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. Early life and career Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on November 7, 1916, Cobb auditioned for producer Hal Roach's Our Gang comedy series at the age of five in 1921. He first worked with the series in 1922, appearing in The Champeen (1923) and The Big Show (1923). Cobb appeared in the Our Gang series' last silent film, Saturday's Lesson, and its first talking short, Small Talk, both in 1929. 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" (15-year-old Norman Chaney), Cobb's successor as the "fat kid", 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 in Downey, California. He retired in 1981 at age 65. Death Cobb died of natural causes on May 21, 2002, in Santa Ana, California. Further reading Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 82. References External links Associated Press article 1916 births 2002 deaths People from Shawnee, Oklahoma American male film actors American male child actors Male actors from Oklahoma Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) American male comedy actors Hal Roach Studios actors Our Gang 20th-century American male actors