13. Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, silent film star, fizzled out after a rape-murder case involving actress.
Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was one of the undisputed stars of silent cinema. Born in 1887, he found fame at an early age, making a name for himself as a boy singer in California. By 1904, he was a member of a touring theater and, by 1909, he was making his first movies. In 1913, he moved to Universal Pictures and was making his way to the top. Though he started out as an extra, his large size and comedic face helped him become a true leading man. Indeed, he became such a big star that, in 1918, Paramount Pictures offered him a three-year contract worth $49 million in today’s money.
In 1921, however, Arbuckle suffered a serious fall from grace. In November of that year, the Hollywood star went on trial. He was accused of the rape and manslaughter of the actress Virginia Rappe. She had been found dead in a San Francisco hotel following a party hosted by Arbuckle. The first trial resulted in a hung jury. A second trial delivered the same verdict. Finally, a third trial saw Arbuckle acquitted. He even received a formal written apology from the jury for his troubles.
Despite his acquittal, Arbuckle’s star had fallen so low he could no longer get any work. The offers dried up, and even films he had already made weren’t shown. For the next few years, he picked up small parts as and when he could and even tried moving into directing. In 1932, it looked like things were starting to look up. However, just when it looked like Arbuckle might be set to return to the big street, he died of a heart attack. He was just 46.