Joe Frank Cobb (November 7, 1916 – May 21, 2002) was an American child actor, most notable for appearing as the original "fat boy" in the Our Gang comedies from 1922 to 1929.[1]
His penultimate episode as a regular cast member was Boxing Gloves (1929) when he was 12. Joining him in that film (a remake of The Champeen) is "Chubby" (14-year-old Norman Chaney), Cobb's successor as the "fat kid",[6] and Jackie Cooper in his film debut.
Cobb's final regular Our Gang appearance was in the Lazy Days episode (released August 4, 1929). He appeared in 86 Our Gang films during the seven years from 1922 to 1929. He also made three cameo appearances during the 1930s, in Fish Hooky (1933), Pay as You Exit (1936), and Reunion in Rhythm (1937).
After his acting career ended in the early 1940s, Cobb became an assembler for North American Aviation, a division of Rockwell International[5] in Downey, California. He retired in 1981 at age 65.
^Some sources such as the first edition (1977) of Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals documented him as being born in 1916 or 1917; however the Oklahoma birth index indicates he was born in 1916.
^Demoss, Robert. "The Champeen!". The Lucky Corner. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
^Demoss, Robert. "The Big Show". The Lucky Corner. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
