lad an' a Lamp'', in which

Spanky McFarland George Robert Philips McFarland (October 2, 1928 – June 30, 1993) was an American actor most famous for starring as a child as Spanky in Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. The ''Our Gang'' short ...

keeps wishing that Cotton could be a monkey. Despite his notable presence in several films, Beard never spoke a word.

Later years and death

After departing ''Our Gang'', Beard became an auction dealer in the Los Angeles area. In later years, Beard worked at the Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles and became good friends with

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...

. He later served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, and spent his final years working for the Los Angeles School Board. Maltin, Leonard and Bann, Richard W. (1977, rev. 1992). ''The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang'', p. 260. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press. Beard died on October 16, 1999.

References

External links

* American male child actors 1930 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American male actors {{US-film-actor-1930s-stub