Working mostly in bit parts, Rappe died after attending a party with actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who was accused of manslaughter and rape in connection with her death, though he was ultimately acquitted of both charges.

[6] Rappe moved to Los Angeles, where in early 1917 she was hired by director Fred Balshofer and given a prominent role in his film Paradise Garden,[7] opposite screen star Harold Lockwood.

The couple eventually became engaged and lived together, but in the United States Census of 1920, the young actress is listed as a "boarder" in Lehrman's home in Los Angeles.

[9] Rappe appeared in at least four films for Lehrman: His Musical Sneeze, A Twilight Baby, Punch of the Irish and A Game Lady.

Following Rappe's death, rumors arose, supposedly to besmirch her character, that she had given birth in Chicago in 1918 and put the baby in foster care.

During a party held on Labor Day, September 5, 1921, in Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's suite at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, Rappe allegedly suffered a trauma.