He was one of the most famous film stars of the silent movie era. Yet Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle ended up center stage in one of Hollywood's most infamous scandals. Accused of the manslaughter of a young actress during a party, Arbuckle was tried three times for the alleged crime. Finally acquitted but with his reputation in tatters, the actor who'd mentored Charlie Chaplin and discovered Buster Keaton never recovered from the ordeal.
It's a case that still reverberates as an example of a lurid show trial fueled by a salacious press and the publication of exaggerated and sensationalized stories. Browse this gallery for an appreciation of "Fatty" Arbuckle's glittering career, and a review of the events that led to his spectacular but undeserved downfall.