Rudolph Valentino
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Not to be confused with Rodolfo B. Valentino.
| Rudolph Valentino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla May 6, 1895 Castellaneta, Italy |
| Died | August 23, 1926 (aged 31) New York City, New York , U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1914–1926 |
| Spouse | Jean Acker (1919–1923) Natacha Rambova (1923–1926) |
Rudolph Valentino (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926) was an Italian actor, sex symbol, and early pop icon. Known as the "Latin Lover",[1] he was one of the most popular international stars of the 1920s, and one of the most recognized stars of the silent film era. He is best known for his work in The Sheik and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. His death at age 31 caused mass hysteria among his female fans, propelling him into icon status.[2]
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[edit] Early life
Valentino was born Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi in Castellaneta, Puglia, Kingdom of Italy, to a French mother, Marie Berthe Gabrielle Barbin (1856–1919), and Giovanni Antonio Giuseppe Fedele Guglielmi, a veterinarian who died of malaria, then widespread in Southern Italy, when Valentino was 11.[3][4] He had an older brother, Alberto (1892–1981), a younger sister, Maria, and an older sister Beatrice who died in infancy.[5]
As a child, Valentino was reportedly spoiled and troublesome. His mother coddled him while his father disapproved of his behavior.[6] He did poorly in school, and was eventually enrolled in agricultural school where he received a degree.[7]
After living in Paris in 1912, he soon returned to Italy. Unable to secure employment, he departed for the United States in 1913.[8] He was processed at Ellis Island at age 18 on December 23, 1913.[9]
[edit] New York
Arriving in New York City, Valentino soon ran out of money and spent a period of time on the streets. He eventually supported himself with odd jobs such as bussing tables in restaurants and gardening.[8] Eventually, he found work as a taxi dancer at Maxim's.[10] Among the other dancers at Maxim's were several displaced members of European nobility and there was a premium in demand for them.
Valentino eventually befriended Chilean heiress Blanca de Saulles who was unhappily married to prominent businessman John de Saulles, with whom she had a son. Whether the two actually had a romantic relationship is unknown, but when the couple divorced, Valentino took the stand to support Blanca de Saulles' claims of infidelity on her husband's part. Following the divorce, John de Saulles reportedly used his political connections to have Valentino arrested, along with a Mrs. Thyme, a known madam, on some unspecified vice[11] charges. The evidence was flimsy at best and after a few days in jail, Valentino's bail was lowered from $10,000 to $1,500.
The trial and subsequent scandal was well publicized, following which Valentino could not find employment. Shortly after the trial, Blanca de Saulles fatally shot her ex-husband during a custody dispute over their son. Fearful of being called in as a witness in another sensational trial, Valentino left town, joining a traveling musical that led him to the West Coast.[12]
[edit] Film career
[edit] Early bit parts
In 1917, Rudolph Valentino joined an operetta company that traveled to Utah where it disbanded. He then joined an Al Jolson production of Robinson Crusoe Jr., travelling to Los Angeles. By fall, he was in San Francisco with a bit part in a theatrical production of Nobody Home. While in town, Valentino met actor Norman Kerry, who convinced him to try a career in cinema, still in the silent film era.[5]
Valentino, with Kerry as a roommate, moved back to Los Angeles and took up residence at the Alexandria Hotel. He continued dancing, teaching dance and building up a following which included older female clientele who would let him borrow their luxury cars.[5]
With his dancing success, Valentino found a room of his own on Sunset Boulevard and began actively seeking screen roles. His first part was as an extra in the film Alimony, moving on to small parts in several films. Despite his best efforts he was typically cast as a "heavy" (villain) or gangster.[11] At the time, the major male star was Wallace Reid, with a fair complexion, light eyes, and an All American look, with Valentino the opposite,[13] eventually supplanting Sessue Hayakawa as Hollywood's most popular "exotic" male lead.[14][15]
By 1919, he had carved out a career in bit parts. It was a bit part as a "cabaret parasite" in the drama The Eyes of Youth that caught the attention of screenwriter June Mathis, who thought he would be perfect for her next movie.[16] He also appeared as second lead in The Delicious Little Devil (1919) with star Mae Murray.