Sidney Henry Kibrick (born July 2, 1928) is an American former child actor primarily of the 1930s, most notable for appearing in the Our Gangshort subjects film series, featuring in more than two dozen, between 1933 and 1939.[1]
Biography
Early life
Kibrick was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA on July 2, 1928; his brother was actor and fellow Our Gang cast member Leonard Kibrick.[2] He attended Mount Vernon Junior High and the University of Southern California.[3]
Our Gang (film shorts)
Kibrick's family relocated to Los Angeles when he was five and he was discovered at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre with his mother, where the film producer was scouting for children to appear in the "Our Gang" film short subjects, which were created by Hal Roach. Kibrick initially featured in a brief non-dialogue appearance as an extra in the feature film Dead End, and was observed as one of three or so children huddled together during one of the river dock scenes. He made his uncredited film debut in Out all Night (1933), and after a few more uncredited roles was cast as a regular in 1935. Although his character was then unnamed, from 1937 to 1939 he was given the character name of "Woim" (a Brooklyn accent vernacular pronunciation of "worm"),[4] who was the sidekick of the neighborhood bully "Butch", played by Tommy Bond.
Post-Our Gang
Kibrick, after leaving his Hollywood showbiz career behind, worked as a real estate developer.[5] He kept in touch with Our Gang members at reunions, some of which he used to host.[6] In 1991, he acknowledged that he had avoided the tragic lives that former child actors often ended up having as adults.[7] In 2022, he attended an exhibit at the Hollywood Museum, honoring the 100th anniversary of the series and, as of August 2023 at the age of 95, is cited as the last surviving Our Gang cast member.[4]
