Rudolph Valentino (1895–1926) was an Italian-born actor in the era of silent films.[1] He emigrated to the United States in 1913 and took a string of temporary menial jobs before becoming a film extra in 1914.[2] He appeared in several films until 1921—many of which are now lost.[3] That year he got his major break when he appeared in the role of Julio in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.[1] According to Valentino's biographer, Noel Botham, the film was "hailed ... [as] a masterpiece and Valentino as a star";[4] the film grossed $4.5 million at the North American box office.[5]
Valentino played leading roles in fourteen films as a romantic figure.[6] When he appeared in The Sheik in 1921, women fainted in the aisles of theaters;[7] the film grossed $1.5 million.[5] His second wife, Natacha Rambova, took increasing control of his career and image, although this meant his screen image turned "increasingly effeminate".[7] The films in which he played a romantic role within the action genre were the more successful at the box office; these included his final two works The Eagle (1925) and The Son of the Sheik (1926).[8] In 1995 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was inducted into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant";[9] a second Valentino film was inducted in 2003 when The Son of the Sheik was selected.[10]
Valentino died suddenly of peritonitis on August 23, 1926, at the age of 31.[11] His death at the height of his fame, and extensive media coverage, turned his funeral into a national event, at which large crowds attended.[1][12] According to his biographer, Carl Rollyson, Valentino had a "... trim body, athletic grace, and dark good looks [which] made him an action hero and a romantic legend—the epitome of the silent screen's Latin lover".[1]
Filmography
edit
| Year | Title | Role | Credited as | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | My Official Wife | Extra | Uncredited | Lost film | [13] |
| 1914 | The Battle of the Sexes | Dance extra | Uncredited | Lost film, only a fragment survives | [14] |
| 1916 | The Quest of Life | Extra | Uncredited | Lost film | [15] |
| 1916 | The Foolish Virgin | Extra | Uncredited | Lost film | [16] |
| 1916 | Seventeen | Extra | Uncredited | Lost film | [13] |
| 1917 | Alimony | Dancer | Uncredited | Lost film | [16] |
| 1917 | Patria | Extra | Rudolph Valentino | Incomplete | [17] |
| 1918 | A Society Sensation | Dick Bradley | Rodolpho De Valentina | Lost film (original version) Survives (1924 re-release) | [18] |
| 1918 | All Night | Richard Thayer | Rodolfo di Valentina | Survives | [19] |
| 1918 | The Married Virgin | Count Roberto di San Fraccini | Rodolfo di Valentini | Survives | [20] |
| 1919 | The Delicious Little Devil | Jimmy Calhoun | Rudolpho De Valintine | Survives | [21] |
| 1919 | The Big Little Person | Arthur Endicott | Rodolpho De Valentina | Lost film | [22] |
| 1919 | A Rogue's Romance | Apache dancer | Rudolph Volantino | Lost film | [23] |
| 1919 | The Homebreaker | Dance extra | Uncredited | Lost film | [24] |
| 1919 | Virtuous Sinners | Bit part | Rodolfo di Valentini | Survives | [25] |
| 1919 | Out of Luck/Nobody Home | Maurice Rennard | Rodolph Valentine | Lost film | [26] |
| 1919 | Eyes of Youth | Clarence Morgan | Rudolfo Valentino | Survives | [27] |
| 1920 | Stolen Moments | Jose Dalmarez | Rudolph Valentine | Lost film (original version) Survives (1922 re-release) | [28] |
| 1920 | An Adventuress | Jacques Rudanyi | Rodolph Valentino | Survives | [29] |
| 1920 | The Cheater | Extra | Rudolph Valentino | Lost film | [30] |
| 1920 | Passion's Playground | Prince Angelo Della Robbia | Rudolph Valentine | Lost film | [31] |
| 1920 | Once to Every Woman | Juliantimo | Rudolph Valentino | Lost film | [32] |
| 1920 | The Wonderful Chance | Joe Klingsby | Rudolph de Valentino | Survives | [33] |
| 1921 | The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse | Julio Desnoyers | Rudolph Valentino | Survives | [34] |
| 1921 | Uncharted Seas | Frank Underwood | Rudolph Valentino | Lost film | [35] |
| 1921 | The Sheik | Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan | Rudolph Valentino | Survives | [36] |
| 1921 | The Conquering Power | Charles Grandet | Rudolph Valentino | Survives | [37] |
| 1921 | Camille | Armand Duval | Rudolph Valentino | Survives | [38] |
| 1922 | Moran of the Lady Letty | Ramon Laredo | Rodolph Valentino | Survives | [39] |
| 1922 | Beyond the Rocks | Lord Bracondale | Rodolph Valentino | Survives | [40] |
| 1922 | Blood and Sand | Juan Gallardo | Rudolph Valentino | Survives | [41] |
| 1922 | The Young Rajah | Amos Judd | Rudolph Valentino | Incomplete | [42] |
| 1924 | Monsieur Beaucaire | Duke de Chartres/Beaucaire | Rudolph Valentino | Survives | [43] |
| 1924 | A Sainted Devil | Don Alonzo Castro | Rudolph Valentino | Lost film | [44] |
| 1925 | Cobra | Count Rodrigo Torriani | Rudolph Valentino | Survives | [45] |
| 1925 | The Eagle | Lt. Vladimir Dubrovsky | Rudolph Valentino | Survives | [46] |
| 1926 | The Son of the Sheik | Ahmed/The Sheik | Rudolph Valentino | Survives | [47] |
References and sources
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Rollyson 2000.
- ^ Botham 2002, pp. 15, 23, 30.
- ^ Ellenberger 2005, p. 3.
- ^ Botham 2002, p. 135.
- ^ a b IMPA 1938, p. 492.
- ^ Leider 2004, p. 4.
- ^ a b LaGumina et al. 2003, p. 659.
- ^ Browne & Browne 2001, p. 867.
- ^ "Librarian Names 25 More Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. December 18, 1995. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ "Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. December 16, 2003. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ Leider 2004, p. 389.
- ^ Leider 2004, p. 392.
- ^ a b Ellenberger 2005, p. 236.
- ^ Ellenberger 2005, p. 235.
- ^ Leider 2004, p. 425.
- ^ a b Leider 2004, p. 426.
- ^ Ellenberger 2005, p. 237.
- ^ "A Society Sensation". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "All Night". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "The Married Virgin". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "The Delicious Little Devil". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "The Big Little Person". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "A Rogue's Romance". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Botham 2002, p. 348.
- ^ Botham 2002, p. 347.
- ^ "Nobody Home". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Eyes of Youth". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Stolen Moments". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "An Adventuress". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Rambova 2009, p. 254.
- ^ "Passion's Playground". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Once to Every Woman". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "The Wonderful Chance". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Uncharted Seas". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "The Sheik". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "The Conquering Power". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Camille". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Moran of the Lady Letty". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Beyond the Rocks". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Blood and Sand". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "The Young Rajah". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "Monsieur Beaucaire". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "A Sainted Devil". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "Cobra". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "The Eagle". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "The Son of the Sheik". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
Sources
edit- Botham, Noel (2002). Valentino: The First Superstar. London: Metro Books. ISBN 978-1-84358-013-3.
- Browne, Ray Broadus; Browne, Pat (2001). The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-87972-821-2.
- Ellenberger, Allan R. (2005). The Valentino Mystique: The Death and Afterlife of the Silent Film Idol. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-8341-9.
- International Motion Picture Almanac 1937–38. New York, NY: The Quigley Publishing Company. 1938. OCLC 900904412.
- LaGumina, Salvatore J.; Cavaioli, Frank J.; Primeggia, Salvatore; Varacalli, Joseph A. (2003). The Italian American Experience: An Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-58333-0.
- Leider, Emily W (2004). Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-21819-6.
- Rambova, Natacha (2009). Rudolph Valentino: A Wife's Memories of an Icon. Hollywood, Cal.: 1921 PVG Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9816440-4-2.
- Rollyson, Carl (2000). "Valentino, Rudolph". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved September 24, 2015. (subscription required)