1. The role was so well known that he adopted the name Stymie Beard, and was so credited in some later roles, such as his 1978 appearance in The Buddy Holly Story.
16 Facts About Stymie Beard
1. 2.
Stymie Beard was born near Los Angeles, California, to Matthew Stymie Beard Sr.
3.
Stymie Beard's father was the founding pastor of Beloved Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles.
4.
Stymie Beard previously played baby parts in many films, then signed a five-year contract in 1930 to appear in Our Gang.
5.
In contrast to Farina, the character whom he replaced, Stymie Beard was a slick-tongued con-artist who was self-assured, nonchalant and ready with a sly comment and clever ideas to solve the problems that he faced.
6.
Stymie Beard could offer sound common sense that helped resolve his playmates' dilemmas.
7.
Stymie Beard is the only member of Our Gang who both replaced one of the original gang members and was in turn replaced by one who stayed until the series disbanded: Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas.
8.
Stymie Beard's paycheck helped support his family in East Los Angeles, including 13 brothers and sisters.
9.
Stymie Beard named one Dickie after Dickie Moore, another member of Our Gang and Beard's best friend.
10.
Four other members of the Stymie Beard family appear in the Our Gang comedies:.
11.
Stymie Beard appeared in supporting roles in several independent "race films" aimed at African-American audiences, including Two Gun Man from Harlem with Herb Jeffries and Broken Strings with Clarence Muse.
12.
Parts dried up as Stymie Beard became an older teenager; by the time he was an adult, Stymie Beard had retired from acting.
13.
Stymie Beard appears in episodes of Maude as a resident of an apartment complex where the title character's husband temporarily lived, and on Good Times, where he had a recurring role as Monty.
14.
Stymie Beard suffered a stroke on January 3,1981, two days after his 56th birthday, sustained head injuries from falling down a flight of stairs, and died of pneumonia on January 8,1981.
15.
Stymie Beard was living in Los Angeles at the time.
16.
Stymie Beard is interred in the Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles, buried with the famous derby that he wore for all of his life.