Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

1887-03-22

Biography

Roscoe Arbuckle (March 24, 1887 - June 29, 1933), widely known to audiences as “Fatty” Arbuckle, was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel Normand and Harold Lloyd as well as with his nephew, Al St. John. He also mentored Charlie Chaplin, Monty Banks and Bob Hope, and brought vaudeville star Buster Keaton into the movie business. Arbuckle was one of the most popular silent stars of the 1910s and one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood at the time. In one of the earliest Hollywood scandals, Arbuckle was the defendant in three widely publicized trials between November 1921 and April 1922 for the rape and manslaughter of actress Virginia Rappe. Rappe had fallen ill at a party hosted by Arbuckle at San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel in September 1921, and died four days later. A friend of Rappe accused Arbuckle of raping and accidentally killing her. The first two trials resulted in hung juries, but the third acquitted Arbuckle. The third jury took the unusual step of giving Arbuckle a written statement of apology for his treatment by the justice system. Despite Arbuckle's acquittal, the scandal largely halted his career and has mostly overshadowed his legacy as a pioneering comedian.

Also appears in

When Dreams Come True

When Dreams Come True

Not yet rated

A Brand New Hero

A Brand New Hero

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Fatty’s Wild Night

Fatty’s Wild Night

Not yet rated

Alas! Poor Yorick!

Alas! Poor Yorick!

5.0

Murphy’s I.O.U.

Murphy’s I.O.U.

Not yet rated

Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World’s Fair at San Francisco

Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World’s Fair at San Francisco

5.5

A Creampuff Romance

A Creampuff Romance

Not yet rated

A Glimpse of the San Diego Exposition

A Glimpse of the San Diego Exposition

5.0

Fickle Fatty’s Fall

Fickle Fatty’s Fall

Not yet rated

Twixt Love and Fire

Twixt Love and Fire

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Love and Bullets

Love and Bullets

Not yet rated

Lovers’ Post Office

Lovers’ Post Office

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Fatty and the Heiress

Fatty and the Heiress

Not yet rated

Hey, Pop!

Hey, Pop!

9.0

Fatty’s Finish

Fatty’s Finish

Not yet rated

His Wife’s Mistakes

His Wife’s Mistakes

5.2

The Alarm

The Alarm

Not yet rated

The Late Lamented

The Late Lamented

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Shotguns That Kick

Shotguns That Kick

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How Old Are You?

How Old Are You?

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