Born in Italy in 1895, Valentino enjoyed a modest upbringing before coming to America in 1913. He settled in New York and found work in cafés dancing with customers, a job that earned him the reputation of being a gigolo. This persona was far from the real Valentino, as in reality he was an introverted personality who loved reading and studying languages. Nonetheless, the gigolo reputation stayed with him even after he landed on the West Coast to try his hand in the new medium of film
Valentino Begins Work in the Movies
Valentino's good looks aided the youngster in finding work in Hollywood. During his first three years as an actor, he made over twenty films, nine in 1919 alone. Although he juggled a full work schedule that year, he found time to marry a young starlet named Jean Acker. However, they never consummated the curious marriage, as she was a lesbian and locked him out of the house on their wedding night. Humiliated by this turn of events, Valentino dove back into his acting as the press jumped on the story.
The Tango That Started the Mania
Despite his volume of work, Valentino enjoyed only moderate success in films. It was not until 1921's The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse when he performed a passionate tango that he solidified his reputation of the "greatest lover of the silver screen". Valentino was a natural dancer with fluid bodylines and spirited musicality. When captured on film, every swooning female in the audience could feel his raw emotions jumping off the screen. Women wanted to be near him and therefore men wanted to be like him, and the mania soon followed. In this new form of entertainment, no other personality had engulfed the audience's attention the way Valentino did.
Valentino's Trouble in Hollywood
The troubles in his personal life did not seem to matter to his adoring public and his star rose even higher in 1921 with the release of The Sheik. On the set of Camille that same year, he met his second wife, Natacha Rambova. Valentino filed for divorce from his first wife. However, he moved too quickly and Valentino and Rombova were married in Mexico before the divorce was finalized. The star was slapped with bigamy charges and promptly sent to jail. The charge only enraged the passions of his adoring public who clamored to stand by their man.
Rambova's outspoken personality was a welcome balance to Valentino's shyness and she pushed him to improve the quality of his movies as well as his salary. While Valentino's contract barred him from working with other studios, a dispute ensued and Rambova encouraged him to make personal appearances to bolster his popularity. Cheering fans came out in droves to see their favorite star. Unable to escape the public outcry for more Valentino films, the studio heads succumbed to the star's demands. He returned to the movies in 1924 after a two-year absence setting the pace for future actors to take control of their own careers.
The Death of Rudolph Valentino
Valentino did not live to see the talkies take over Hollywood. His gentle personality took a beating with the stress from his marriages and the highs and lows of the media that followed him relentlessly. He died in 1926 at the age of thirty-one from peritonitis and septicemia after a surgery for a perforated ulcer. Hysteria broke out in the crowds at his funeral and several of his fans even committed suicide at the thought of living in a world without Valentino.
Sources:
Hollywood: The Pioneers, Kevin Brownlow 1979, Alfred Knopf, Inc.
