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 or in film, 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 associ ...

, 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, also the ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s from 1932 to 1934. He was a native of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. His older brother was

Matthew "Stymie" Beard Matthew Beard Jr. (January 1, 1925 – January 8, 1981) was an American actor. As a child actor, he was most famous for playing Stymie in the '' Our Gang'' short comedy films of 1930–1935. The role was so well known that he adopted the name ...

, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters.gideonseniors1959.com
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''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! ''Hi'-Neighbor!'' is a 1934 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 126th ''Our Gang'' short to be released and Meins' first series entry as directo ...

'', '' Forgotten Babies'', ''

Fish Hooky ''Fish Hooky'' is a 1933 ''Our Gang'' short subject, short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 120th (32nd talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Wheezer, Dickie, Uh-huh, and Stymie choose to play hooky fro ...

'', ''

A Lad an' a Lamp ''A Lad an' a Lamp'' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 119th (32nd talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. The film has been criticized as containing racist humor. Plot Fascina ...

'' and ''

Birthday Blues ''Birthday Blues'' is a 1932 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 118th (31st talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot When their pennypinching father refuses to buy a birthday gift for ...

''. His most memorable appearance was in ''A Lad an' a Lamp'', in which Spanky McFarland 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, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

. He later served in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, 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 Our Gang {{US-film-actor-1930s-stub