Fatty Arbuckle

Actor, Comedian, Director and Screenwriter. Born in Smith Center, Kansas, his family was poor, constantly struggling and on the move. When he was just a year old, his family moved to Santa Ana, California. Roscoe grew into an overweight child and local children gave him the nickname of "Fatty" which stuck with him for all his life. In his late teens, Roscoe began to make a name for himself as a singer. His life was changed forever in 1912 when he met Mack Sennett, the owner of Keystone Film Company. Sennett soon began featuring Roscoe in 2-reel silent comedies. When Sennett developed the Keystone Cops, Arbuckle was featured as one of the mainstays. Arbuckle became wildly popular and soon headlined films with Mabel Normand, Mack Sennett's girlfriend. He also starred in films with Buster Keaton, who became his life long best friend, and Charlie Chaplin. In 1916, Roscoe joined Paramount Pictures and was offered complete artistic control of all his films. The Comique Film Corporations was created to accommodate Arbuckle's films. By 1920, Roscoe was making seven-reel features, and, by 1921, Paramount offered him a 3-year deal at the unheard rate of $1 million dollars per year. On Labor Day Weekend in 1921, Roscoe decided to take a break in San Francisco with a bunch of friends. What followed ultimately ruined Arbuckle's career. He was charged with raping and murdering Virginia Rappe, an aspiring actress. She had died in the hospital of a ruptured bladder after the party. On September 13, a Grand Jury returned an indictment of manslaughter against Arbuckle. After 3 trials, the first two ending in hung juries, Roscoe was finally acquitted in March 1922, but his film career was over. He was banned from the screen for quite some time, and, even when he returned he had to go under an assumed name to get work. By the late 1920s, he was getting steady work as a director. By 1932, he had worked his way back in front of the camera, but it was too late.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jul 8 2023, 3:07:31 UTC