Actor
Roscoe Arbuckle
Born March 22, 1887 in Smith Center, Kansas, USADied June 29, 1933167 films
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.
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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.
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The best way into Roscoe Arbuckle's work
First watchGo West19256.9as Woman in Department Store (uncredited)With little luck at keeping a job in the city a New Yorker tries work in the country and eventually finds his way leading a herd of cattle to the West Coast.View filmEssential films
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Filmography
167 films as actor- 2025Wonder Dogs! Canine Stars of the Silent Era (1898-1928)
- 1933TomalioWilbur
- 1933In the DoughSlim
- 1933Close RelationsWilbur Wart
- 1933How've You Bean?
- 1933Buzzin' AroundCornelius
- 1932Hey, Pop!Fatty
- 1927Listen LenaFat man with strategically covered face (unconfirmed)
- 1926My StarsMailman (uncredited)
- 1925Go WestWoman in Department Store (uncredited)
- 1924Leap YearStanley Piper
- 1923HollywoodRoscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
- 1922The Fast FreightRas Berry
- 1921Crazy to MarryDr. Hobart Hupp
- 1921Gasoline GusGasoline Gus
- 1921Traveling SalesmanBob Blake
- 1921The Dollar-a-Year ManFranklin Pinney
- 1921Brewster's MillionsMonte Brewster
- 1920The Life of the PartyAlgernon Leary (as Roscoe Arbuckle)
- 1920The Round-UpSlim Hoover
- 1920The GarageMechanic / Fireman
- 1919The HayseedMailman
- 1919Back StageStagehand
- 1919A Desert HeroThe Sheriff, the Desert Hero
- 1919The Bank Clerk
- 1919LoveFatty
- 1919The Pullman Porter
- 1919Camping Out
- 1918The SheriffCook
- 1918A Scrap of PaperFatty
- 1918The CookThe Chef
- 1918Good Night, Nurse!Fatty
- 1918MoonshineRevenue Agent
- 1918The Bell BoyBellboy, barber
- 1918Out WestTrain Rider, Bartender
- 1917A Country HeroVillage Blacksmith
- 1917Coney IslandFatty
- 1917Oh, Doctor!Dr. Fatty Holepoke
- 1917The Late LamentedCameo Appearance (unconfirmed)
- 1917His Wedding NightGas station employee
- 1917The Rough HouseMr. Rough
- 1917A Reckless RomeoThe Husband
- 1917The Butcher BoyFatty / Saccharine
- 1916A Creampuff RomanceFatty
- 1916The Waiters' BallThe Cook
- 1916The Other ManFatty the Tramp (dual role)
- 1916His Wife's MistakeThe Janitor
- 1916Bright LightsFatty
- 1916He Did and He Didn’tThe Doctor
- 1916Fatty and Mabel AdriftFatty
- 1915Fatty and the Broadway StarsFatty - Studio Janitor
- 1915A Village ScandalEddie - the Country Boy
- 1915Fickle Fatty's FallFatty
- 1915Fatty's Tintype TangleFatty
- 1915Fatty’s Plucky PupFatty
- 1915The Little TeacherFat Unruly Student
- 1915Miss Fatty's Seaside LoversFinnegan's Daughter
- 1915Mabel’s Wilful WayFatty
- 1915Wished on MabelFatty
- 1915When Love Took WingsReckless Fatty
- 1915Fatty’s Faithful FidoFatty
- 1915That Little Band Of GoldFatty - the Husband
- 1915Fatty’s Chance AcquaintanceFatty
- 1915Fatty’s Reckless FlingFatty
- 1915Hogan's Romance UpsetFight Spectator
- 1915Mabel and Fatty’s Married LifeFatty
- 1915Fatty's New RoleFatty
- 1915Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego ExpositionFatty
- 1915Mabel, Fatty and the LawFatty
- 1915Fatty and Mabel’s Simple LifeRoscoe
- 1915Mabel and Fatty's Wash DayFatty
- 1914Fatty and Minnie He-HawFatty
- 1914Fatty's Magic PantsFatty
- 1914Shotguns That KickFatty
- 1914Leading Lizzie AstrayFatty
- 1914The Sea NymphsFatty
- 1914Fatty's Wine PartyFatty
- 1914Fatty's Jonah DayFatty
- 1914An Incompetent HeroFatty
- 1914Lovers' Post OfficeFatty
- 1914Zip, the DodgerZip
- 1914Their Ups and DownsFatty
- 1914Fatty AgainFatty Felix
- 1914Fatty's DebutFatty
- 1914Bombs and BangsThe Farmer's Daughter
- 1914Lover's LuckFatty
- 1914The RoundersMr. Fuller
- 1914A Brand New HeroThe Tramp
- 1914The Baggage Smasher(unconfirmed)
- 1914His New ProfessionBartender Smoking Cigar
- 1914The MasqueraderFilm actor
- 1914Fatty's GiftFatty
- 1914Caught in a Flue(unconfirmed)
- 1914Those Country KidsFatty
- 1914That Minstrel ManBelle
- 1914Those Happy DaysFatty
- 1914The Sky PirateThe Heiress
- 1914A Rowboat Romance(unconfirmed)
- 1914Love and BulletsFilm Actor (uncredited)
- 1914Fatty's FinishFatty
- 1914Fatty and the HeiressFatty
- 1914The KnockoutPug (uncredited)
- 1914Our Country CousinThe Country Boy (unconfirmed)
- 1914The Alarm
- 1914A Suspended OrdealThe Cop
- 1914Where Hazel Met the VillainFatty
- 1914A Bath House BeautyFatty
- 1914The Chicken ChaserThe Hired Man
- 1914Barnyard FlirtationsThe Cop
- 1914A Rural Demon
- 1914His Favorite PastimeShabby Drunk
- 1914Tango TanglesClarinetist
- 1914Twixt Love and FireThe Iceman
- 1914A Robust RomeoFatty
- 1914The Water DogFatty
- 1914Making a LivingTough Guy (uncredited)
- 1914Rebecca's Wedding DayRebecca
- 1914In the Clutches of the GangCop
- 1914A Flirt's MistakeHusband (uncredited)
- 1914The Under-SheriffThe Under-Sheriff