Matthew Beard Jr

 Matthew Beard Jr. (January 1, 1925 – January 8, 1981)

Beard was a child actor, most famous for portraying the character of Stymie in the Our Gang short films from 1930-35. The role was so high profile that he adopted the name Stymie Beard, credited with this for some later roles, such as his 1978 appearance in The Buddy Holly Story. Beard had previously played baby parts in many films before signing a five-year contract to play in Our Gang. In contrast to Farina, the character he replaced, Stymie was a slick-tongued con-artist who was always self-assured, nonchalant, and ready with a sly comment as well as clever ideas to solve the problems he faced. Stymie could also offer sound, commonsense advice that helped resolve the dilemmas of his playmates. After Beard left the series in 1935 at the age of ten, he went on to score some minor roles in feature films, such as Captain Blood (1935) starring Errol Flynn and Jezebel (1938) with Bette Davis. At the age of 15 he made an appearance and was credited as "Mose" the bellboy in the 1940 Fritz Lang directed The Return of Frank James with Henry Fonda and fellow child star Jackie Cooper. Beard fell into drug abuse as an adult, and spent time in jail for theft. However, he was able to get clean after checking himself into a rehabilitation center. He would later make television appearances on Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and Good Times, among other shows. Beard suffered a stroke on January 3, 1981, sustained head injuries from falling down a flight of stairs, and died of pneumonia on January 8, 1981. He is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles.