Matthew Beard (American actor)

Matthew "Stymie" Beard
Beard as "Stymie" in School's Out
Born	Matthew Beard, Jr. (1925-01-01)January 1, 1925 Los Angeles, California
Died	January 8, 1981(1981-01-08) (aged 56) Los Angeles, California
Cause of death	Stroke Pneumonia Head Trauma
Resting place	Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles
Occupation	Actor, child actor
Years active	1927–1981

Matthew Beard, Jr. (January 1, 1925 – January 8, 1981) was an American child actor, most famous for portraying the character of Stymie in the Our Gang short films from 1930 to 1935. He was a native of Los Angeles, California.

Matthew Beard, Jr. was born near Los Angeles, California. His father was Matthew Beard, Sr. and his mother was Johnnie Mae Beard née Clay. His father was also the Founder and Pastor of Beloved Church of God in Christ still located at 7529 S. Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90003.

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. The character's trademark was a bald head crowned by an oversize derby hat, a gift to Beard from comedian Stan Laurel, who had also worked under Our Gang creator Hal Roach. Stymie is the only Our Ganger who both replaced one of the original gang members (Allen "Farina" Hoskins) and was in turn replaced by one who would stay on until the series disbanded, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas.

The name "Stymie" was provided by Our Gang director Robert McGowan, who was always frustrated ("stymied") by little Matthew's curious wanderings around the studio; the character was originally to be named "Hercules". McGowan would later recall that Stymie was his favorite of all the Our Gang kids. The then five-year-old Beard came to the series a year after the transition from the silent/early talkie era Our Gang. He had the exclusive distinction of being with the gang from "Miss Crabtree" talkies of the early 1930s, through the mid-thirties transitional period, up until the era of the more familiar group of Spanky, Alfalfa, and Buckwheat, who would ultimately replace Stymie in 1935.