Hal Roach's Our Gang, from left: Baby Patsy May, Eugene 'Porky' Lee, Darla Hood, Spanky McFarland, Billie 'Buckwheat' Thomas, Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer, MGM portrait, ca. late 1930s
UPDATED 8/2/2023
It was just over 100 years ago that producer Hal Roach introduced the world to the children making up his Our Gang comedies, better known from their television broadcasts as The Little Rascals, which is how we’ll be referring to them throughout this article.
Between 1922 and 1944 Roach had cast a total of 60 youngsters to play the Little Rascals, characters that would touch the hearts and funny bones of generations of viewers. Their names ranged from Spanky to Buckwheat, Alfalfa, Porky, Darla, Jackie, Chubsy-Ubsy and so many more. What follows is your guide to each and every one of those kids, with their dates of birth, short biographies and cause of death. What may surprise you is how much tragedy touched the lives of these former kid stars.
BORN: December 20, 1912 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
BIO: Appeared in nine shorts. He was a child actor, comedian, vaudevillian and a dancer. He was drafted into the Army during World War II, and later worked as a quality control inspector for an aerospace company in Compton, California.
DEATH: July 24, 1989 of cancer at age 76.
BORN: March 25, 1918 in Los Angeles
BIO: Jackie was fairly successful in silent films when he was cast by Hal Roach. In total, he appeared in 78 shorts as Jackie, Roosie, Adelbert Wallingford and Cousin Percy. He would go on to work at Rockwell International with Joe Cobb, also a member of the Little Rascals.
DEATH: October 13, 1977 at age 59 of cancer.
BORN: October 11, 1914 in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
BIO: He was discovered in Rock Springs in 1921 while performing at an amateur night at the Rialto Theatre. This led to his being signed to Hal Roach Studios, where he ultimately appeared in 50 shorts as well as making cameo appearances in two others. He quit acting after World War II and worked in construction engineering. He began working as a taxi driver for San Diego’s Red Top Taxi, where he continued until the time of his death.
DEATH: August 20, 1970 at age 55, found dead as a result of alcoholism in a transient hotel.
BORN: August 9, 1920 in Boston Massachusetts.
BIO: He appeared in 105 shorts (which is actually more than other member of the Little Rascals). When acting roles dried up, he became a licensed psychological technician in San Francisco.
DEATH: July 26, 1980 of cancer at 59.
BORN: November 14, 1912 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
BIO: She retired from acting following her time as a part of the Little Rascals. Prior to that, she worked with comedian Harold Lloyd. She appeared in a total of five shorts.
DEATH: June 13, 2001.
BORN April 5, 1914 in Los Angeles.
BIO: He appeared in 19 shorts and played the roles of Jack Davis and Waldemar. He became a successful physician in West Los Angeles.
DEATH: November 3, 1992 at age 78 of respiratory failure.
BORN: December 27, 1915 in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
BIO: Appeared in 42 shorts plus a pair of cameos. She continued acting into the 1930s, costarring with John Wayne in 1935’s The Desert Trail. She retired in 1940.
DEATH: June 1, 1973 of cancer at the age of 57.
BORN: He was born in 1909.
BIO: From 1923 and 1925 he appeared in 19 shorts between the age of 13 and 16.
DEATH: March 5, 1992 of cancer at age 82.
BORN: November 7, 1916 in Shawnee, California.
BIO: He appeared in 85 shorts with cameos in three additional ones. He was a part of the Little Rascals from 1922 to 1929. After retiring from acting in the early 1940s, he became an assembler for North American Aviation.
DEATH: May 21, 2002 of natural causes at 85.
BORN: March 19, 1923 in Los Angeles
BIO: Jannie — who played the characters Mango, Arnica, Zuccini and Trells — appeared in 24 shorts. Eventually she became a postal worker in Northern California
DEATH: January 11, 1996 at age 73.
BIRTH: August 15, 1912 in Los Angeles.
BIO: He appeared in nine shorts. Not much is known beyond his time with the Little Rascals.
DEATH: June 1986.
BORN: Christmas Day 1916 in Buffalo, New York.
BIO: Eugene appeared in six shorts. Additional acting credits include the television series Julia and he appeared in 1991’s The Addams Family.
DEATH: October 25, 2001 of a heart attack at age 84.
BIRTH: October 10, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York.
BIO: Johnny appeared in 23 shorts. He would go on to stage work in vaudeville and summer stock, and also made a number of television appearances. Eventually he worked in real estate and as a television host in the 1970s.
DEATH: June 6, 1994 of cancer at age 80.
BORN: August 29, 1915 in Los Angeles.
BIO: He appeared in 36 shorts. Once the silents became “talkies,” he felt uncomfortable and retired from acting in 1929. He joined the Navy during World War II and eventually owned a retail paint company in Hawaii. In the early 1990s he moved to Las Vegas.
DEATH: In 2002, at the age of 87, he was stabbed to death by a homeless man he had befriended.
BORN: September 15, 1917 in Schenectady, New York.
BIO: Appeared in 19 shorts between 1925 and 1931. He became a contract player at Warner Bros throughout the 1940s.
DEATH: September 15, 1951 at age 33 in a hotel fire that started when he fell asleep while smoking in bed.
BORN: December 1919 in New York.
BIO: There is very little known about Elmer besides the fact that he appeared in 13 of the shorts and he was reportedly disruptive on the set, which is why he did so few entries.
DEATH: No details available.
BORN: July 10 1925 in Beverly Hills, California.
BIO: Appearing in 21 shorts, later she worked at 20th Century Fox in uncredited roles under the name Ricki VanDusen, and followed that with modeling work in magazines an TV commercials. In 2015 she was reportedly living on a remote ranch in Utah.
DEATH: August 19, 2022 at age 97.
BORN: August 23, 1922 in Santa Monica, California.
BIO: She actually appeared in 46 silent shorts and five of the talkies. Prior to that, at six months of age she found herself working as a “freelance baby” for whatever production needed one. As a teenager she appeared in Laurel & Hardy’s Babes in Toyland and the 1934 production of Jane Eyre, which was followed by stage and radio shows that sometimes saw her performing seven times a day. She achieved critical success in the 1945 Broadway production of Carousel. In the 1950s she hosted her own show at NBC, A Date with Jean Darling, followed by a Hollywood station’s Singing Knit-Witch. In 1974 she moved to Dublin, Ireland and began writing mystery series, with over 50 of them being published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Whispers.
DEATH: September 4, 2015 at age 93 of a sudden illness while living in a nursing home.
BORN: March 29, 1925 in Tacoma, Washington.
BIO: Appeared in 59 shorts, his career actually began in the Buster Brown film series. Despite his success in the Little Rascals, his role was suddenly substantially reduced, attributed to rumors about his controlling parents. Following his departure from the series, the family moved back to Tacoma where he attended high school. Following that, he joined the Air Force in 1943.
DEATH: May 17, 1945, in a mid-air collision while trying to land a North American AT-6D-NT Texan plane during a training exercise. He was 20.
BORN: December 16, 1921 in Los Angeles.
BIO: Appeared in 31 shorts. Prior to his time with the Little Rascals, he appeared in several Buck Jones Westerns at Fox Studios, and afterwards he tried to earn a living in vaudeville, but he was gone from the world of entertainment by the mid-1940s. He served as a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War.
DEATH: September 22, 2006 of kidney cancer at the age of 84.
BORN: January 14, 1923 in Los Angeles
BIO: Appeared in 32 shorts. She first achieved some fame as part of Mack Sennett’s The Smith Family shorts. After the Little Rascals, she tried additional acting but found the process too grueling and unrewarding, so quit the business. She was married twice and was the mother of two.
DEATH: December 17, 2003 of a heart attack at age 80.
BORN: January 18, 1918 in Baltimore, Maryland.
BIO: As popular as he was, Chaney only appeared in 18 shorts. By 1931 he was getting much heavier and was described as losing his cuteness, so he was let go from the series. After moving back to Baltimore with his family, his weight came in at over 300 pounds, while he was only 4-foot, 7-inches tall. It turned out that he had a glandular ailment and after treatment dropped to less than 140 pounds. This put his body under great strain.
DEATH: May 29, 1936 of myocarditis at age 21.
BORN: September 14, 1922 in Los Angeles.
BIO: He appeared in 15 shorts and remained active in the entertainment business for most of his life. At age 9 he was nominated for an Academy Award for the 1931 film Skippy. In World War II he served i the U.S. Navy, he starred in the TV series The People’s Choice and Hennesey, made numerous guest star appearances, became an executive at Sony’s Screen Gems and was featured as Daily Planet editor Perry White in the Christopher Reeve Superman films.
DEATH: May 3, 2011 of natural causes at age 88.
BORN: May 9, 1919 in Seward County, Nebraska.
BIO: Appeared in 15 shorts, leaving the Little Rascals at the age of 15. He continued as an actor, appearing in other Hal Roach shorts and features until 1940, before working on the East Side Kids films as well as the film version of A Tale of Two Cities.
DEATH: February 20, 1943, killed in action while serving the United States Air Force at age 23.
BORN: March 28, 1925
BIO: Appeared in 24 shorts. After high school graduation, she worked as a secretary at Republic Pictures, later becoming a senior clerk at UC-Berkeley’s School of Journalism. She was married twice and had two children.
DEATH: June 2, 2010 of emphysema at age 85.
BORN: October 1, 1922 in Coalinga, California.
BIO: A short stint in the Marine Corps during World War II — which ended when he broke his leg in boot camp — led to drinking problems in his private life, which was sending him down a dark path. Getting sober, he spent the rest of his life opening and operating centers for people with drinking and narcotics issues. He was married once and had three kids.
DEATH: September 22, 2008 of congestive heart failure at age 85.
BORN: January 1, 1925 in Los Angeles.
BIO: Appeared in 36 shorts, the money from which helped in supporting his family of 13 brothers and sisters. A few small movie roles followed his time as part of the Little Rascals, but he had retired before entering high school He began using drugs and lived what is described as the “street life,” becoming addicted to heroin and finding himself in and out of jail. In the 1960s he broke free of heroin when he checked himself into the L.A. drug rehabilitation facility and cult known as Synanon. Following his stint there, he did some acting again on TV shows and appeared in 1978’s The Buddy Holly Story. Interesting trivia: the over-sized derby he was known for wearing was a gift from Stan Laurel of the comedy team Laurel & Hardy.
DEATH: January 8, 1981 at age 56 of a stroke that led to his falling down a flight of stairs, sustaining head injuries and then pneumonia.
BORN: March 25, 1926 in Seattle, Washington.
BIO: Appeared in five shorts. She would later enjoy some success in films, co-starring with Mickey Rooney in a series of eight Mickey McGuire comedies. Her later various occupations including driving trucks for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, and then as an exotic dancer in burlesque.
DEATH: She died of natural causes on February 6, 2009 at age 82 following a long illness.
BORN: The original Pete was born in 1924, the second born in 1929.
BIO: The pet dog of the Little Rascals who appeared in a number of the shorts. He was famous for the ring around his eye, which was added by Hollywood make-up artist Max Factor.
DEATH: The original Pete was poisoned and died in 1930. The second died in 1946.
BORN: August 6, 1923 in Long Beach, California.
BIO: Appeared in nine shorts. Following his time with the series, he appeared in a few movies, but eventually became a civil engineer.
DEATH: Died of cancer on his 64th birthday, August 6, 1987.
BORN: October 29, 1916 in Jolton, Kansas.
BIO: Appeared in eight shorts. Retiring from show business, he became an electrical engineer at the U.S. Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, California, and from there became an institutional mortgage-backed bond salesman.
DEATH: Committed suicide on October 15, 1981 at age 64 during depression over being forced into retirement from his job.
BORN: November 1, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois.
BIO: Appeared in 18 shorts and a number of films, though he retired in 1941 following an uncredited role in Always Tomorrow: The Portrait of an American Business. During World War II and the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Navy, later becoming an electrical engineer with RCA. He was married to Myra K. Heino from 1944 until her death in 2012.
DEATH: November 23, 2016 at age 91 of natural causes.
BORN: October 2, 1928 in Dallas, Texas.
BIO: Appearing in 95 shorts, he was 14 when he finally left the series. He joined the Air Force in 1954 when he was 24 and, afterwards, worked a variety of nondescript jobs. At one point he hosted the children’s series, The Spanky Show, on a local Oklahoma television station. His greatest success was as national sales training director at Philco-Ford Corporation. He helped launch the Nostalgia Channel in 1985 and would eventually perform in speaking engagements and lectures around the country.
DEATH: June 30, 1993 at age 64 of what was either a heart attack or an aneurysm.
BORN: September 12, 1925 in Los Angeles.
BIO: Appeared in seven shorts, and had a fairly prolific movie career, with some television appearances in the 1950s as well. His final performances were in the film Eight Iron Men (1952) and the anthology TV series Omnibus (1957). While battling alcohol and drug addictions, in 1966 he founded the Dick Moore and Associates public relations firm, which he ran until 2010. He was married three times and had one child.
DEATH: September 7, 2015 at age 89 in hospice.
BORN: September 3, 1928 in Croydon, Surrey, England
BIO: Appeared in two shorts and had a supporting role in the Laurel and Hardy film Pack Up Your Troubles (1932). Her career was cut short when her father demanded more money from Hal Roach. She was married to Martin Woll from 1950 until 2002, and they had four children.
DEATH: March 21, 2002 at age 73 of natural causes.
BORN: Born June 19, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois.
BIO: Appeared in 26 shorts. Little is known about his life following the Little Rascals.
DEATH: August 28, 1962 at age 36 of a heart attack.
BORN: September 16, 1926 in Dallas, Texas.
BIO: Appeared in 27 shorts, usually as tough guy “Butch.” Serving in the Navy during World War II, he returned to acting, playing cub reporter Jimmy Olsen in the Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950) movie serials. Following college graduation, he worked as a television director and in production, including as a production manager on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.
DEATH: September 24, 2005 at age 79 due to complications from heart disease.
BORN: September 3, 1925 in Burbank, California.
BIO: Appeared in five shorts. He enjoyed a prolific career, appearing in dozens of films between The Case of Lena Smith (1929) and White Christmas (1954). As an adult, he became a champion water sportsman and then later operated a successful trucking firm that shipped produce.
DEATH: August 7, 1999 at 73, cause of death unknown.
BORN: October 4, 1929 in Oakland, California.
BIO: Appeared in 16 shorts as Spanky’s buddy. As time went on, he scored pretty significant roles in films like Dane’s Inferno, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Kings Row. Unlike most of the other Little Rascals stars, his career extended into adulthood, signing a contract with MGM in 1947. His private life got more difficult in the early 1950s, though he did score a sidekick role on the TV show Rocky Jones, Space Ranger — from which he was let go after being arrested for a concealed weapons charge and for passing a bad check. Drinking and gambling became a problem as well. He was arrested several times for drunk driving, and had an accident that broke his hip and gave him a skull fracture. He attempted suicide in 1962. He was married three times and had one child.
DEATH: May 10, 1968 at age 38 of an apparent suicide from pills and alcohol.
BORN: June 29, 1925 in Compton, California.
BIO: Appeared in five shorts. In 1951 she hosted a daily two-hour variety show on California TV station KTTV, which spanned over 10 years. Additionally, she directed and produced various TV programs and performed on a wide variety of TV dramas, movies and national commercials.
DEATH: May 5, 2014 at age 88 from Alzheimer’s disease.
BORN: December 9, 1930 in Los Angeles.
BIO: Appeared in seven shorts. She quit acting shortly after the Little Rascals, eventually got married and moved to Granada Hills, California.
DEATH: November 8, 2013 at age 82. No cause of death was revealed.
BORN: March 12, 1931 in Los Angeles.
BIO: Appeared in 52 shorts. He enlisted in the army at age 23 in 1954, leaving two years later with a National Defense Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal. Upon returning, he was actually offered a number of film and TV roles, but simply didn’t have the interest in acting. He nonetheless did fine enjoyment working as a Technicolor film lab technician, which led to his learning editing and cutting.
DEATH: October 10, 1980 at age 49 of a heart attack.
BORN: March 27, 1928 in Los Angeles.
BIO: Appeared in four shorts. All that’s really known about him post-Little Rascals is he served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II.
DEATH: July 1, 2013 at age 85.
BORN: October 23, 1929 in Texas.
BIO: He appeared in 10 shorts. Noting is known of his later life.
DEATH: March 8, 1970 at age 41
BORN: Born September 23, 1927 in Los Angeles.
BIO: She appeared in 10 shorts.
DEATH: December 8, 2009 at age 82. She doesn’t seem to have had a career beyond the Little Rascals.
BORN: July 2, 1928 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
BIO: Appeared in 26 shorts. Giving up acting in the 1940s, he spent much of his life as a real estate developer and either participated in or arranged reunions of Little Rascals cast members over the years.
DEATH: Assumed to be one of the last surviving members of the cast (this as of 2017).
BORN: August 7, 1927 in Paris, Illinois.
BIO: Appeared in 61 shorts. At one point, his popularity in the Little Rascals surpassed even Spanky’s. After leaving the series, he starred (oftentimes in uncredited roles) in over 30 movies, including It’s a Wonderful Life (as the guy who opens the gym floor, revealing the pool James Stewart and Donna Reed fall in to) and his final role in 1958’s The Defiant Ones.
DEATH: January 21, 1959 at age 31 from a gunshot wound.
BORN: January 16, 1925 in Paris, Illinois
BIO: Appeared in 27 shorts, Carl’s brother oftentimes appeared just as a background character. Giving up acting, in the 1960s he operated a Speed Queen Company franchise, responsible for installing and servicing washing machines and dryers. In 1967 he killed a customer during an argument, and afterwards drove to a remote area near Glendale, California and killed himself.
DEATH: April 14, 1967 at age 42 of suicide.
BORN: November 8, 1931 in Leedey, Oklahoma.
BIO: Appeared in 51 shorts. During high school she started a vocal group called the Enchanters, after which Darla performed solo singing engagements in nightclubs and on television. She was a regular from 1950 to 1951 on The Ken Murray Show, a regular performer on The Merv Griffin Show in 1957, she recorded several music singles, there were a number of guest appearances, including The Jack Benny Program and game show You Bet Your Life. There were also movie roles in, among others, Calypso Heat Wave and The Helen Morgan Story (both 1957) and The Bat (1959). She was married twice and had three children.
DEATH: June 13, 1979 at age 47 of heart attack induced by hepatitis from a blood transfusion during what should have been a routine appendectomy.
BORN: October 25, 1933 in Fort Worth, Texas.
BIO: Appeared in 43 shorts. Having given up acting, as an adult he moved to Colorado where he became an alternative school educator at Broomfield High School. Flash forward to the 1980s and he began reconnecting with his past, attending Little Rascals reunions and starting a business selling Porky-related merchandise. His partner was Janice McClain from 1992 until 2005 at the time of his death.
DEATH: October 16, 2005 at age 71 of lung and brain cancer.
BORN: March 20, 1934 in Gosport, Indiana.
BIO: Appeared in five shorts. Little is known about her beyond the fact that she was married once, but had gotten a divorce.
DEATH: January 1, 2013 at age 78.
BORN: September 8, 1929 in Fort Colins, Colorado.
BIO: Appeared in 21 shorts. Following a short stint in the Army, in 1951 he married Jean Verden, with whom he would eventually have four sons. He became a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in California, and in 1957 moved with his family to Thailand (them Siam), where he did missionary work. They remainaed there for 14 years before coming back to the U.S., where he continued his ministering work.
DEATH: May 15, 2002 at age 72 from a hit and run accident.
BORN: November 8, 1935 in Los Angeles.
BIO: Appeared in 15 shorts and was finished with the series by the age of three. He would go on to operate a retail spa business in Southern California. At the time of his death, he had four children and 10 grandchildren.
DEATH: August 22, 1994 at age 58.
BORN: September 24, 1928 in El Paso, Texas.
BIO: Appeared in seven shorts. Although he would dabble in playing guitar for a number of bands, he spent the majority of his life working in a sheet metal and air conditioning businesses.
DEATH: November 13, 2008 at age 80.
BORN: July 2, 1933 in Los Angeles.
BIO: Appeared in 21 shorts. Little is known, though he did participate in some Little Rascals reunions, he was married and has two children.
DEATH: July 25, 2017 at 84.
BORN: July 28, 1927 in Toronto, Ontario.
BIO: Appeared in seven shorts. She continued acting, but appeared mostly in uncredited roles in a number of films. She got married in 1946 and she and husband Don Hartshorn would have five children. She spent many years volunteering for the PTA, Right to Life and St Joseph Hospital of Orange Spiritual Care.
DEATH: July 26, 2020 at age 92.
BORN: September 18, 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey.
BIO: Appeared in 40 shorts. He was born Michael James Gubitosi, we know him better as Robert Blake. as an adult he appeared on many TV shows, though he really gained attention for the film In Cold Blood (1967) and would go on to appear in dozens of films. He starred in the series Baretta (1975 to 1978) and Hell Town (1985). In 2002 he was charged with the murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, though he was ultimately acquitted. A civil suit by her three children found him guilty and ordered to pay $30 million, though he immediately filed for bankruptcy. Since then, he’s kept a fairly low profile.
DEATH: Still kicking at 89.
BORN: July 5, 1932 in San Gabriel, California.
BIO: Appeared in 29 shorts. The only other acting he did was in the 1944 film Johnny Doesn’t Live Here Any More, where audiences heard his natural voice for the first time rather than the guttural sound of his Froggy character in the Little Rascals.
DEATH: August 31, 1948 at the age of 16 when a speeding truck hit his motor scooter while he was out delivering newspapers.
BORN: Born January 11, 1935 in Oakland, California.
BIO: Appeared in 16 shorts and a few films after the series ended having decided to become a housewife. She was married four times.
DEATH: March 3, 1998 at age 63, dying in her sleep.
BORN: July 20, 1936 in Los Angeles.
BIO: Appeared in five shorts. He was the brother of Mickey Laughlin, who played Froggy in the series and died after getting struck by a speeding vehicle. Not much was reported about his life, though he did attend Darla Hood’s funeral and stayed in touch with Bill Thomas.
DEATH: December 4, 1996 at age 60.
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