Watson was a member of the Watson Family, famous in the early days of Hollywood as being a houseful of child actors. He was brother to Coy Watson Jr., Harry, Billy, Delmar, Garry, Vivian, Gloria, and Louise, all of whom acted in motion pictures.
The family, known as "the first family of Hollywood", lived by the Echo Park area of Los Angeles and Bobs attended nearby Belmont High School.
They were honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce by placing the Watson family star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6674 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California.
Watson was best known for his role as "Pee Wee" in the 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Boys Town and its sequel Men of Boys Town (1941), both starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. Tracy and Watson became good friends during the making of the first film, and Watson was reportedly Tracy's last visitor before his death in 1967. In 1939, Watson delivered a fine, tear-jerking performance as Pud, Lionel Barrymore's grandson, in the MGM film, On Borrowed Time. Watson later made guest appearances in many television programs, including The Twilight Zone, Lou Grant, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and The Fugitive.
In addition to working in the motion pictures business, Watson went to Claremont School of Theology to become a Methodist minister, inspired from the movie Boys Town. He retired after 30 years of serving in Burbank and La Cañada, California.
He died of prostate cancer in 1999 at Laguna Beach, California.
1993
as Judge Ezra Frank
1977
as Minister
1970
as Bartender
1968
as Rod
1967
as Officer Bailey
1967
as Sergeant Maypole
1965
as Walsh
1965
1963
as Western Union Messenger (uncredited)
1963
as Milt Plummer
1962
as Clerk in Newspaper Department
1962
as Calvin
1962
as Fred Penrod
1962
as Hotel Clerk
1962
as Clerk
1962
as Matt Lewis
1960
1960
1959
as Man at Dining Room Table (uncredited)
1956
as Bob
1955
1943
as Tim Martin
1941
as Pesky
1941
as Jimmy Jordan
1941
as Pee Wee
1940
as Tommy, the Crippled Child
1940
as Jimmy
1940
as Jimmy Kincaid
1939
as Hank Ingram
1939
as Pud Northrup
1939
as Tommy Benson (uncredited)
1939
as Harry Cole
1939
as George Sanders
1938
as Peter Goodwin - 1861
1938
as Little Boy (uncredited)
1938
as Pee Wee
1938
as Bob O'Leary (as a boy)
1937
as Boy
1937
as Boy (uncredited)
1937
as Boy at Airport
1936
as Audience
1936
as Waif (uncredited)
1936
1935
as Jimmy's Boxing Partner
1935
as Meriwhether Son
1932
as Edgar, Harry’s Son (uncredited)