Bug Hall

Last updated

Bug Hall
Born
Brandon Michael Hall

(1985-02-04) February 4, 1985 (age 38)
OccupationActor
Years active1994–present
Spouse
Jill de Groff
(m. 2017)

Brandon "Bug" Hall (born February 4, 1985) is a former American actor. He is best known for his childhood roles as Alfalfa Switzer in The Little Rascals (1994), Newt Shaw in The Big Green (1995), and Buster Stupid in The Stupids (1996).

Contents

Life and career

Brandon Hall, nicknamed "Bug" by his family, was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 4, 1985. He is the second oldest in his family. Most popular as a child actor during the 1990s, he is best known for portraying Our Gang kid Alfalfa in the 1994 film The Little Rascals . He and five others in the cast of The Little Rascals won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance by a Youth Ensemble in a Motion Picture. [1] Following Rascals, Hall appeared in John Landis's The Stupids and the soccer comedy The Big Green . In 1996, Hall was nominated for a YoungStar award (Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Made For TV Movie) for his work as Eddie Munster in the Fox telefilm The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas , and he voiced a little boy in Disney's Hercules in 1997.

In 1998, he played the lead as Scout Bozell in the film Safety Patrol . Hall also starred in Disney's Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves as Adam Szalinski. Since then, he has continued to appear in films as a teenager and young adult. He was in the direct-to-DVD film Skipped Parts , released in 2000, with Mischa Barton. He also appeared in 2002 in the Disney Channel Original Movie Get a Clue , starring Lindsay Lohan and Brenda Song. Hall has had many notable TV guest appearances, appearing on Charmed , Strong Medicine , CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , Cold Case , Justice , Providence , Criminal Minds , and 90210 .

Personal life

In 2013, Hall converted to Catholicism, later leaving Hollywood in 2020. [2] In 2021, Hall stated that he and his family had moved to a farm in the Midwest, so as to undertake a vow of poverty. [3]

In December 2022, Hall was temporarily banned on Twitter after posting Tweets in support of marital debt and corporal punishment of minors. He followed up on the ban through his Instagram stating: "The truth will always be unpopular. The truthful will always be persecuted. But eternity will always be sweet". [4] [5] [ better source needed ]

2020 arrest

In June 2020, Bug Hall was arrested for inhaling an air duster, which a police investigation ruled as an attempted alcohol poisoning. He was held and released on a $1,500 bond at Parker County Jail. [6] TMZ reported that Hall's family were the ones who made the report and that Hall himself admitted to inhaling from cans. [7] [8]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNote(s)
1994 The Little Rascals Alfalfa
1995 The Big Green Newt Shaw
1996 The Stupids Buster Stupid
1997 Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves Adam SzalinskiDirect-to-video
1997 Hercules Little BoyVoice
1998 Mel Travis
2000 Skipped Parts Sam Callahan
2004 Arizona Summer Scott
2005 Mortuary Cal
2008 The Day the Earth Stopped ManDirect-to-DVD
2009CamouflageCorey
2009 American Pie Presents: The Book of Love Robert "Rob" ShearsonDirect-to-DVD
2012 Fortress Michael Schmidt
2012 Atlas Shrugged: Part II Leonard Small
2012Karaoke ManMax
2014 The Little Rascals Save the Day Ice Cream Man / Delivery ManDirect-to-DVD
2014North BlvdPeter
2015SubterraneaThe Captive
2015Body HighRay
2017The Shadow PeopleAndrew
2019Prime TimeEddie RolandShort film
2020 This Is the Year Donnie

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995Tad Tad Lincoln Television film
1996 The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas Eddie Munster Television film
1998 Safety Patrol Scout BozellTelevision film
1998 Kelly Kelly Brian KellyMain cast; 7 episodes
1999 Providence JackieEpisode: "Guys and Dolls"
2002 Get a Clue Jack DowneyTelevision film
2003The King and Queen of Moonlight BayTim SpoonerTelevision film
2003FootstepsSpencer WeaverTelevision film
2004 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Daniel HalburtEpisode: "Viva Las Vegas"
2004 Strong Medicine Steve KelleyEpisode: "A Dose of Reality"
2004 Charmed Eddie MullenEpisode: "Charmed Noir"
2005 Cold Case Matthew AdamsEpisode: "Blank Generation"
2006 The O.C. RobertEpisode: "The Heavy Lifting" (uncredited)
2006 Justice Colin ClarkEpisode: "Crucified"
2006 CSI: Miami Evan DunlarEpisode: "High Octane"
2010 Saving Grace NickEpisode: "You Can't Save Them All, Grace"
2010, 2012 Nikita RobbieEpisodes: "The Recruit" and "Crossbow"
2011 Criminal Minds BenEpisode: "With Friends Like These"
2011 Memphis Beat Matt HarrisEpisode: "Body of Evidence"
2011 90210 DariusEpisode: "Rush Hour"
2011 CSI: NY Mike BlackEpisode: "Indelible"
2012ArachnoquakePaulTelevision film
2013CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationErnest PrestwichEpisode: "Double Fault"
2013 Major Crimes Scott PerryEpisode: "I, Witness"
2013 Masters of Sex SchacterEpisode: "Involuntary"
2014 Castle Jesse JonesEpisode: "Limelight"
2014 Revolution Brian3 episodes
2016 Harley and the Davidsons Arthur Davidson 3 episodes
2021 A Tale Dark & Grimm Executive ProducerNetflix Series

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bugs Bunny</span> Looney Tunes character; mascot of Warner Bros.

Bugs Bunny is a fictional character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films, produced by Warner Bros. Earlier iterations of the character first appeared in Ben Hardaway's Porky's Hare Hunt (1938) and subsequent shorts before Bugs's definitive characterization debuted in Tex Avery's A Wild Hare (1940). Bob Givens, Chuck Jones, and Robert McKimson are credited for defining Bugs's design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanky McFarland</span> American child actor (1928–1993)

George Robert Philips McFarland was an American actor most famous for starring as a child as Spanky in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. The Our Gang shorts were later syndicated to television as The Little Rascals.

Even Stevens is an American comedy television series that originally aired on Disney Channel from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003, airing a total of 65 episodes spanning three seasons. It follows the life of the Stevens, a family living in suburban Sacramento, California, mainly focusing on the clashing personalities of its two younger children, Ren and Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Maltin</span> American film critic and film historian (born 1950)

Leonard Michael Maltin is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, published annually from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film critic on Entertainment Tonight from 1982 to 2010. He currently teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and hosts the weekly podcast Maltin on Movies. He served two terms as President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and votes for films to be selected for the National Film Registry.

Joseph Ashton is an American former child actor, who was best known for his role as Oswald "Otto" Rocket in Nickelodeon's animated series Rocket Power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer</span> American actor and singer (1927–1959)

Carl Dean Switzer was an American singer, child actor, dog breeder, and guide. He was best known for his role as Alfalfa in the short subjects series Our Gang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas</span> American child actor (1931–1980)

William "Billie" Thomas Jr. was an American child actor best remembered for portraying the character of Buckwheat in the Our Gang short films from 1934 until the series' end in 1944. He was a native of Los Angeles.

<i>The Little Rascals</i> (film) 1994 family comedy film by Penelope Spheeris

The Little Rascals is a 1994 American family comedy film produced by Amblin Entertainment, and released by Universal Pictures on August 5, 1994. The film is an adaptation of Hal Roach's Our Gang, a series of short films of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s which centered on the adventures of a group of neighborhood children. Directed by Penelope Spheeris, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, the film presents several of the Our Gang characters in an updated setting, featuring re-interpretations of several of the original shorts. It is the first collaboration by Guay and Mazur, whose subsequent comedies were Liar Liar and Heartbreakers.

The Little Rascals is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and King World Productions. It first aired on ABC on September 25, 1982. A spin-off based on the live-action Our Gang comedy shorts, it was broadcast as part of The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show in 1982 and then as part of The Monchhichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Bond</span> American actor (1926–2005)

Thomas Ross Bond was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods in Our Gang comedies. Also, he is noted for being the first actor to appear onscreen as DC Comics character Jimmy Olsen, in the film serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butch Patrick</span> American actor and musician

Butch Patrick is an American actor and musician. Beginning his professional acting career at the age of seven, Patrick is perhaps best known for his role as child werewolf Eddie Munster on the CBS comedy television series The Munsters from 1964 to 1966 and in the 1966 feature film Munster, Go Home!, and as Mark on the ABC Saturday morning series Lidsville from 1971 to 1973.

The following is a complete list of the 220 Our Gang short films produced by Hal Roach Studios and/or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer between 1922 and 1944, numbered by order of release along with production order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Bagley</span> American actor and comedian

Ross Elliot Bagley is an American former actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Nicky Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as well as Dylan Dubrow in Independence Day. He also played Buckwheat in The Little Rascals (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Fiedler</span> American actor (1925–2005)

John Donald Fiedler was an American actor. His career lasted more than 55 years in stage, film, television and radio. Fiedler's high, flutey voice was instantly recognizable. He was typecast beginning early in his career for delicate, quiet, nerdy characters, although he also played sneaky villains. His roles included the meek Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men (1957); the benign-seeming gentleman who tries to prevent the Younger family from moving into a whites-only neighbourhood in A Raisin in the Sun (1961); the voice of Piglet in Disney's Winnie the Pooh productions; Vinnie, one of Oscar's poker cronies in the film The Odd Couple (1968); and Emil Peterson, the hen-pecked milquetoast husband on The Bob Newhart Show.

<i>Our Gang</i> American series of comedy short films

Our Gang is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the producer of the Laurel and Hardy films, Our Gang shorts were produced from 1922 to 1944, spanning the silent film and early sound film periods of American cinema. Our Gang is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively natural way; Roach and original director Robert F. McGowan worked to film the unaffected, raw nuances apparent in regular children, rather than have them imitate adult acting styles. The series also broke new ground by portraying white and black children interacting as equals during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Mychal Smith</span> American actor, singer, dancer and rapper (born 1989)

Brandon Mychal Smith is an American actor, singer, dancer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Bug Wendal in Gridiron Gang, Sam in You're the worst, Li'l Danny Dawkins in Phil of the Future, Nico Harris in Sonny with a Chance and So Random!, Stubby in Starstruck, Lord of da Bling in Let It Shine, and Marcus in One Big Happy. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Tayshawn Mitchell in The Ron Clark Story (2006) and Little Richard in the 2014 James Brown biopic Get on Up. He voices Michelangelo in the Nickelodeon animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Corcoran</span> American actor and film director (1949–2015)

Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. His nickname, Moochie, established him as an irrepressible character in film.

<i>Our Gang Follies of 1938</i> 1937 American film

Our Gang Follies of 1938 is a 1937 American musical short subject, the 161st short subject entry in Hal Roach's Our Gang series. Directed by Gordon Douglas as a sequel to 1935's Our Gang Follies of 1936, the two-reel short was released to theaters on December 18, 1937, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>The Little Rascals Save the Day</i> 2014 American film

The Little Rascals Save the Day is a 2014 American direct-to-video comedy film released by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Succeeding the first film, it is the second feature film adaptation of Hal Roach's Our Gang, a series of short films of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s which centered on the adventures of a group of neighborhood children.

Jet Jurgensmeyer is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, playing the role of Spanky in the 2014 film The Little Rascals Save the Day, and Bobby Anderson in the 2016 Disney Channel television film Adventures in Babysitting.

References

  1. Sixteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards
  2. Catholic Speakers (Archived)
  3. O Bug Hall, Where Art Thou?
  4. "Alfalfa from "The Little Rascals" Actor, Bug Hall, Was Banned from Twitter for Pushing His Dangerous "Parenting Methods"". December 8, 2022.
  5. "Kid Who Played Alfalfa Now Actual President of He-Man Woman Haters Club - Wonkette".
  6. Parker, Ryan (June 23, 2020). "Actor Brandon "Bug" Hall Arrested on Suspicion of Huffing Air Duster Cans". The Hollywood Reporter .
  7. "Little Rascals Star Bug Hall Arrested After Allegedly Inhaling Air Duster". June 23, 2020.
  8. "Bug Hall, known as Alfalfa in 'Little Rascals,' arrested after allegedly inhaling air duster". Fox6now.com. June 23, 2020.