Joe Cobb
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.
Also recorded as Joe Frank Cobb
Joe Cobb

Alfred T. Palmer, Farm Security Administration · This image is available from the United States Library of Congress 's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID fsa.8d42890. This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached · Public domain
- Name
- Joe Cobb
- Birth Name
- Joe Frank Cobb
- Born
- 7 November 1916
- Birthplace
- Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S.
- Died
- 21 May 2002
- Place of death
- Santa Ana, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Child actor
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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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.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Joe Cobb • Birth Name — Joe Frank Cobb • Born — 7 November 1916 • Birthplace — Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S. • Died — 21 May 2002 • Place of death — Santa Ana, California, U.S. • Occupation — Child actor • Years Active — 1923–early 1940s
Early life and career
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. • Illustration — Our Gang 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" (14-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
Death
Cobb died on May 21, 2002, in a convalescent home in Santa Ana, California.

Caption text says "Child Movie Stars Arrive In Chicago From California. Left to right: Jean Darling, Mary Ann Jackson, Farina, Fatty Joe Cobb, Harry Spear, Wheezer, 2 years old, and Pete, the dog of Our Gang, at the Dearborn street station.
Chicago Tribune · https: Chicago Tribune, August 18, 1928, pg. 26
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Shawnee.
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Santa Ana.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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