Roscoe Arbuckle
Born: 1887-03-22 in Smith Center, Kansas, USA
Died: 1933-06-29
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2026
- A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride as Self (Archival)
2020
- Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty as archive footage
2015
- Looking for Mabel Normand as Self (archive footage)
2009
- The Parrott Chase as (archive footage) (uncredited)
2007
- Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema as Self (archive footage)
2006
- Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts as (archive footage)
2004
- So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM as Self (archive footage)
2003
- Chaplin Today: The Gold Rush as Self (archive footage)
- Murders of Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
2001
- Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume Two as Various
- Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume One as Various
1995
1992
- The Chaplin Puzzle as (archive footage)
1988
- Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies as (archive footage) (uncredited)
1962
- Crazy Days as Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
1961
- Days of Thrills and Laughter as Self (archive footage)
1960
- When Comedy Was King as edited from 'Fatty & Mabel Adrift' (archive footage)
1943
- Happy Times and Jolly Moments as (archive footage)
1933
- Close Relations as Wilbur Wart
- Buzzin' Around as Cornelius
- In the Dough as Slim
- How've You Bean?
- Tomalio as Wilbur
1932
- Anybody's Goat ... (Director)
- Niagara Falls ... (Director)
- Bridge Wives ... (Director)
- Hollywood Lights ... (Director)
- Gigolettes ... (Director)
- Hey, Pop! as Fatty
- Moonlight and Cactus ... (Director)
- Hollywood Luck ... (Director)
- Keep Laughing ... (Director)
- Mother's Holiday ... (Director)
- It's a Cinch ... (Director)
1931
- Take 'em and Shake 'em ... (Director)
- Three Hollywood Girls ... (Director)
- One Quiet Night ... (Director)
- The Tamale Vendor ... (Director)
- The Lure of Hollywood ... (Director)
- Idle Roomers ... (Director)
- Ex-Plumber ... (Director)
- Smart Work ... (Director)
- Beach Pajamas ... (Director)
- Up Pops the Duke ... (Director)
- Queenie of Hollywood ... (Director)
- The Back Page ... (Director)
- Pete and Repeat ... (Director)
- Crashing Hollywood ... (Director)
- Windy Riley Goes Hollywood ... (Director)
- Stars of Yesterday as Self
- That's My Line ... (Director)
- Honeymoon Trio ... (Director)
- Marriage Rows ... (Director)
- That's My Meat ... (Director)
- Once a Hero ... (Director)
1930
- The Cuckoos ... (Writer)
- Won by a Neck ... (Director)
- Si Si Senor ... (Director)
- Up a Tree ... (Director)
1927
- The Red Mill ... (Director)
- Special Delivery ... (Director)
- Character Studies as Self (uncredited)
- Peaceful Oscar ... (Director)
- Listen Lena as Fat man with strategically covered face (unconfirmed)
1926
- His Private Life ... (Writer)
- Home Cured ... (Director)
- Fool's Luck ... (Director)
- My Stars as Mailman (uncredited)
- One Sunday Morning ... (Director)
1925
- Go West as Woman in Department Store (uncredited)
- The Fighting Dude ... (Director)
- The Iron Mule ... (Director)
- The Tourist ... (Director)
- The Movies ... (Director)
- Curses ... (Director)
- Dynamite Doggie ... (Writer)
- Cleaning Up ... (Director)
1924
- His First Car ... (Director)
- Lovemania ... (Director)
- Stupid, but Brave ... (Director)
- Leap Year as Stanley Piper
1923
- Hollywood as Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
- No Loafing ... (Director)
1922
- Special Delivery ... (Director)
- The Fast Freight as Ras Berry
- Day Dreams ... (Story)
1921
- Traveling Salesman as Bob Blake
- Gasoline Gus as Gasoline Gus
- Crazy to Marry as Dr. Hobart Hupp
- The Dollar-a-Year Man as Franklin Pinney
- Brewster's Millions as Monte Brewster
- Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20) as Himself
1920
- The Garage as Mechanic / Fireman
- The Round-Up as Slim Hoover
- The Life of the Party as Algernon Leary (as Roscoe Arbuckle)
1919
- The Hayseed as Mailman
- Back Stage as Stagehand
- A Desert Hero as The Sheriff, the Desert Hero
- Love as Fatty
- The Bank Clerk
- Camping Out
- The Pullman Porter
1918
- Moonshine as Revenue Agent
- The Cook as The Chef
- Good Night, Nurse! as Fatty
- Out West as Train Rider, Bartender
- The Bell Boy as Bellboy, barber
- A Scrap of Paper as Fatty
- The Sheriff as Cook
1917
- Oh, Doctor! as Dr. Fatty Holepoke
- The Rough House as Mr. Rough
- The Butcher Boy as Fatty / Saccharine
- Coney Island as Fatty
- A Country Hero as Village Blacksmith
- His Wedding Night as Gas station employee
- A Reckless Romeo as The Husband
- The Late Lamented as Cameo Appearance (unconfirmed)
1916
- Bright Lights as Fatty
- The Other Man as Fatty the Tramp (dual role)
- The Waiters' Ball as The Cook
- He Did and He Didn’t as The Doctor
- Fatty and Mabel Adrift as Fatty
- His Wife's Mistakes as The Janitor
- A Creampuff Romance as Fatty
1915
- Fickle Fatty's Fall as Fatty
- Fatty’s Faithful Fido as Fatty
- Fatty’s Plucky Pup as Fatty
- Fatty's Tintype Tangle as Fatty
- Mabel and Fatty’s Married Life as Fatty
- Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day as Fatty
- Wished on Mabel as Fatty
- Fatty and Mabel’s Simple Life as Roscoe
- Mabel, Fatty and the Law as Fatty
- Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers as Finnegan's Daughter
- Hogan's Romance Upset as Fight Spectator
- Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition as Fatty
- Mabel’s Wilful Way as Fatty
- Fatty and the Broadway Stars as Fatty - Studio Janitor
- The Little Teacher as Fat Unruly Student
- Fatty’s Reckless Fling as Fatty
- Fatty's New Role as Fatty
- A Glimpse of the San Diego Exposition as Himself
- A Village Scandal as Eddie - the Country Boy
- That Little Band Of Gold as Fatty - the Husband
- When Love Took Wings as Reckless Fatty
- Fatty’s Chance Acquaintance as Fatty
- Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco as Himself
1914
- Tango Tangles as Clarinetist
- Making a Living as Tough Guy (uncredited)
- Where Hazel Met the Villain as Fatty
- The Alarm
- The Sea Nymphs as Fatty
- Those Country Kids as Fatty
- The Sky Pirate as The Heiress
- Twixt Love and Fire as The Iceman
- A Bath House Beauty as Fatty
- Love and Bullets as Film Actor (uncredited)
- A Misplaced Foot as Fatty
- Rebecca's Wedding Day as Rebecca
- A Film Johnnie as Self
- The Knockout as Pug (uncredited)
- The Masquerader as Film actor
- Fatty and the Heiress as Fatty
- Lovers' Post Office as Fatty
- Fatty's Wine Party as Fatty
- A Brand New Hero as The Tramp
- A Flirt's Mistake as Husband (uncredited)
- An Incompetent Hero as Fatty
- In the Clutches of the Gang as Cop
- Fatty Again as Fatty Felix
- The Chicken Chaser as The Hired Man
- Zip, the Dodger as Zip
- A Suspended Ordeal as The Cop
- Caught in a Flue as (unconfirmed)
- The Rounders as Mr. Fuller
- His Favorite Pastime as Shabby Drunk
- A Robust Romeo as Fatty
- Their Ups and Downs as Fatty
- His New Profession as Bartender Smoking Cigar
- Fatty's Gift as Fatty
- Those Happy Days as Fatty
- Fatty and Minnie He-Haw as Fatty
- Fatty's Magic Pants as Fatty
- The Under-Sheriff as The Under-Sheriff
- A Rural Demon
- A Rowboat Romance as (unconfirmed)
- Fatty's Wild Night
- The Water Dog as Fatty
- Leading Lizzie Astray as Fatty
- Barnyard Flirtations as The Cop
- Fatty's Finish as Fatty
- Fatty's Debut as Fatty
- Fatty's Jonah Day as Fatty
- The Baggage Smasher as (unconfirmed)
- Lover's Luck as Fatty
- Our Country Cousin as The Country Boy (unconfirmed)
- How Old Are You?
- That Minstrel Man as Belle
- Bombs and Bangs as The Farmer's Daughter
- Shotguns That Kick as Fatty
1913
- When Dreams Come True as The Man
- Fatty Joins the Force as Fatty
- The Waiters' Picnic as Oscar - the Waiter
- The Riot as Cohen - Jewish Neighborhood Leader
- The Gangsters as Cop
- Help! Help! Hydrophobia! as Jim Brown
- His Sister's Kids as Dr. J. Jacobs
- The Fatal Taxicab as Mabel's Sweetheart
- Love and Courage as The Country Boy
- Fatty at San Diego as Fatty
- Mabel's New Hero as Fatty
- Safe in Jail as Neighbor Woman
- Mabel's Dramatic Career as Man in Audience
- The Gypsy Queen as Fatty
- A Noise from the Deep as Bob
- The Woman Haters as 1st Old Tar
- The Speed Kings as Masher
- Passions, He Had Three as Henry
- Wine as The Waiter
- A Small Time Act as Theatre Owner
- He Would a Hunting Go as Count Chicori
- Love and Rubbish as Fat Boy
- Rastus and the Game Cock as Spectator
- Professor Bean's Removal as Man with Moustache
- For the Love of Mabel as Suitor
- Peeping Pete as Pete's Wife
- Some Nerve as The Jealous Man
- A Quiet Little Wedding as Fatty
- The Telltale Light as Tom aka Fatty
- Almost a Rescue as Jimmie
- Murphy's I.O.U. as (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
- Fatty's Day Off as Fatty
- A Ride for a Bride as Fatty
- A Bandit as Bully
- The Milk We Drink as The Dairy Farmer
- Alas! Poor Yorick! as Player in Female Costume
- Fatty's Flirtation as Fatty
- Mother's Boy as Mother's Boy
- Two Old Tars as First Old Tar
1912
- A Voice from the Deep as Minor Role (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
1910
- The Sanitarium as Charley Wise
1909
- Mrs. Jones' Birthday
- Ben's Kid as Fatty Carter
- Making It Pleasant for Him