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
Go West
(1925)
Woman in Department Store (uncredited)
Disclosure
(2020)
(archive footage)
The Rounders
(1914)
Mr. Fuller
Full Filmography
Acting
Ben's Kid
(1909)
Fatty Carter
Mrs. Jones' Birthday
(1909)
Making It Pleasant for Him
(1909)
The Sanitarium
(1910)
Charley Wise
A Voice from the Deep
(1912)
Minor Role (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
A Small Time Act
(1913)
Theatre Owner
The Milk We Drink
(1913)
The Dairy Farmer
A Noise from the Deep
(1913)
Bob
Two Old Tars
(1913)
First Old Tar
The Fatal Taxicab
(1913)
Mabel's Sweetheart
When Dreams Come True
(1913)
The Man
Mabel's Dramatic Career
(1913)
Man in Audience
The Riot
(1913)
Cohen - Jewish Neighborhood Leader
The Telltale Light
(1913)
Tom aka Fatty
Fatty's Flirtation
(1913)
Fatty
Murphy's I.O.U.
(1913)
(uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Safe in Jail
(1913)
Neighbor Woman
Love and Courage
(1913)
The Country Boy
The Gypsy Queen
(1913)
Fatty
Almost a Rescue
(1913)
Jimmie
Rastus and the Game Cock
(1913)
Spectator
Fatty's Day Off
(1913)
Fatty
Love and Rubbish
(1913)
Fat Boy
For the Love of Mabel
(1913)
Suitor
Some Nerve
(1913)
The Jealous Man
Wine
(1913)
The Waiter
Fatty at San Diego
(1913)
Fatty
Professor Bean's Removal
(1913)
Man with Moustache
The Gangsters
(1913)
Cop
Help! Help! Hydrophobia!
(1913)
Jim Brown
The Speed Kings
(1913)
Masher
The Waiters' Picnic
(1913)
Oscar - the Waiter
Fatty Joins the Force
(1913)
Fatty
He Would a Hunting Go
(1913)
Count Chicori
Mabel's New Hero
(1913)
Fatty
A Bandit
(1913)
Bully
His Sister's Kids
(1913)
Dr. J. Jacobs
Peeping Pete
(1913)
Pete's Wife
Mother's Boy
(1913)
Mother's Boy
A Quiet Little Wedding
(1913)
Fatty
Passions, He Had Three
(1913)
Henry
A Ride for a Bride
(1913)
Fatty
The Woman Haters
(1913)
1st Old Tar
Alas! Poor Yorick!
(1913)
Player in Female Costume
Where Hazel Met the Villain
(1914)
Fatty
Shotguns That Kick
(1914)
Fatty
Leading Lizzie Astray
(1914)
Fatty
A Rowboat Romance
(1914)
(unconfirmed)
A Flirt's Mistake
(1914)
Husband (uncredited)
A Robust Romeo
(1914)
Fatty
Twixt Love and Fire
(1914)
The Iceman
In the Clutches of the Gang
(1914)
Cop
Caught in a Flue
(1914)
(unconfirmed)
The Under-Sheriff
(1914)
The Under-Sheriff
A Misplaced Foot
(1914)
Fatty
A Rural Demon
(1914)
The Chicken Chaser
(1914)
The Hired Man
The Sky Pirate
(1914)
The Heiress
Barnyard Flirtations
(1914)
The Cop
A Bath House Beauty
(1914)
Fatty
Fatty and Minnie He-Haw
(1914)
Fatty
Lover's Luck
(1914)
Fatty
A Brand New Hero
(1914)
The Tramp
Fatty's Jonah Day
(1914)
Fatty
The Sea Nymphs
(1914)
Fatty
Rebecca's Wedding Day
(1914)
Rebecca
Those Happy Days
(1914)
Fatty
Fatty's Magic Pants
(1914)
Fatty
Fatty's Gift
(1914)
Fatty
Fatty's Wild Night
(1914)
Fatty Again
(1914)
Fatty Felix
Fatty's Finish
(1914)
Fatty
Those Country Kids
(1914)
Fatty
Fatty and the Heiress
(1914)
Fatty
A Film Johnnie
(1914)
Self (uncredited)
His New Profession
(1914)
Bartender Smoking Cigar
The Rounders
(1914)
Mr. Fuller
His Favorite Pastime
(1914)
Shabby Drunk
The Knockout
(1914)
Pug (uncredited)
A Suspended Ordeal
(1914)
The Cop
An Incompetent Hero
(1914)
Fatty
The Alarm
(1914)
Tango Tangle
(1914)
Clarinetist
How Old Are You?
(1914)
Fatty's Debut
(1914)
Fatty
Our Country Cousin
(1914)
The Country Boy (unconfirmed)
Zip, the Dodger
(1914)
Zip
Fatty's Wine Party
(1914)
Fatty
Love and Bullets
(1914)
Film Actor (uncredited)
Bombs and Bangs
(1914)
The Farmer's Daughter
The Masquerader
(1914)
Film actor
The Water Dog
(1914)
Fatty
The Baggage Smasher
(1914)
(unconfirmed)
Their Ups and Downs
(1914)
Fatty
Lovers' Post Office
(1914)
Fatty
That Minstrel Man
(1914)
Belle
Hogan's Romance Upset
(1915)
Fight Spectator
Mabel and Fatty’s Married Life
(1915)
Fatty
Mabel’s Wilful Way
(1915)
Fatty
The Little Teacher
(1915)
Fat Unruly Student
Fatty’s Reckless Fling
(1915)
Fatty
Fatty’s Faithful Fido
(1915)
Fatty
Mabel, Fatty and the Law
(1915)
Fatty
That Little Band Of Gold
(1915)
Fatty - the Husband
Fatty and Mabel’s Simple Life
(1915)
Roscoe
Fatty’s Plucky Pup
(1915)
Fatty
A Glimpse of the San Diego Exposition
(1915)
Himself
Wished on Mabel
(1915)
Fatty
Fatty’s Chance Acquaintance
(1915)
Fatty
When Love Took Wings
(1915)
Reckless Fatty
Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco
(1915)
Himself
Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers
(1915)
Finnegan's Daughter
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition
(1915)
Fatty
Fatty's Tintype Tangle
(1915)
Fatty
Fatty's New Role
(1915)
Fatty
Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day
(1915)
Fatty
A Village Scandal
(1915)
Eddie - the Country Boy
Fatty and the Broadway Stars
(1915)
Fatty - Studio Janitor
Fickle Fatty's Fall
(1915)
Fatty
His Wife's Mistakes
(1916)
The Janitor
He Did and He Didn’t
(1916)
The Doctor
Fatty and Mabel Adrift
(1916)
Fatty
The Other Man
(1916)
Fatty the Tramp (dual role)
The Waiters' Ball
(1916)
The Cook
Bright Lights
(1916)
Fatty
A Creampuff Romance
(1916)
A Country Hero
(1917)
Village Blacksmith
The Butcher Boy
(1917)
Fatty / Saccharine
Oh, Doctor!
(1917)
Dr. Fatty Holepoke
The Rough House
(1917)
Mr. Rough
His Wedding Night
(1917)
Gas station employee
Coney Island
(1917)
Fatty
A Reckless Romeo
(1917)
The Husband
The Late Lamented
(1917)
Cameo Appearance (unconfirmed)
A Scrap of Paper
(1918)
Fatty
Moonshine
(1918)
Revenue Agent
The Cook
(1918)
The Chef
Out West
(1918)
Train Rider, Bartender
The Bell Boy
(1918)
Bellboy, barber
Good Night, Nurse!
(1918)
Fatty
The Sheriff
(1918)
Cook
Love
(1919)
Fatty
Back Stage
(1919)
Stagehand
The Hayseed
(1919)
Mailman
The Pullman Porter
(1919)
Camping Out
(1919)
A Desert Hero
(1919)
The Sheriff, the Desert Hero
The Bank Clerk
(1919)
The Garage
(1920)
Mechanic / Fireman
The Life of the Party
(1920)
Algernon Leary (as Roscoe Arbuckle)
The Round-Up
(1920)
Slim Hoover
Brewster's Millions
(1921)
Monte Brewster
Crazy to Marry
(1921)
Dr. Hobart Hupp
Gasoline Gus
(1921)
Gasoline Gus
Traveling Salesman
(1921)
Bob Blake
The Dollar-a-Year Man
(1921)
Franklin Pinney
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
(1921)
Himself
The Fast Freight
(1922)
Ras Berry
Hollywood
(1923)
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
Leap Year
(1924)
Stanley Piper
Go West
(1925)
Woman in Department Store (uncredited)
My Stars
(1926)
Mailman (uncredited)
Listen Lena
(1927)
Fat man with strategically covered face (unconfirmed)
Character Studies
(1927)
Himself (uncredited)
Stars of Yesterday
(1931)
Self
Hey, Pop!
(1932)
Fatty
In the Dough
(1933)
Slim
Buzzin' Around
(1933)
Cornelius
How've You Bean?
(1933)
Close Relations
(1933)
Wilbur Wart
Tomalio
(1933)
Wilbur
Happy Times and Jolly Moments
(1943)
(archive footage)
When Comedy Was King
(1960)
edited from 'Fatty & Mabel Adrift' (archive footage)
Days of Thrills and Laughter
(1961)
Self (archive footage)
Crazy Days
(1962)
Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood's Hidden Secrets
(1987)
(archive footage)
The Chaplin Puzzle
(1992)
(archive footage)
The Casting Couch
(1995)
(archive footage)
Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume One
(2001)
Various
Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume Two
(2001)
Various
Chaplin Today: 'The Gold Rush'
(2003)
Self (archive footage)
So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM
(2004)
Self (archive footage)
Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts
(2006)
(archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
(2007)
Self (archive footage)
Looking for Mabel Normand
(2015)
Self (archive footage)
Buster Keaton The Shorts Collection 1917-1923
(2016)
Disclosure
(2020)
(archive footage)
Directing
A Rowboat Romance
(1914)
Director
A Brand New Hero
(1914)
Director
Bombs and Bangs
(1914)
Director
Fatty's Finish
(1914)
Director
Their Ups and Downs
(1914)
Director
Those Happy Days
(1914)
Director
Barnyard Flirtations
(1914)
Director
Lover's Luck
(1914)
Director
Fatty's Debut
(1914)
Director
Fatty's Wine Party
(1914)
Director
Fatty's Gift
(1914)
Director
Where Hazel Met the Villain
(1914)
Director
Shotguns That Kick
(1914)
Director
Fatty and Minnie He-Haw
(1914)
Director
Zip, the Dodger
(1914)
Director
The Alarm
(1914)
Director
The Water Dog
(1914)
Director
A Bath House Beauty
(1914)
Director
Love and Bullets
(1914)
Director
Fatty's Jonah Day
(1914)
Director
Fatty's Magic Pants
(1914)
Director
Those Country Kids
(1914)
Director
Fatty and the Heiress
(1914)
Director
The Chicken Chaser
(1914)
Director
The Sky Pirate
(1914)
Director
A Suspended Ordeal
(1914)
Director
An Incompetent Hero
(1914)
Director
Fatty Again
(1914)
Director
Leading Lizzie Astray
(1914)
Director
Lovers' Post Office
(1914)
Director
That Minstrel Man
(1914)
Director
Fatty’s Plucky Pup
(1915)
Director
Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco
(1915)
Director
Fatty's Tintype Tangle
(1915)
Director
Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day
(1915)
Director
Fatty’s Faithful Fido
(1915)
Director
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition
(1915)
Director
Fatty's New Role
(1915)
Director
Wished on Mabel
(1915)
Director
Fickle Fatty's Fall
(1915)
Director
Fatty and the Broadway Stars
(1915)
Director
A Village Scandal
(1915)
Director
Mabel, Fatty and the Law
(1915)
Director
When Love Took Wings
(1915)
Director
Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers
(1915)
Director
Mabel’s Wilful Way
(1915)
Director
Fatty’s Chance Acquaintance
(1915)
Director
Fatty and Mabel’s Simple Life
(1915)
Director
Fatty’s Reckless Fling
(1915)
Director
Mabel and Fatty’s Married Life
(1915)
Director
That Little Band Of Gold
(1915)
Director
The Waiters' Ball
(1916)
Director
Fatty and Mabel Adrift
(1916)
Director
A Creampuff Romance
(1916)
Director
Bright Lights
(1916)
Director
His Wife's Mistakes
(1916)
Director
He Did and He Didn’t
(1916)
Director
A Country Hero
(1917)
Director
The Butcher Boy
(1917)
Director
Oh, Doctor!
(1917)
Director
A Reckless Romeo
(1917)
Director
The Rough House
(1917)
Director
His Wedding Night
(1917)
Director
Coney Island
(1917)
Director
A Scrap of Paper
(1918)
Director
Moonshine
(1918)
Director
The Cook
(1918)
Director
Out West
(1918)
Director
Good Night, Nurse!
(1918)
Director
The Bell Boy
(1918)
Director
The Sheriff
(1918)
Director
Love
(1919)
Director
A Desert Hero
(1919)
Director
Back Stage
(1919)
Director
The Hayseed
(1919)
Director
Camping Out
(1919)
Director
The Bank Clerk
(1919)
Director
The Pullman Porter
(1919)
Director
The Garage
(1920)
Director
Special Delivery
(1922)
Director
No Loafing
(1923)
Director
Leap Year
(1924)
Director
His First Car
(1924)
Director
Stupid, but Brave
(1924)
Director
Lovemania
(1924)
Director
Cleaning Up
(1925)
Director
The Tourist
(1925)
Director
Dynamite Doggie
(1925)
Director
The Fighting Dude
(1925)
Director
The Iron Mule
(1925)
Director
The Movies
(1925)
Director
Curses
(1925)
Director
One Sunday Morning
(1926)
Director
His Private Life
(1926)
Director
Home Cured
(1926)
Director
My Stars
(1926)
Director
Fool's Luck
(1926)
Director
Peaceful Oscar
(1927)
Director
Special Delivery
(1927)
Director
The Red Mill
(1927)
Director
Character Studies
(1927)
Director
Won by a Neck
(1930)
Director
Up a Tree
(1930)
Director
Si Si Senor
(1930)
Director
Once a Hero
(1931)
Director
Ex-Plumber
(1931)
Director
Crashing Hollywood
(1931)
Director
Take 'em and Shake 'em
(1931)
Director
That's My Meat
(1931)
Director
Smart Work
(1931)
Director
Honeymoon Trio
(1931)
Director
Windy Riley Goes Hollywood
(1931)
Director
Idle Roomers
(1931)
Director
Queenie of Hollywood
(1931)
Director
The Lure of Hollywood
(1931)
Director
Three Hollywood Girls
(1931)
Director
Marriage Rows
(1931)
Director
Pete and Repeat
(1931)
Director
One Quiet Night
(1931)
Director
The Back Page
(1931)
Director
That's My Line
(1931)
Director
Up Pops the Duke
(1931)
Director
Beach Pajamas
(1931)
Director
The Tamale Vendor
(1931)
Director
Hollywood Luck
(1932)
Director
Hollywood Lights
(1932)
Director
Anybody's Goat
(1932)
Director
Gigolettes
(1932)
Director
Bridge Wives
(1932)
Director
Mother's Holiday
(1932)
Director
Niagara Falls
(1932)
Director
Moonlight and Cactus
(1932)
Director
It's a Cinch
(1932)
Director
Keep Laughing
(1932)
Director
Writing
The Alarm
(1914)
Writer
Fatty and Mabel Adrift
(1916)
Writer
The Butcher Boy
(1917)
Story
A Reckless Romeo
(1917)
Story
The Rough House
(1917)
Story
His Wedding Night
(1917)
Story
Coney Island
(1917)
Story
A Country Hero
(1917)
Story
The Cook
(1918)
Story
Moonshine
(1918)
Story and Screenplay
Out West
(1918)
Writer
Good Night, Nurse!
(1918)
Story
The Bell Boy
(1918)
Screenplay and Story
The Sheriff
(1918)
Writer
Camping Out
(1919)
Writer
The Bank Clerk
(1919)
Writer
The Pullman Porter
(1919)
Writer
A Desert Hero
(1919)
Writer
Day Dreams
(1922)
Story
His First Car
(1924)
Writer
Dynamite Doggie
(1925)
Writer
The Fighting Dude
(1925)
Writer
The Movies
(1925)
Writer
Curses
(1925)
Writer
One Sunday Morning
(1926)
Writer
His Private Life
(1926)
Writer
Fool's Luck
(1926)
Writer
My Stars
(1926)
Writer
The Cuckoos
(1930)
Writer
Up a Tree
(1930)
Story
Marriage Rows
(1931)
Story
Ex-Plumber
(1931)
Writer
That's My Line
(1931)
Writer
Beach Pajamas
(1931)
Writer