Rudolph Valentino

Valentino (Valentino), Rudolf (06. 05. 1895 - 23. 08. 1926), American actor. Real name - Rodolfo Alfontso Raffaele Pierre Philibert Guglielmi di Valentino.
Born in Italy. At the age of 18 years of age emigrated to America, where he tried many professions, including working gigolo in New York cafe 'Maxim', and then fell into a wandering troupe of actors, following the failure went to Hollywood. Acted in the crowd at the David Griffith, gradually began to speak in the episodes in the studio 'Universal'.
. On patronage screenwriter June Metiz in 1921 received a big role in superkolosse 'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' (The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse) Rex Ingrema, in which he proved useful skills gigolo
. With Valentino was born a new type of star - 'Latin lover', a fatal seducer, romantic hero, who lives in an unreal world. An unprecedented commercial success was repeated also in the picture 'Sheik' (The Sheik, 1921), where snow-white gold-embroidered turban emphasized the blackness of the actor's eyes and tan skin. Slightly less successful was the band 'Blood and Sand' (Blood And Sand, 1922), where his famous Valentino danced the tango. Impresario, organized his tour, in which the actor every night dancing the tango in gaucho costume with one of the spectators in exchange for three thousand dollars a week.
. The cult of Valentino acquires the character of mass hysteria: in 1922 at the premiere of 'young rajah' (The Young Rajah, . 1922 - where he appeared almost naked, . only the thigh were covered pearl necklaces), the actor had to flee from fans fleeing to the rooftops,
. The audience was unaware of any morbid state of his stomach, nor a nasty habit of chewing raw onion per day, or about balding head (Valentino dyed it with black paint leaving stains on the pillows). First wife Jean Acker, he left the wedding day, then married to Natasha Rambovoy, wardrobe mistress his partner Alla Nazimova, but quickly left and. Bride was another star Pola Negri, but the wedding has prevented sudden death of an idol of peritonitis. Remains placed in a triple coffin made of silver, bronze and precious wood was driven across the country from New York to Los Angeles in a special train. At the funeral at the cemetery Sunset Care was a crowd of a hundred thousand people, a detachment Blackshirt carried a wreath sent by Mussolini. The cult of Valentino did not end with his death (even became fashionable committed suicide at his grave) only in August 1956 the press carried a message that the first time in 30 years no woman has visited the cemetery with his ashes. Adoration Valentino can not compare with the Christmas shopping over any other star. He was not only a gifted actor as a mythical character, not a product of cinema as an art and industry, the creation of producers and makers of advertising. In 1951 appeared melodrama Lewis Allen 'Valentino', and in 1977 Ken Russell made a film of the same name, inviting the title role dancer Rudolf Nureyev.