Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle Biography

Fast Facts

• Found work doing odd jobs in a hotel, but would sing while he worked, which drew the attention of a professional singer customer
• Made his stage debut at the age of 8 with Frank Bacon's company during their stop in Santa Ana, Calif
• Started a career in vaudeville after delighting a talent show audience by somersaulting into the orchestra pit to avoid the shepherd's crook coming from the wings to pull him off the stage
• Was acquitted of murder charges connected to the 1921 death of model Virginia Rappe after being tried three times, but his acting career suffered because of the scandal
• Starred in and directed 14 films under producer Joseph Schenck, including "The Bell Boy," "The Butcher Boy" and "Out West․"
• Was a popular actor in his day and is considered one of the great pioneers of comedy
• At the height of his success, he had a $2,500 Rolls-Royce with a built-in back-seat toilet
• Bought the Plantation Café in Culver City and turned it into a hangout for celebrities and others that was successful until the Great Depression
• Opened the Montecito Inn with his friend Charlie Chaplin
• Operatic tenor Enrico Caruso encouraged him to give up comedy and become the second greatest singer in the world after hearing him sing