Buckwheat

Here is an image of William Thomas, Jr. outside of his role as Buckwheat. Because of the time he grew up, we never had time to see him in any other role other than Buckwheat. Thomas was the only Our Gang cast member to appear in all 52 MGM Our Gang shorts and was also the only holdover from the Hal Roach era to remain in the series until its end in 1944. After Our Gang was discontinued, Thomas enlisted in the US Army in 1954 and was released from active military service in 1956 decorated with a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. At 49, Thomas died of a heart attack in his Los Angeles apartment in 1980, 46 years to the day after his mother brought him to audition at the Hal Roach Studios. They bury him at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.