When he appeared on the screen, our grandmothers' knees felt weak. Deadly handsome and exotic in Sheikh (1921), Valentino was the idol of women. The fair sex worshiped him even idolously. And the men? They were simply afraid of him.
The beginnings of the "lover of all times" were not impressive. Rudolf Valentino was born in Italy as Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filibert Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla. He was the youngest son of an Italian mamma who, after a period of shirking, began his career as a dancer in Paris. In 1913, not knowing a word of English, he emigrated to the United States.
Not knowing the language did not give him any broader prospects of a good job. To support himself, the handsome young man became a ... plaything. Valentino decided to turn his physical values into real money. The future star dressed up as a ball and then entertained eager (and wealthy) ladies in restaurants and cabarets .
Still from the film "Beyond the Rocks" (1922). In the photo Gloria Swanson and Rudolf Valentino
He fulfilled all the whims of his companions, playing the role of a keeper. He slowly climbed the rungs of the social ladder, and his older partners showered the handsome gigolo with more and more expensive gifts - they bought him cars and funded dinners. But Rudolf wanted something more from life.
More than an adventure
The adventure with the film did not promise great success for the young Italian at a time when dark-skinned actors were usually delegated to play the villains. With his typically southern beauty, could only count on poorly paid minor roles, like a "cabaret parasite" seducing the protagonist in "The Eyes of Youth" (1919) or in "Stolen Moments" (1920), surrounded by fans of a lousy Brazilian writer. Boredom and frustration came quickly, but with them came the breakthrough.
As Anne Helen Petersen, author of the book "Scandals of the Golden Era of Hollywood" writes, after reading "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", Valentino was to beg the producer for a role in the film. Rex Ingram, who was responsible for directing the picture, saw something special about it. Thanks to his endeavors, the role of Valentino with the second, or even third, role has grown to a star one. Despite the meager earnings and shortages in the wardrobe, the Italian lover shone in every scene, and the hero he played became immortal. The Four Horsemen became the highest-grossing film of 1921 and Valentino was a revelation.
A lacquered sheikh at the mercy of his wife
The Valentino craze started with Sheikh in 1921, in which an Italian lover played an Arab leader abducting an Englishwoman - Diana Mayo. Viewers could feed their eyes not only with passionate glances and intense hugs of the swarthy sheikh, but also with mood swings between lovers.
In addition, at the end of the film, they found out that this Arab was in fact a Scottish lord, found in his childhood in the desert. However, a few months after the premiere, the comedians mocked the sheikh's sleek hair - Stan Laurel parody him the role of Rhubarb Vaselino in "In the Mud and in the Sand".
As we read in "Scandals of the golden age of Hollywood" by Anne Helen Petersen, Dick Dorgan wrote about Valentino:
The men have founded a secret society, and I am running for the chairman and first executioner, as you have already noticed. In its statute, the secret order decided to loathe, hate and despise it for obvious reasons. What?! Me - jealous? Oh no. I just hate him.
Valentino is seductive with the look of materials promoting one of his films.
The divine sheikh caused men to fear, because his beauty drove female audiences into cinema seats and made the ladies palpitate their hearts. The gentlemen were afraid that they would no longer meet the strict criteria, so they tried to discredit him. The divorce scandal was very helpful in this.
Valentino's first wife, Jean Acker, filed for divorce in June 1921. It was not without a court battle, and the marriage turned out to be one big mistake. The couple argued constantly, and Jean thought parasitizing her was extremely unmanly, and it was time for Rudolf to become a man.
Moreover, a rumor spread that the marriage was never consummated, giving rise to rumors about the actor's homosexuality. And although this was not exactly true, Acker claimed that her husband was as eager to use her body as he was to use her perfume.
In his most famous movie. Rudolf Valentino as Arab Sheikh.
Such statements perfectly fueled the feminized, ethereal image of the actor. Another partner, Natacha Rambova, spoke similarly about him, they describe him as an emotional boy sensitive to the hurtful words spoken by others.
The image of the star
Neither a long professional break nor what followed did help to improve the actor's image. After his long-awaited return to the screen, Valentino appeared in the historical drama Monsieur Beaucaire (1924). Unfortunately, he disappointed his fans, but the critics were overjoyed at the sight of the white wig and silk pantaloons, which in their opinion perfectly complement the image of the effeminate actor.
A poster from the movie "Sheikh" (1921), who made Valentino a star.
On her "Motion Picture" spread, she mercilessly exposed "all the beauty secrets of a capricious young lady's boudoir", inviting the actor's wardrobe overloaded with cosmetics and make-up accessories. His platinum "slave bracelet", a gift from Rambova, was mocked, suggesting his status as a kept woman. The Chicago Tribune journalist shouted: For all the manhood of this world, what is this slave bracelet supposed to mean ?! The only way to improve bad PR (and your account balance) was to accept an offer to revert to your old image.
A good blow to the jaw
In 1926, "Son of the Sheikh" was released, and Valentino had a chance to rebuild his popularity. The film turned out to be a hit, but the actor made a cardinal mistake - he was provoked by a journalist. Southern blood led him astray and led to a tragedy.
On July 18, 1926, an anonymous journalist from the Chicago Tribune reported that, while visiting a new ballroom in western Chicago, he found a powder dispenser in a men's restroom. He was so shocked that he saw the collapse of American civilization in it, for which he blamed Rudolph Valentino, without mincing his words. This one got mad and wanted revenge.
Valentino in a coffin.
US law prohibited duels, so the Italian actor would be content to meet in a boxing ring or a wrestling mat. Anne Helen Petersen quotes in "Hollywood Golden Era Scandals" his biting remark to the author of the insult that a hand with a slave's bracelet on his wrist can deliver a decent blow to your drooping jaw .
The journalistic milieu was united against Valentino, mocking his pathetic nature. He was advised to stop “kissing visiting virgins on the hands” and acting out melodramas, and then perhaps he would save his career. Unfortunately, the actor did not manage to retort - he collapsed in a New York hotel. He was diagnosed with appendicitis and gastric ulcer disease requiring immediate surgery. 
On August 21, he contracted acute peritonitis, fell into a coma and died two days later, at the age of thirty-one. The unusual life and short, though turbulent career of Rudolf Valentino gave birth to the myth of an exotic lover, and history completely forgot about the less glorious and comic episodes that accompanied the emerging fame.
Source:
Anne Helen Petersen, Scandals of Hollywood's Golden Age