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Of all the leading men in silent cinema, the most recognizable name is probably “Valentino”. Rudolph Valentino is a global phenomenon that is still celebrated today.
BUT...WHY IS HE SO FAMOUS??
1895 - 1926
Rudolph was named Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella. No wonder he changed his name… He was born in Italy, but moved to the US at age 18. Rudolph did odd jobs at first, then he became a taxi dancer at a local cabaret. “Taxi dancers” were paid partners for people who had no one to dance with. After a while, he joined a touring musical and finally ended up settling in Los Angeles, teaching dance. His roommate convinced him to get into the movies, and eventually Rudolph got some small parts - BUT...
He wasn't happy after a while, because he was ALWAYS playing the bad guy. In those days, the “good guy” usually had light skin, hair and eyes. Oh, the ignorance... Rudolph decided to visit New York, and thought about moving back there. Then he learned that a great book (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) was going to be made into a film by Metro Pictures, so he went to their offices to ask about being cast. Turns out, a screenwriter there named June Mathis had been trying to track him down - she thought he would be perfect for the film.
In 1921, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was released - and it was a hit. In the film, Rudolph dances the tango with a woman – which was very risque in 1921. "Scandalous” in 2020, it’s not! In any event, that tango dance put his name on everyone’s radar. But Metro didn’t acknowledge that they’d made a new star, so they gave him no raise at all. After a couple more (smaller) films, Rudolph quit Metro and went to (guess who?) Jesse L. Lasky at Paramount Pictures.
Jesse already knew who Rudolph was, as he’d seen The Four Horsemen. And now the handsome young actor walks into his office, asking for a job! Rudolph left Jesse’s office that day – with a 5-year contract. The first film he starred in for Paramount was The Sheik (1921), which made such an impression on the ladies that he became an overnight superstar before he really knew how to act. Didn't matter. Women weren’t going to The Sheik to watch him act, they were going to look at his handsome face. And there was big money in that! More films followed for “The Great Lover”, as he was then called.
Rudolph was adored by females all over the world - but "Great Lover" or no, his own romances were rocky at best. He once told a reporter;
"The women I love don't love me. The others don't matter."
Wow. Way to kill your fanbase... His first marriage to actress Jean Acker in 1919 was very short-lived (she was a closeted lesbian), and they separated immediately. Then came Natacha...
Rudolph in Monseiur Beaucaire. NOT his forte. Natacha, how dare you...
During his newfound fame, he began a second marriage to costume designer Natacha Rambova (birth name: Winifred Hudnut). After they married, Rudolph put his entire career into her hands. Immediately, there was a change - and it was. Not. Good. Natacha was very controlling of her husband, and he lost many friends and business associates because of her. If the execs wanted to see him, they had to go through her. If they assigned him a script, she had to approve it first - which she never did. Think “momager”, only the wife. A wifeager. Natacha insisted on him acting in films that didn’t fit his romantic image at all. The female public was disappointed, and it showed in ticket sales. They did not want their sexy hunk in classic (kinda boring) stories like Monsieur Beaucaire. Who knew? 😜
This (barely visible) bracelet was one of his "offenses" to men of the 1920s
Although the women loved Rudolph, the men were less than impressed. There were many newspaper and magazine articles questioning his “masculinity”, and saying that he was too feminine. This was due to the fact that he wore modest jewelry, was well-dressed and well-groomed. Rudolph was (understandably) furious about these articles. Haters gonna hate, Rudy. Although most American men didn't like him, they sure tried to copy his style - and eventually these posers were known as "Vaselinos", due to their slicked-back, "Valentino-style" hair.
Among his bad publicity: a charge of bigamy. Good times.
After lots of "wifeager" drama, legal battles, huge financial debts and bad publicity, he and Paramount mutually parted ways. He then signed with United Artists – who stated in his contract that his wife could not be involved with his films. Good call, UA. They began having problems in their marriage though, and they eventually divorced. So Rudolph immediately began dating actress Pola Negri. That'll go well...
In 1926, Rudolph suddenly collapsed at a hotel in New York. He was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with gastric ulcers, requiring an operation. Unfortunately, there were complications after the surgery (peritonitis and pleuritis), and he passed away at the hospital several days later, at age 31.
His funeral in Manhattan (shown above) was a scene in itself. An estimated 100,000 people attended (!), there was an all day-riot (!), and many fans even committed suicide when they heard the news (!). His girlfriend Pola Negri sent a blanket of white flowers with “POLA” spelled out in red flowers, and told the funeral home to put it on top of Rudolph's coffin. Seriously, I mean..? The funeral home rightly refused. Pola, outraged, went to the funeral, got hysterical and "fainted", dramatically collapsing on the coffin. She "fainted" AGAIN later - right in front of her own flower display. Upstaging a dead guy at his own funeral = new low.
Rudolph's crypt, Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Rudolph had no specific burial plans, but his longtime close friend June Mathis offered an extra crypt as a temporary solution, which her husband once intended to be buried in. She herself passed away a year later, and her husband made other arrangements for himself; so that June could be laid to rest in the crypt next to Rudolph. The “great lover”, who never found a lasting romantic love, was buried alongside his very dear friend and mentor - possibly one of the most important relationships he'd ever had.
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