1934 until the series’ end in 1944. He buckwheat flour bread a native of Los Angeles.

Billie Thomas first appeared in the 1934 Our Gang shorts For Pete’s Sake! The First Round-Up, and Washee Ironee as a background player. Thomas began appearing as “Buckwheat” with 1935’s Mama’s Little Pirate. Despite the change in the Buckwheat character’s sex, Billie Thomas’s androgynous costuming was not changed until his appearance in the 1936 film Pay as You Exit.

This new costuming — overalls, striped shirt, oversized shoes, and a large unkempt Afro — was retained for the series until the end. Washee Ironee in 1934 through the series’ end in 1944. Thomas remained in Our Gang when the series changed production from Hal Roach Studios to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1938. Thomas was the only cast member to appear in all 52 of the MGM-produced entries and was the only holdover from the Hal Roach era to remain in the series until its end in 1944. The character of Buckwheat in later years became synonymous with the derogatory “pickaninny” stereotype.

Thomas enlisted in the United States Army in 1954 at the age of 23, and was released from active military service in 1956 decorated with a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. After returning to civilian life, Thomas faced a dilemma shared by many of his co-stars from Our Gang. After the Army, I wasn’t really interested in the hassle of performing,” he explained shortly before his death in 1980. However, Thomas still enjoyed the film industry at large, and had a successful career as a film lab technician with the Technicolor corporation. He took his experience in film work as a spark to learn the trade of film editing and cutting.