American actor (1925–1999)
Wally Albright (born Walton Algernon Albright Jr.; September 3, 1925 - August 7, 1999) was an American actor, water sportsman, and businessman. As a child actor, he was best known for his role in the Our Gang film series.
Career
Albright was the son of Wally and Lois Albright.[1] He was seen in a film with Gloria Swanson in 1928.[2] He appeared in a number of films during his career, and is notable for appearing in six Our Gang short subjects throughout the early 1930s. Though his tenure with the gang was brief, his role was usually that of the gang leader alongside Matthew "Stymie" Beard.
Albright played so many roles as a baby that he was quite well-known by the time he was three. He appeared in the small parts of various films made by Hal Roach Studios. At the end of 1933, when Gus Meins took over directing, Our Gang needed a few new characters. Several older Our Gangers left the series in the summer of 1933, including Dorothy DeBorba and Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins.
Albright would be one of several characters, including Scotty Beckett and Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, to debut in 1934 in the Our Gang short Hi Neighbor. He ended up becoming one of the most prominent members of the gang. To the dismay of Hal Roach and director Gus Meins, Albright voluntarily left the gang and returned to a normal childhood life. However, he did play a small role in The Grapes of Wrath, appearing as an older child in a migrant camp. In the movie, Albright’s character lies to Ma Joad about having good food when eating fried dough like every other migrant at the camp.
Later years
In adult life, Albright became a champion water sportsman and eventually operated a successful trucking firm, shipping produce. He died in Sacramento, California on August 7, 1999. He is buried in the Garden of Ascension at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California.[3]
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