Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas (1931-1980)
African American child actor that played the character of Buckwheat in the Our Gang (Little Rascals) short films from 1934 until the series’ end in 1944. Although the character he played was often the subject of controversy in later years for containing elements of the “pickaninny” stereotype, Thomas always defended his work in the series, pointing out that Buckwheat and the rest of the black Our Gang kids were treated as equals to the white kids in the series. He was a native of Los Angeles, California.
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