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Known for:	Coney Island, The Butcher Boy, The Bell Boy
Birth name:	Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle
Birthday:	24 March 1887, Smith Center, Kansas, USA
Height:	5' 10" (1.78 m)

Obese comic actor whose career was ended by a scandal. Directed under the name 'Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle'. After his career was ruined, Buster Keaton personally supported him as repayment for giving him his break into film. Weighed 300 pounds. Was tried three times for rape and manslaughter of Virginia Rappe. The first trial (November 14-December 4, 1921) ended with the jury deadlocked 10 to 2 in favor of acquittal. The second trial (January 11-February 3, 1922) ended in conviction, but was immediately overturned when the jury wasn't unanimous in their verdict which was 9 to 3 in favor of conviction. The third trial (March 13-April 12, 1922) finally ended with an acquittal after the jury deliberated for less than 10 minutes compared with 43 hours straight in the first trial and 22 hours in the second trial. Cousin of actor Andrew Arbuckle and actor/writer Macklyn Arbuckle. Uncle of Al St. John It is often reported that Arbuckle's career as an actor ended with the rape trials and that he died forgotten. In fact, Arbuckle was in the midst of starring in a series of successful shorts and was on his way back up when he died. Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith; pg. 21-22. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387 An excellent breakdown of the rape/murder scandal is "Frame-Up!: the Untold Story of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle", by Andy Edmonds. He was the very first actor to be paid a million dollars a year. A screenplay about his life floated around Hollywood for years but never got sold. At one point John Belushi was considered for the part, then John Candy, then Chris Farley. All three died suddenly and the script has been shelved indefinitely. The legend that his box office clout faltered after the scandal is not entirely true. Actually his films were making just as much money as they had been before the scandal, the problem was that with all the scathing headlines about him, studios were reluctant about putting him under contract and so he had problems getting work. It was written in his contract that his weight remain above 250 pounds and that he would be given a healthy yearly bonus if he exceeded that by 50 to 100 pounds. During his career he kept it well over 300. Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 11-13. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Some filmographies credit him as co-director of the film _Sherlock, Jr. (1924)_ . The confusion comes from the fact that Buster Keaton did originally hope to have Arbuckle work as his co-director on the film, but ultimately Arbuckle was still too depressed over the scandal that had nearly ended his career three years earlier, and had become difficult to work with, so Keaton went ahead as the sole director of the film. The claim that Arbuckle was a co-director on the film was substantiated by Minta Durfee; however, her claims lose credibility when she also stated that Arbuckle was the sole screenwriter of the film. The script was definitely written by Joseph A. Mitchell, Jean C. Havez and Clyde Bruckman, Keaton's usual team of gagmen from this era. Historians agree there is no credibility to the claim that Arbuckle ever directed so much as a frame of the movie. Met Buster Keaton accidentally one day while strolling down Broadway in New York City with vaudeville veteran Lou Anger. Anger, who was an old stage acquaintance of Keaton's, introduced them. Arbuckle immediately invited Keaton to visit the Colony Studio where he was about start a series of two-reel comedies for Joseph M. Schenck. The famous duo was thusly formed. Started his movie career in 1909 with the Selig Polyscope Company. It the subject of the novel "I, Fatty" by Jerry Stahl. Joined Keystone as a Keystone Kop in 1913. Arbuckle is the only person to have the three top silent film comedians, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd appear in supporting roles in his films; Chaplin assists Arbuckle in The Knockout Lloyd is his co-star in Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers and Keaton supported him in at least 14 shorts.

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