Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
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.
Known For
Film actor
The Masquerader
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
Hollywood
Stagehand
Back Stage
Bellboy, barber
The Bell Boy
Fatty
Coney Island
Fatty
Good Night, Nurse!
Gas station employee
His Wedding Night
Zip
Zip, the Dodger
Train Rider, Bartender
Out West
Mailman
The Hayseed
Mr. Rough
The Rough House
Dr. Fatty Holepoke
Oh, Doctor!
Revenue Agent
Moonshine
The Chef
The Cook
Mechanic / Fireman
The Garage
Fatty / Saccharine
The Butcher Boy
Self (uncredited)
A Film Johnnie
Clarinetist
Tango Tangles
Shabby Drunk
His Favorite Pastime
Pug (uncredited)
The Knockout
Mr. Fuller
The Rounders
Bartender Smoking Cigar
His New Profession
Fatty
Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day
Village Blacksmith
A Country Hero
Self
Stars of Yesterday
edited from 'Fatty & Mabel Adrift' (archive footage)
When Comedy Was King
Fatty
Fatty and Mabel Adrift
Fatty
Fatty's Tintype Tangle
Monte Brewster
Brewster's Millions
Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
Crazy Days
Husband (uncredited)
A Flirt's Mistake
Fatty
Fatty Joins the Force
Fatty
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition
Fatty
Leading Lizzie Astray
Fatty
Fatty's New Role
(uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Murphy's I.O.U.
Film Actor (uncredited)
Love and Bullets
Fatty
Fatty's Finish
(unconfirmed)
The Baggage Smasher
Fatty
Those Happy Days
Belle
That Minstrel Man
(unconfirmed)
Caught in a Flue
The Cop
A Suspended Ordeal
The Country Boy (unconfirmed)
Our Country Cousins
Fatty
Fatty's Gift
Fatty
Fatty and the Heiress
The Tramp
A Brand New Hero
(unconfirmed)
A Rowboat Romance
The Heiress
The Sky Pirate
The Farmer's Daughter
Bombs and Bangs
Fatty
Their Ups and Downs
Fatty Felix
Fatty Again
How Old Are You?
Fatty
Shotguns That Kick
Eddie - the Country Boy
A Village Scandal
Fatty's Wild Night
Cornelius
Buzzin' Around
Fatty
Mabel's New Hero
Pete's Wife
Peeping Pete
Bully
A Bandit
Fatty the Tramp (dual role)
The Other Man
A Creampuff Romance
Cameo Appearance (unconfirmed)
The Late Lamented
Fat man with strategically covered face (unconfirmed)
Listen Lena
Mailman (uncredited)
My Stars
Finnegan's Daughter
Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers
Fatty
Those Country Kids
Fatty
Fatty's Magic Pants
Fatty
Mabel’s Wilful Way
Fatty
Wished on Mabel
Himself
A Glimpse of the San Diego Exposition
Fatty
Fatty’s Chance Acquaintance
Reckless Fatty
When Love Took Wings
Fatty - the Husband
That Little Band Of Gold
Fat Unruly Student
The Little Teacher
Fatty
Mabel, Fatty and the Law
Fatty
Fatty’s Reckless Fling
Roscoe
Fatty and Mabel’s Simple Life
Fatty
Mabel and Fatty’s Married Life
Fatty
Fatty’s Plucky Pup
Fatty
Fatty’s Faithful Fido
The Doctor
He Did and He Didn’t
Fatty
Love
Stanley Piper
Leap Year
Fatty
Fatty and Minnie He-Haw
Fatty
A Scrap of Paper
The Janitor
His Wife's Mistakes
Fatty
Fatty's Jonah Day
Fatty
Lover's Luck
Slim
In the Dough
Cop
The Gangsters
Minor Role (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
A Voice from the Deep
Player in Female Costume
Alas! Poor Yorick!
Charley Wise
The Sanitarium
Fatty Carter
Ben's Kid
Mrs. Jones' Birthday
Henry
Passions, He Had Three
Making It Pleasant for Him
Masher
The Speed Kings
Jim Brown
Help! Help! Hydrophobia!
Oscar - the Waiter
The Waiters' Picnic
Bob
A Noise from the Deep
Fat Boy
Love and Rubbish
Neighbor Woman
Safe in Jail
Man with Moustache
Professor Bean's Removal
The Country Boy
Love and Courage
Suitor
For the Love of Mabel
Jimmie
Almost a Rescue
Spectator
Rastus and the Game Cock
Tom aka Fatty
The Telltale Light
Cohen - Jewish Neighborhood Leader
The Riot
Man in Audience
Mabel's Dramatic Career
Mabel's Sweetheart
The Fatal Taxicab
Fatty
Fatty's Day Off
Fatty
The Gypsy Queen
The Man
When Dreams Come True
Mother's Boy
Mother's Boy
Fatty
A Quiet Little Wedding
First Old Tar
Two Old Tars
The Dairy Farmer
The Milk We Drink
Fatty
Fatty at San Diego
Theatre Owner
A Small Time Act
Fatty
A Ride for a Bride
The Waiter
Wine
Dr. J. Jacobs
His Sister's Kids
Count Chicori
He Would a Hunting Go
Fatty
Fatty's Flirtation
1st Old Tar
The Woman Haters
The Jealous Man
Some Nerve
Cop
In the Clutches of the Gang
The Iceman
Twixt Love and Fire
Rebecca
Rebecca's Wedding Day
The Under-Sheriff
The Under-Sheriff
Fatty
A Robust Romeo
Fatty
A Misplaced Foot
Fatty
A Bath House Beauty
The Hired Man
The Chicken Chaser
A Rural Demon
The Cop
Barnyard Flirtations
Fatty
Where Hazel Met the Villain
Woman in Department Store (uncredited)
Go West
The Husband
A Reckless Romeo
Self (archive footage)
Chaplin Today: 'The Gold Rush'
(archive footage)
Hollywood's Hidden Secrets
The Cook
The Waiters' Ball
Fatty
Hey, Pop!
(archive footage)
The Chaplin Puzzle
Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Slim Hoover
The Round-Up
Gasoline Gus
Gasoline Gus
Algernon Leary (as Roscoe Arbuckle)
The Life of the Party
Franklin Pinney
The Dollar-a-Year Man
Bob Blake
Traveling Salesman
Dr. Hobart Hupp
Crazy to Marry
Ras Berry
The Fast Freight
Self (archive footage)
So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM
(archive footage)
Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts
Self (archive footage)
Days of Thrills and Laughter
How've You Bean?
Wilbur Wart
Close Relations
Wilbur
Tomalio
Self (uncredited)
Character Studies
Fatty
Fatty's Debut
Fatty
Fatty's Wine Party
Buster Keaton The Shorts Collection 1917-1923
(archive footage)
Happy Times and Jolly Moments
Self (archive footage)
Looking for Mabel Normand
Fatty
Fickle Fatty's Fall
Himself
Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco
Various
Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume Two
Various
Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume One
Fatty - Studio Janitor
Fatty and the Broadway Stars
Camping Out
Cook
The Sheriff
The Bank Clerk
The Pullman Porter
The Sheriff, the Desert Hero
A Desert Hero
Fatty
An Incompetent Hero
Fatty
The Sea Nymphs
Fatty
Lovers' Post Office
Fatty
Bright Lights
The Alarm
Fatty
The Water Dog
Fight Spectator
Hogan's Romance Upset
Himself
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
185
Gender
Male
Birthday
1887-03-22
Place of Birth
Smith Center, Kansas, USA
Also Known As
'Fatty' Arbuckle