Rodolfo Alfonzo Rafaelo Pierre Filibert Gugliemi di Valenta d’ Antonguolla (whew!) was born on May 6, 1895, in Castellaneta, Italy, to French and Italian parents. He had an older brother, Alberto, and a younger sister, Maria, both of whom were ignored by their mother who doted instead on her “beautiful baby boy.” His father had worked in a traveling circus and then became a veterinarian before marrying his mother. By the age of eleven, Rodolfo had been expelled from many schools because he was recalcitrant and a bully. He did eventually earn a diploma, and in 1913, armed with a $4,000 inheritance, sailed first to Paris and then to New York.
He learned apache dancing in Paris, but in New York pursued the latest dance craze, the tango, at which he became very proficient. In 1917, he went to Hollywood where he got a small part in “Alimony.” Directors began to cast him as a villian rather than a lover, and he yearned to be a romantic leading man. He became a star when scriptwriter, June Mathis, and director, Rex Ingram convinced Metro to cast Valentino in the lead role in “The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse” in 1921. This movie was Metro’s first million-dollar production and it saved the studio from bankruptcy.
Other parts followed, most notably: “The Sheik” (1921), Camille (1921), “Blood and Sand” (1922) and “Son of The Sheik” in 1926. He married twice in his short lifetime, once to Natacha Rambova and once to Jean Acker in the shortest recorded marriage in history (six hours)! There is no question that Valentino almost single-handedly Americanized the Argentine tango. Despite his enormous stardom, his movie career spanned barely six years. Still, he was the first movie star and the first male sex symbol of the American cinema.
He died at the age of 31 on August 23, 1926 of blood poisoning caused by a perforated ulcer. Eighty thousand mourners attended his New York funeral and for many years on the anniversary of his death, a mysterious woman dressed in black was seen laying a wreath of flowers on his grave. In 1994 Valentino’s face was pictured on a 29-cent stamp celebrating the stars of the silent era.
What are some of your favorite Valentino performances? Please share.