{{Short description|American child actor (1930–99)}} {{Infobox person | name = Bobbie "Cotton" Beard | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1930|08|02}} | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1999|10|16|1930|08|02}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1931–1934 }}

'''Bobbie Beard''' (August 2, 1930 &ndash; October 16, 1999) was an American child actor, best known for portraying "Cotton" in several ''Our Gang'' short films from 1932 to 1934. He was a native of Los Angeles, California. His older brother was Matthew "Stymie" Beard, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters.<ref name=gideonseniors1959.com>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gideonseniors1959.com/little_rascals.htm |title=gideonseniors1959.com |access-date=2010-02-21 |archive-date=2015-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106064838/http://www.gideonseniors1959.com/little_rascals.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==''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'', ''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 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. He later served in the Korean War, and spent his final years working for the Los Angeles School Board.<ref>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. {{ISBN|0-517-58325-9}}</ref>

Beard died on October 16, 1999.<ref name=gideonseniors1959.com/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0063876}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beard, Bobbie}} Category:American male child actors Category:1930 births Category:1999 deaths Category:20th-century American male actors

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