Valentino, Rudolph (văləntē`nō), 1895–1926, American film actor, b. Italy as Rodolfo Guglielmi. He emigrated to the United States in 1913 and, after a brief career as a dancer and bit player, was an instant success in the film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), largely due to a steamy tango scene. His fame, the effect of his exotic good looks, and his ability to provoke a kind of sexual hysteria in his many fans increased greatly with the release of The Sheik in 1921. Subsequent hits included Blood and Sand (1922), Monsieur Beaucaire (1924), and The Son of the Sheik (1926), his last film. By the year of his death, Valentino, the movies' first "Latin lover" and premier sex symbol, had become the idol of millions. Valentino's screen personality and his early death, both surrounded by mystery, made him a cult figure.

Bibliography

See biographies by A. Arnold (1954), R. Oberfirst (1962), and E. W. Leider (2003).

Valentino, Rudolph

orig. Rodolfo Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla

(born May 6, 1895, Castellaneta, Italy—died 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.

Valentino, Rudolph

(1895–1926) matinee idol; his death caused several suicides. [Am. Cinema: Halliwell, 734]

See : Death, Premature