Back to Articles

The Latin Lover: Rudolph Valentino

Rudolph Valentino, known as the “Latin Lover,” was the first iconic movie star. He rose to fame in the ‘20s during the silent film era. His premature death at the age of 31 caused hysteria among mourners, especially his female fans.

Valentino was born on May 6, 1895 in Castellaneta, Italy. His given name was Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla, but he shortened it to Rudolfo Valentino when he began acting. Valentino(1895-05-06) received a degree in agriculture and after brief stint in Paris, he moved to the U.S. in 1913 at the age of 18.

After working odd jobs such as gardening and driving a taxi, Valentino became friends with heiress Blanca de Saulles. His involvement with her led him to flee to the West Coast after she shot her husband to death. He traveled to Utah, then San Francisco before ending up in Los Angeles, where he taught dance.

Valentino decided to give acting a try and got bit parts in several films. His exotic good looks quickly lead to more roles, although he mostly played heavies during his early career. His big break came when he starred in The Four Horsemen. Released in 1921, it became one of the first films to earn $1 million at the box office.

Valentino next appeared in Camille (1921) then perhaps the film seen as his most memorable, The Sheik (1921). Although he was of French and Italian descent, he played an Arab sheik in the film and women who saw it would swoon and faint at the theater. The film would permanently solidify Valentino’s image as a sex symbol.

While adored for his on screen portrayals, Valentino’s real love life was often sticky. After divorcing his first wife, actress Jean Acker, he married his second wife Natacha Rambova. She married Valentino shortly after divorcing her first husband, but the law required a year to pass before she could remarry. Valentino was jailed for bigamy, causing a scandal that led to his friends, rather than his studio, to bail him out. The couple legally married again in March 1923. During their stormy marriage, she was seen as interfering in his career and often banned from his film sets. Long after his death, some began to question whether Valentino was homosexual or bisexual due to his close relationships with male counterparts.

During Valentino and Rambova’s forced separation, he filmed The Young Rajah, which did poorly at the box office. Valentino, unhappy with his salary from the Famous Players studio, went on strike in late 1922. The studio sued Valentino in return and unable to work in films, he fell deeply into debt. Valentino became the spokesman for Mineralava Beauty Clay Company shortly afterwards, even embarking on a Mineralava dance tour with Rambova and judging beauty contests.

Valentino published a book of poetry titled Day Dreams in 1923. He also wrote several articles for magazines including Liberty and Photoplay. He made vocal recordings, but they were not released until after his death.

Valentino returned to films in 1924 completing his last film for Famous Players and two more films for Ritz-Carlton before being released from his contract due to spending. He signed on with United Artists and starred in The Eagle and his last film, The Son of the Sheik, which some view as his best film. He and Rambova separated, possibly due to an affair between Valentino and co-star Vilma Banky. The couple bitterly divorced in 1925.

Valentino collapsed at the Hotel Ambassador in New York City on August 15, 1926. After being taken to the hospital, doctors discovered he was suffering from appendicitis and gastric ulcers. He was operated on, but peritonitis spread throughout his body and six days later, he had a pleuritis relapse, which worsened his condition. While doctors released optimistic news to the media, they knew death was certain and Valentino succumbed to his illnesses on August 23, 1926.

The public mourned Valentino’s death with a fury that had rarely been seen before. Approximately one hundred thousand people took to the street of New York City for the funeral in what eventually became a riot scene, with police being called in to restore order. Valentino had been dating actress Pola Negri at the time of his death and claiming to be his fiancée, she collapsed on his coffin.

Valentino’s body was carried across the country to Beverly Hills, where he was buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He was among the original 1,500 celebrities honored with a star on the Walk of Fame in 1959.

For more information on Rudolph Valentino: