- Valentino, Rudolph
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orig. Rodolfo Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguollaborn May 6, 1895, Castellaneta, Italydied Aug. 23, 1926, New York, N.Y., U.S.Italian-born U.S. film actor.He immigrated to the U.S. in 1913 and worked as a dancer before moving to Hollywood in 1918. He played small parts in movies until his role in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) made him a star. His popularity, promoted by skillful press agents, soared among women as he played the handsome, mysterious lover in romantic dramas such as The Sheik (1921), Blood and Sand (1922), The Eagle (1925), and The Son of the Sheik (1926). His sudden death at 31 from a ruptured ulcer caused worldwide hysteria, several suicides, and riots at his funeral.
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▪ American actorbyname of Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmiborn May 6, 1895, Castellaneta, Italydied Aug. 23, 1926, New York, N.Y., U.S.Italian-born American motion-picture actor, who was idolized as the “Great Lover” of the 1920s.Valentino immigrated to the United States in 1913 and worked for a time as a gardener, a dishwasher, and later as a dancer in vaudeville. In 1918 he went to Hollywood, where he played small parts in films until he was given the role of Julio in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921). He immediately became a star, his popularity being managed by skillful Hollywood press agents. Valentino's films, which were usually romantic dramas, include The Sheik (1921), Blood and Sand (1922), The Eagle (1925), and The Son of the Sheik (1926).Valentino's sudden death from a ruptured ulcer at age 31 caused worldwide hysteria, several suicides, and riots at his lying in state, which attracted a crowd that stretched for 11 blocks. Each year after his death a mysterious “Woman in Black,” sometimes several “Women in Black,” appeared at his tomb.Additional ReadingA biography is Alexander Walker, Rudolph Valentino (1976).* * *
Universalium. 2010.
