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Roscoe Arbuckle
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 tria…
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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.
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BODY OF WORK
Roscoe Arbuckle's Filmography
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A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride
as Self (Archival)
Wonder Dogs! Canine Stars of the Silent Era (1898-1928)
Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty
as archive footage
Looking for Mabel Normand
as Self (archive footage)
No Poster
The Parrott Chase
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
as Self (archive footage)
Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts
as (archive footage)
So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM
as Self (archive footage)
Chaplin Today: The Gold Rush
as Self (archive footage)
Murders of Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
as Self (archive footage)
The Casting Couch
The Chaplin Puzzle
as (archive footage)
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Muppets Go to the Movies
as Keystone Kop (archive footage) (uncredited)
Crazy Days
as Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
Days of Thrills and Laughter
as Self (archive footage)
When Comedy Was King
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Happy Times and Jolly Moments
as (archive footage)
Tomalio
as Wilbur
In the Dough
as Slim
Close Relations
as Wilbur Wart
How've You Bean?
Buzzin' Around
as Cornelius
Hey, Pop!
as Fatty
Stars of Yesterday
as Self
Character Studies
as Self (uncredited)
No Poster
Listen Lena
as Fat man with strategically covered face (unconfirmed)
My Stars
as Mailman (uncredited)
Go West
as Woman in Department Store (uncredited)
Leap Year
as Stanley Piper
Hollywood
as Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
The Fast Freight
as Ras Berry
Crazy to Marry
as Dr. Hobart Hupp
Gasoline Gus
as Gasoline Gus
Traveling Salesman
as Bob Blake
The Dollar-a-Year Man
as Franklin Pinney
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
as Himself
Brewster's Millions
as Monte Brewster
The Life of the Party
as Algernon Leary (as Roscoe Arbuckle)
The Round-Up
as Slim Hoover
The Garage
as Mechanic / Fireman
The Hayseed
as Mailman
Back Stage
as Stagehand
A Desert Hero
as The Sheriff, the Desert Hero
No Poster
The Bank Clerk
Love
as Fatty
No Poster
The Pullman Porter
Camping Out
The Sheriff
as Cook
No Poster
A Scrap of Paper
as Fatty
The Cook
as The Chef
Good Night, Nurse!
as Fatty
Moonshine
as Revenue Agent
The Bell Boy
as Bellboy, barber
Out West
as Train Rider, Bartender
A Country Hero
as Village Blacksmith
Coney Island
as Fatty
Oh, Doctor!
as Dr. Fatty Holepoke
The Late Lamented
as Cameo Appearance (unconfirmed)
His Wedding Night
as Gas station employee
The Rough House
as Mr. Rough
A Reckless Romeo
as The Husband
The Butcher Boy
as Fatty / Saccharine
A Creampuff Romance
as Fatty
The Waiters' Ball
as The Cook
The Other Man
as Fatty the Tramp (dual role)
His Wife's Mistake
as The Janitor
Bright Lights
as Fatty
He Did and He Didn’t
as The Doctor
Fatty and Mabel Adrift
as Fatty
Fatty and the Broadway Stars
as Fatty - Studio Janitor
A Village Scandal
as Eddie - the Country Boy
Fickle Fatty's Fall
as Fatty
Fatty's Tintype Tangle
as Fatty
Fatty’s Plucky Pup
as Fatty
The Little Teacher
as Fat Unruly Student
Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers
as Finnegan's Daughter
Mabel’s Wilful Way
as Fatty
Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco
as Himself
Wished on Mabel
as Fatty
When Love Took Wings
as Reckless Fatty
Fatty’s Faithful Fido
as Fatty
That Little Band Of Gold
as Fatty - the Husband
Fatty’s Chance Acquaintance
as Fatty
Fatty’s Reckless Fling
as Fatty
A Glimpse of the San Diego Exposition
as Himself
Hogan's Romance Upset
as Fight Spectator
Mabel and Fatty’s Married Life
as Fatty
Fatty's New Role
as Fatty
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition
as Fatty
Mabel, Fatty and the Law
as Fatty
Fatty and Mabel’s Simple Life
as Roscoe
Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day
as Fatty
Fatty and Minnie He-Haw
as Fatty
Fatty's Magic Pants
as Fatty
No Poster
Shotguns That Kick
as Fatty
Leading Lizzie Astray
as Fatty
No Poster
The Sea Nymphs
as Fatty
No Poster
Fatty's Wine Party
as Fatty
No Poster
Fatty's Jonah Day
as Fatty
No Poster
An Incompetent Hero
as Fatty
No Poster
Lovers' Post Office
as Fatty
Zip, the Dodger
as Zip
No Poster
Their Ups and Downs
as Fatty
No Poster
Fatty Again
as Fatty Felix
No Poster
Fatty's Debut
as Fatty
No Poster
Bombs and Bangs
as The Farmer's Daughter
Lover's Luck
as Fatty
The Rounders
as Mr. Fuller
No Poster
A Brand New Hero
as The Tramp
No Poster
The Baggage Smasher
as (unconfirmed)
His New Profession
as Bartender Smoking Cigar
The Masquerader
as Film actor
No Poster
Fatty's Gift
as Fatty
No Poster
Caught in a Flue
as (unconfirmed)
Those Country Kids
as Fatty
No Poster
That Minstrel Man
as Belle
No Poster
Those Happy Days
as Fatty
No Poster
The Sky Pirate
as The Heiress
No Poster
A Rowboat Romance
as (unconfirmed)
No Poster
Love and Bullets
as Film Actor (uncredited)
No Poster
Fatty's Finish
as Fatty
No Poster
Fatty and the Heiress
as Fatty
The Knockout
as Pug (uncredited)
No Poster
Our Country Cousin
as The Country Boy (unconfirmed)
The Alarm
No Poster
A Suspended Ordeal
as The Cop
No Poster
Where Hazel Met the Villain
as Fatty
No Poster
A Bath House Beauty
as Fatty
No Poster
The Chicken Chaser
as The Hired Man
No Poster
Barnyard Flirtations
as The Cop
No Poster
A Rural Demon
His Favorite Pastime
as Shabby Drunk
Tango Tangles
as Clarinetist
A Film Johnnie
as Self
Twixt Love and Fire
as The Iceman
No Poster
A Robust Romeo
as Fatty
The Water Dog
as Fatty
Making a Living
as Tough Guy (uncredited)
No Poster
Rebecca's Wedding Day
as Rebecca
In the Clutches of the Gang
as Cop
A Flirt's Mistake
as Husband (uncredited)
No Poster
The Under-Sheriff
as The Under-Sheriff
No Poster
How Old Are You?
No Poster
Fatty's Wild Night
No Poster
A Misplaced Foot
as Fatty
He Would a Hunting Go
as Count Chicori
Some Nerve
as The Jealous Man
No Poster
Fatty's Flirtation
as Fatty
No Poster
His Sister's Kids
as Dr. J. Jacobs
A Ride for a Bride
as Fatty
The Woman Haters
as 1st Old Tar
Fatty Joins the Force
as Fatty
No Poster
Wine
as The Waiter
No Poster
A Small Time Act
as Theatre Owner
No Poster
The Milk We Drink
as The Dairy Farmer
Fatty at San Diego
as Fatty
The Speed Kings
as Masher
No Poster
A Quiet Little Wedding
as Fatty
No Poster
Two Old Tars
as First Old Tar
No Poster
Mother's Boy
as Mother's Boy
No Poster
When Dreams Come True
as The Man
The Fatal Taxicab
as Mabel's Sweetheart
The Gypsy Queen
as Fatty
Mabel's Dramatic Career
as Man in Audience
Fatty's Day Off
as Fatty
Mabel's New Hero
as Fatty
No Poster
Almost a Rescue
as Jimmie
The Riot
as Cohen - Jewish Neighborhood Leader
No Poster
Professor Bean's Removal
as Man with Moustache
No Poster
Love and Courage
as The Country Boy
A Noise from the Deep
as Bob
Love and Rubbish
as Fat Boy
No Poster
The Telltale Light
as Tom aka Fatty
Safe in Jail
as Neighbor Woman
No Poster
Rastus and the Game Cock
as Spectator
For the Love of Mabel
as Suitor
Peeping Pete
as Pete's Wife
A Bandit
as Bully
The Waiters' Picnic
as Oscar - the Waiter
No Poster
Passions, He Had Three
as Henry
No Poster
Help! Help! Hydrophobia!
as Jim Brown
The Gangsters
as Cop
Alas! Poor Yorick!
as Player in Female Costume
Murphy's I.O.U.
as (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
No Poster
A Voice from the Deep
as Minor Role (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
The Sanitarium
as Charley Wise
No Poster
Making It Pleasant for Him
Mrs. Jones' Birthday
Ben's Kid
as Fatty Carter