Anecdotes

At the height of his popularity, he went on a brief sojourn in his native Italy to visit friends and family and, in general, to get a much-needed rest. When he returned to Hollywood, friends asked him if he had been mobbed by fans while on vacation. He said no, explaining that "over there, I look like every other Italian fellow on the street".

His father was Italian, his mother was French. He spoke at least four languages fluently (English, Spanish, French, Italian) and may have spoken more.

His last words before passing were,"Don't pull down the blinds. I feel fine. I want the sunlight to greet me!".

At the time of his death he was severely in debt, and his heirs could not afford a burial plot for him. June Mathis, friend and screenwriter of his hit films The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) and Blood and Sand (1922), agreed to temporarily loan him a space in her family crypt at Hollywood Park Cemetery so he could be interred upon his body's arrival in Los Angeles, following a coast-to-coast funeral train ride from New York. Mathis died the following year and Valentino's body was moved into her husband's space. He is still interred there, as all memorial plans fell through during the Depression.

For many years on the anniversary of his death, a mysterious woman, dressed all in black, was seen laying a wreath of flowers on his grave. Her identity was never established.

In the 1930s Sheik Condoms, named after his most famous role, were introduced and featured his silhouette on the packaging for years.

He is responsible for bringing the Argentine Tango to America, first performing it in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), and later in a successful American national dance tour with his wife, Natacha Rambova, who, like Valentino himself, was once a professional dancer.

He and Jean Acker had one of the shortest celebrity marriages on record: six hours. After courting for just a few days, they impulsively married on 11/5/1919, but she locked him out of their hotel room later that night after a spat. They separated, and their divorce was finalized in 1922. Ironically, after their divorce, they became good friends.

Considered to be the first male sex symbol of the cinema during the silent era.

A few months before his death a Chicago newspaper columnist attacked his masculinity in print, referring to him as a "pink powder puff". A lawsuit was pending when he was fatally stricken. One of his last questions to his doctor was, "Well, doctor, and do I now act like a 'pink powder puff'?" His doctor reportedly replied, "No, sir. You have been very brave. Braver than most".

Worked as a dishwasher, taxi dancer and gardener before starring in The Son of the Sheik (1926).

Was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6164 Hollywood Blvd. on 2/8/60.

Published a thin volume of sentimental poetry titled "Day Dreams" in 1923. The book sold hundreds of thousands of copies. In 2010 it was reprinted by 1921 PVG Publishing with a foreword by Evelyn Zumaya.

Is mentioned in The Bangles 1986 song (written by Prince) "Manic Monday" ("I was kissin' Valentino by a crystal-blue, Italian stream").

In 1923 he recorded two songs, "Kashmiri Love Song" (from The Sheik (1921)) and "El Relicario" (from Blood and Sand (1922)) for Brunswick Records. Both recordings still exist and have been released on the CD "Rudolph Valentino: He Sings & Others Sing About Him".

A portion of Irving Boulevard in Hollywood, CA, was renamed Rudolph Valentino Street in 1978.

In 2009 The Rudolph Valentino Society was created to honor his legacy.

On 5/5/30 a memorial statue erected in his honor was unveiled in Hollywood. Located in De Longpre Park (a pocket park at 1350 N Cherokee Avenue, just south of Sunset Boulevard), the statue is a featureless Art Deco bronze casting of a male figure standing on a sphere. Titled "Aspiration", the statue stands on a pedestal with the following inscription: "ERECTED IN MEMORY OF RUDOLPH VALENTINO 1895-1926 PRESENTED BY HIS FRIENDS AND ADMIRERS FROM EVERY WALK OF LIFE IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD IN APPRECIATION OF THE HAPPINESS BROUGHT TO THEM BY HIS CINEMA PORTRAYALS". The statue, which cost more than $10,000, was an early example of crowd-source funding, with most of the donations being only five or ten cents. It was the first memorial to a movie star erected in a public park in the US. The sculpture is the work of Roger Noble Burnham. Dolores Del Río performed the unveiling.

The Rudolph Valentino Film Festival, held in Los Angeles, CA, was created in his honor.

During a slip in his popularity, Harry Reichenbach had the great lover grow a beard, and then orchestrated a huge protest from outraged female fans, not to mention barbershop owners. Months later he arranged for a ceremonial shaving by members of the Master Barbers of America.

His business manager was S. George Ullman, also his closest friend, who remained with him at the time of his death.

Pictured on one of ten 29¢ US commemorative postage stamps celebrating stars of the silent screen, issued 27 April 1994. Designed by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, this set of stamps also honored Clara Bow, Charles Chaplin, Lon Chaney, John Gilbert, Zasu Pitts, Harold Lloyd, Theda Bara, Buster Keaton, and the Keystone Kops.

To this day he remains interred in what was supposed to be a temporary grave. He died heavily in debt; his friend, writer June Mathis-- who discovered him and was the catalyst for his super-stardom--loaned him one of the crypts she owned. Sadly, she died less than a year after Valentino, and he was never reburied in a more appropriate place.

Was a spendthrift who had lavish tastes and spared no expenses. When he first came to America, even though he didn't have a job, he booked himself a room at a luxurious hotel in New York City and would buy expensive clothes, tailored to fit him perfectly (when the funds he came with ran out, he was found sleeping on a bench, in the park). Because of his reckless spending habits, his estate was in debt when he died, and all of his belongings (including bedroom furniture and a vast collection of books in several languages) were sold at an auction four months after his death, on 12/10/1926. His long-time friend and manager, S. George Ullman, was the auction administrator.

In 2011 "Affairs Valentino" by Evelyn Zumaya was released by The Rudolph Valentino Society. The biography drastically repaints the life of Valentino with newly found court documents, accounting ledgers and unpublished memoirs and memories by his manager S. George Ullman and godfather Frank Mennillo.

Following his death, he was interred at Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery (now Hollywood Forever Cemetery) in Los Angeles, CA.

Kabar, pronounced kuh-baar, was actually an Alsatian Doberman that was gifted to Valentino. The story goes that Kabar howled endlessly when Rudolph died, even though they were separated by miles..

On 1/25/82 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted a special Tribute to Rudolph Valentino. Clips from several films and documentaries were shown during this special event. Opening comments came from Mr. Jean Valentino, his nephew. A screening of The Son of the Sheik (1926), with color-tinted sequences, was shown in its entirety. A representative from the Academy read an affectionate telegram from The Son of the Sheik (1926).

In October 1997 he was ranked #80 in "Empire" (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.

Following his death, a bogus, composite photograph of him ascending up to heaven was released for sale, and was snatched up by his legions of fans.

Having failed to make the grade as an officer in the Italian army, he arrived in America from Italy in 1913 and went through a succession of casual jobs such as dishwasher and waiter before getting work as a dancer.

Had an Irish Wolfhound named "Centaur Pendragon" and a Great Dane named "Kabar".

Is mentioned in The Bongos song "Apache Dancing": "We like to tango like Valentino".

Is referenced in The Kinks' 1972 song "Celluloid Heroes", with the lines "Rudolph Valentino looks very much alive. And he looks up ladies' dresses as they sadly pass him by".

Was paired with Nita Naldi in four movies: Blood and Sand (1922), A Sainted Devil (1924), The Hooded Falcon (1924) and Cobra (1925).

He was voted the 32nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by "Entertainment Weekly.".

Mentioned in "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" by Leo Sayer.

Referenced in The Corrs' "I Never Loved You Anyway".

Mentioned in the Disney comedy Le nouvel amour de Coccinelle (1974).

His marriage to Jean Acker lasted 6 hours,.

Resided at the Hotel Des Artistes, 1 West 67th Street, in Manhattan, New York.

His sudden death triggered mass hysteria including several suicides.