Rudolph Valentino

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Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), an Italian actor based in the United States who appeared in several well-known silent films, including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, and The Son of the Sheik. He was a pioneer pop star and a sex symbol of the 1920s, and he was also known in Hollywood as the "Latin lover" or simply "Valentino."

His premature death at the age of 31 sparked mass hysteria among his followers and pushed him to a cultural film icon.

Early life

Valentino was born in Castellaneta, Apulia, and he was named Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonella. Giovanni Antonio Giuseppe Fedele Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonella, an Italian from Martina Franca, Apulia, died of malaria when Rodolfo was 11. Marie Berthe Gabrielle Barbin (1856-1918), a French ancestor, was born in Lure, Franche-Comté, is his mother. Alberto (1892-1981), his younger sister Maria, and Beatrice, the older sister who died in infancy, were among Valentino's siblings.

Rodolfo was indulged as a youth because of his beautiful appearance and his jolly personality. His mother coddled him, while his father disapproved of him. He did poorly in school and was eventually admitted to a vocational school in Genoa, where he received a certificate.

He returned to Italy shortly after being born in Paris in 1912. In 1913, he left the United States in 1913, when he was unable to find jobs. Ellis Island's age 18 was processed at Ellis Island at the age of 1913. Despite his fame and success in America, Valentino never presented the required documents for naturalization, and so retained his Italian citizenship.

He started in New York City and helped himself with odd jobs such as busing tables in restaurants and gardening. Valentino used to be a bus boy at Murray's 42nd Street and was well-received, but was fired because he didn't do well, but he was fired because he didn't do a good job and was dismissed. Valentino would occasionally return to Murray's for lunch, and the workers would pass him some food if he was walking on the streets. Joe Pani, a restaurateur who owned Castles-by-Sea, Colony, and Woodmansten Inn, was among the first to recruit Rudolph to dance the tango with Joan Sawyer for $50 per week. He eventually worked as a taxi dancer at Maxim's Restaurant-Cabaret. Several former members of European nobility for whom a premium demand existed existed were among the other dancers at Maxim's.

Blanca de Saulles, a Chilean heiress who was unhappily married to businessman John de Saulles with whom she had a son, was eventually befriended by Valentino. If Blanca and Valentino ever had a romantic relationship, it's unclear, but Valentino did stand up to Blanca de Saulles' allegations of infidelity regarding her husband's part. Following his break, John de Saulles is accused of using his political connections to have Valentino arrested, as well as a well-known madam, on unspecified vice charges. The facts were poor at best, and Valentino's bail was reduced from $10,000 to $1,500 after a few days in prison.

Valentino could not find a job following the well-publicized trial and subsequent scandal. Blanca de Saulles fatally shot her ex-husband shortly after the trial was dismissed due to a custody dispute over their son. Valentino left town and joined a roadside musical that led him to the West Coast, afraid of being called in as a witness in another thrilling trial.

Personal life

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Jean Acker, a 19-year-old actor who was associated with actresses Grace Darmond and Alla Nazimova, married him in 1919, just before his career began. Acker, who was involved in the divorce attempt, regretted the proposal, and barred Valentino from the table on their wedding night, but she locked him out of their room. Soon after, the couple separated, but no one was engaged at the time, and the union was never finalized. The couple were married until 1921, when Acker filed a divorce lawsuit against Valentino, citing desertion. The divorce was approved, with Acker receiving alimony. She and Valentino reconnected with their friendship and remained close friends until his death.

On the set of Uncharted Seas in 1921, Valentino first encountered Winifred Shaughnessy, a stage name known as Nataliea Rambova—an American silent film costume designer, art director, and Nazimova's protégée. By the time they were romantically linked, the two worked together on Camille's Nazimova production. They married in Mexicali, Mexico, on May 13, 1922, resulting in Valentino's detention for bigamy because he hadn't been divorced for a year as required by California law at the time. Celebrity Player-Lasky refused to post bail days after he was in his studio at the time. Eventually, a few friends were able to pay the cash bail. He was also investigated for a possible breach of the Mann Act.

Rambova and Valentino lived in separate apartments in New York City, each with their own bedmates, so they either had to wait the year or face the possibility of being arrested again. They remarried at the Lake County Court House in Crown Point, Indiana, on March 14, 1923.

Many of Valentino's friends reacted angrily to Rambova and found her dominating. During his time with her, he lost a number of acquaintances and business associates, including June Mathis. Rambova was barred from his services by contract at the time of their marriage. In 1925, Valentino and Rambova divorced. The end of the marriage was bitter, with Valentino bequeathing Rambova one dollar in his will.

Valentino's sexuality was not widely discussed in print from the time he died in 1926 to the 1960s. Despite his marriage to Rambova, at least four books, including the notoriously libelous Hollywood Babylon, suggested he may have been gay throughout his pregnancy. For those, the marriages to Acker and Rambova, as well as the closeness of Pola Negri, all contributed to the suspicion that Valentino was gay and that these were "lavender marriages."

Despite Novarro's admission that Valentino knew each other, the two authors had a relationship with Ramón Novarro. Hollywood Babylon tells a tale that Valentino had gifted Novarro an art deco dildo as a gift. The stuffed in his throat at the time of his murder was discovered in his throat at the time of his murder. There was no such gift. These books also gave rise to allegations that he may have known both Paul Ivano and Douglas Gerrad, as well as Norman Kerry, and French theatre director and poet Jacques Hébertot. However, Ivano denied that it was untrue, and that both he and Valentino were heterosexual. Emily Leider and Allan Ellenberger, both biographers, tend to believe he was the most likely straight man.

Valentino was still gay, according to documents in the late author Samuel Steward's estate, Valentino and Steward were sexual partners. However, evidence in Steward's allegation was later discovered to be inaccurate, as Valentino was in New York on the date Steward said a sexual encounter took place in Ohio.

Valentino was seeing Marion Wilson Benda of the Ziegfeld Follies showgirls shortly before his death, but he was also interested in a friendship with actress Pola Negri. Negri attended his funeral, implying that Valentino had never mentioned this engagement to anyone else.

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Film career

Valentino founded an operetta firm in 1917 that migrated to Utah, where it disbanded. He then joined Robinson Crusoe, Jr., an Al Jolson production that was traveling to Los Angeles. He was in San Francisco with a small part in a theatrical production of Nobody Home by fall. Valentino was in town with actor Norman Kerry, who advised him to pursue a career in film, which was still in the silent film era.

Valentino and Kerry stayed in Los Angeles and became roommates at the Alexandria Hotel. He continued performing, teaching dance, and establishing a following among senior female customers who would allow him to borrow their luxurious cars. Both Kerry and Valentino attempted to join the Canadian Air Force in France at one point shortly after World War I was declared by the United States.

Valentino discovered a room of his own on Sunset Boulevard and began looking for film roles as a result of his dancing success. His first appearance in Alimony was as an extra, and he went on to small roles in several films. Despite his best efforts, he was usually depicted as a "heavy" (villain) or gangster). Wallace Reid, the archetypal male lead, with blue skin, light eyes, and an All-American appearance, with Valentino to the contrary, supplanting Sessue Hayakawa as Hollywood's most common "exotic" male lead.

He had worked in bit parts by 1919 and had made it to a career in bit parts. It was a bit part as a "cabaret parasite" in the drama Eyes of Youth, starring Clara Kimball Young, that piqued the interest of screenwriter June Mathis, who thought it would be a good fit for her new film. Young would later say it was she and Lewis J. Selznick who discovered him, and that they were dissatisfied when Valentino turned down a lucrative job at Metro.

He was the second lead in The Delicious Little Devil (1919) with actress Mae Murray. Jean Acker, a 19th-born actress, married actress Jean Acker in 1919. Their marriage was allegedly never consummated, according to reports.

Valentino briefly considered returning to New York permanently after being dissatisfied with playing "heavies." He returned for a visit in 1917, while visiting friends in Greenwich Village, before settling in Bayside, Queens. Paul Ivano, who would greatly help with his future, was there.

Valentino read the book The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Vicente Blasco Ibáez while traveling to Palm Springs, Florida, to film Stolen Moments. He discovered that Metro had bought the film rights to the tale after pulling out a trade paper. He sought out Metro's office in New York, only to find that June Mathis had been trying to locate him. Julio Desnoyers was portrayed by her in the role of Julio Desnoyers. Mathis had selected Rex Ingram, a young singer with whom Valentino did not get along, causing Mathis to play the role of peacekeeper between the two actors.

In 1921, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were introduced and became a commercial and critical success. It was one of the first films to make $1,000,000 at the box office, and it was the sixth-best-gross silent film ever.

Metro Pictures refused to admit that it had been made a celebrity. The studio refused to give him a raise over the $350 he earned for Four Horsemen, most likely due to Rex Ingram's lack of faith in him. They coerced him to appear in Uncharted Seas, his sequel to his debut film. Natacha Rambova, Valentino's second wife, appeared on this film. Jean Acker, Valentino's legal wife, filed a divorce lawsuit the same year.

Rambova, Mathis, Ivano, and Valentino started to work on the Alla Nazimove film Camille. Armand, Nazimova's love interest, was played by Valentino in the role of Armand. Critics and the public considered the film, which was largely under Rambova and Nazimova's custody, too avant garde.

The Conquering Power, Valentino's last film for Metro, was The Mathis-penned The Conquering Power. The film received critical acclaim and did well at the box office. Valentino flew to New York after the film's release, where he visited with many French producers. Valentino returned to Metro after a year of Europe, improved pay, and more respect.

Valentino was referring to Metro after quitting Metro with Famous Players-Lasky, the project's forerunner, who was more commercially oriented. Mathis arrived quickly, enraged both Ivano and Rambova.

Jesse L. Lasky wanted to capitalize on Valentino's fame as the "Latin lover" after he played him. Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan, a film director, appeared in The Sheik (1921). The film was a huge success and defined not only his work but also his image and legacy. Valentino attempted to distance the character from a stereotypical representation of an Arab man. When asked if Lady Diana (his love interest) would have been a "savage" in real life, Valentino replied, "People are not savages because they have dark skins." The Arabian civilization is one of the world's oldest... the Arabs are dignified and keen."

Over the next 15 months, Famous Players would produce four more feature-length films. His leading role in Moran of the Lady Letty was of a typical Douglas Fairbanks role; however, his character was given a Spanish name and ancestry in order to capitalize on Valentino's bankability. The film received mixed reviews, but it was still a hit with audiences.

Valentino appeared alongside Gloria Swanson in Beyond the Rocks in November 1921. The film had lavish sets and lavish costumes, but Photoplay magazine said the film was "a little unreal and tumultuous." The film, which was released in 1922, was a critical disappointment. Beyond the Rocks had been thought to have been lost years after its debut, save for a one-minute segment. The film was first discovered by the Netherlands Film Museum in 2002, but it was not until 2002 that it was discovered. In 2006, the restored version was released on DVD.

Valentino began directing Blood and Sand, another Mathis-penned film. Juan Gallardo, the lead actor, appeared in bullfighter Juan Gallardo, and Lila Lee and Nita Naldi co-starred. Valentino was shocked to learn that the film would be shot on a Hollywood back lot first, initially believing it would be shot in Spain. Changes in production, including a director of whom he did not approve, made him more angry.

Valentino married Rambova, which resulted in a bigamy court, after finishing the film, but not for longer than a year as required by California law at the time. The trial was a revelation, and the couple was forced to have their marriage annulled and separated for a year. Despite the trial, the film was still a hit, with critics describing it as a masterpiece on par with Broken Blossoms and Four Horsemen. Blood and Sand became one of 1922's top-grossing films, breaking attendance records and grossing $37,400 at the Rivoli Theatre alone. Valentino rated this film as one of his best films.

During Rambova's coercion of work, the pair began to work separately on the Mathis-penned The Young Rajah. Only fragments of this film, which were recovered in 2005, remain. The film did not live up to hopes and disappointed at the box office, and the box office was underperforming. Valentino was dissatisfied with the film's coherence, being angry about Rambova's break. After the debut of The Young Rajah, Missing Rambova, Valentino returned to New York. They were spotted and followed by journalists on a daily basis. Valentino began to consider not returning to Famous Players, though Jesse Lasky already had his next photo, The Spanish Cavalier, in preparation. Valentino declared a 'one-man assault' against Famous Players after speaking with Rambova and his counsel Arthur Butler Graham.

Valentino went on strike for economic reasons. He was earning $1,250 a week at the time of his lawsuit against the studio, with an increase to $3,000 after three years. This was less than Mary Pickford's earnings in 1916 but it was less than $7,000 per week. He was also outraged over the breaking news of filming Blood and Sand in Spain, as well as the inability to film the next scheduled film in either Spain or at least New York. When filming in Europe, Valentino hoped to see his family, whom he hadn't seen in ten years.

He refused to pay celebrities until the issue was settled in September 1922, but he owes them money to pay Jean Acker. In return, Angered, Well-known Players sued him.

Valentino did not return to the octagon, and Famous Players understood how much money they had lost. The studio attempted to resolve by bumping his salary from $1,250 to $7,000 a week, which was in jeopardy after excluding Roscoe Arbuckle's. Variety erroneously declared the salary increase as a "new deal" before learning of the case was revealed, and Valentino vehemently denied the offer.

Valentino continued to assert that artistic control was more of a problem than the money. Although the average American had trouble sympathizing because he made $2,000 a year, he wrote an open letter to Photoplay magazine, entitled "Open Letter to the American Public," where he argued his case. Famous celebrities made public statements condemning him more trouble than he deserved (the divorce, bigamy trials, and debts) and that he was temperamental, almost diva-like. They said they did everything they could and that they had made him a true star.

He was sought by other studios. In a version of Romeo and Juliet, Joseph Schenck was keen on portraying his wife, Norma Talmadge, opposite Valentino. June Mathis had migrated to Goldwyn Pictures, where she was in charge of the Ben-Hur project and was interested in casting Valentino in the film. Famous Players, on the other hand, had the opportunity to extend his contract, denying him from doing anything other than in the studio. Valentino was about $80,000 in debt at this point. He appealed, but only a part of it was allowed. Although he was still not allowed to perform as an actor, he could work in other occupations.

Valentino met George Ullman, who soon became his boss in late 1922. Ullman had worked with Mineralava Beauty Clay Company for years and told them that Valentino would be an excellent spokesperson for legions of female supporters.

The tour was a huge success, with Valentino and Rambova appearing in 88 cities around the United States and Canada. Valentino also sponsored Mineralava beauty products and judged mineralava beauty competitions in addition to the tour. A young David O. Selznick, who titled it Rudolph Valentino and his 88 Beauties, captured one beauty contest.

Valentino returned to the United States in reaction to Ritz-Carlton Pictures' (working with Famous Players), which required $7,500 a week, artistic direction, and filming in New York. Rambova and Famous Artists arranged a two-picture contract as well as four photographs for Ritz-Carlton. He accepted an invitation to film Quo Vadis, an Italian film.

Monsieur Beaucaire was the first film under new management, in which Valentino played the lead, Duke of Chartres. The film did poorly, but American audiences found it "effeminate." The film's failure, under Rambova's direction, is often seen as confirmation of her dominance, which later led her to her being refused admission to Valentino sets. Valentino made one last film for Famous Players. He appeared in A Sainted Devil, which is now one of his lost films, in 1924. It had lavish costumes, but it was clearly a weak story. It started off with high sales, but then it faded in attendance and ended up as another disappointment.

Valentino was fired from Famous Players as a result of his employment, but Ritz-Carlton was also obligated to Ritz-Carlton for four films. The Hooded Falcon, his next film, was a pet project. From the get-goals, the production was plagued with difficulties, beginning with the script written by June Mathis. The Valentinos were dissatisfied with Mathis' version and begged for that it be rewritten. Mathis regarded it as a great insult, and he didn't speak to Valentino for nearly two years. Valentino was persuaded to film Cobra with Nita Naldi while Rambova was designing costumes and rewriting the script for Falcon. He decided on the understanding that it not be announced until the Hooded Falcon debuted.

The cast of The Hooded Falcon sailed to France to be fitted for costumes after filming Cobra. They returned to the United States after three months, where Valentino's latest beard, which he had grown for the film, caused a stir. "I opened once a paper and told you what was in it." Rudolph Valentino had a beard on his chin. "My heart stopped beating and I fainted dead away, and I never want to live until the decision day," was soon announced in Photoplay. The cast and crew departed for Hollywood to begin filming, but a significant amount of the funds were removed during preproduction. Ritz-Carlton ended the relationship with the couple due to Valentino's lavish spending on costumes and sets, effectively ending Valentino's relationship with them.

Both Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks approached Valentino privately during their filming of Monsieur Beaucaire, owing to his Internal's work with Ritz-Carlton, he inquired about joining United Artists. Valentino's time with United Artists was worth $10,000 a week for only three pictures a year, much more of his films were made with three photos per year. Rambova was barred from filming and filming, according to the deal. Valentino's acceptance of the terms sparked a major divide in his relationship with Rambova. Rambova was charged $30,000 to finance a film of her own by George Ullman, who had negotiated the deal with United Artists. What Price Beauty was her first film, which was her only one. Myrna Loy, a British actress, and starred in Myrna Loy.

Valentino chose The Eagle, his first UA venture. Valentino opened fire, and Rambova declared that she wanted a "marital holiday" as a result of her marriage's strain. During the filming of The Eagle, rumors of a match with co-star Vilma Bánky were reported and denied by both Bánky and Valentino. The film received rave reviews, but there was a modest box office.

Valentino travelled to London and France for the film's premiere, but he later regretted it with abandon while his divorce took place. Despite his hatred of the sheik image, he took some time before he made another film, The Son of the Sheik. Valentino was given his choice of director and pairing him with Vilma Bánky in February 1926. The film used the authentic costumes he acquired abroad to allow him to play a dual role. Valentino was sick during production but he needed the money to pay his numerous debts. The film debuted on July 9, 1926, to a huge audience. Valentino and Mathis were reconciled at the premiere; the two had not spoken in nearly two years.

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