The death of silent film actor Rudolph Valentino in August 1926 caused a worldwide frenzy among his fans. Valentino, who appeared in only 14 major films during his brief seven-year movie career, was idolized by countless women as the ‘Great Lover’ of the 1920s. Born in 1895 in Castellaneta, Italy, Rodolfo di Valentina D’Antonguolla came to America in 1913 and worked as a gardener, dishwasher and vaudeville dancer until he moved to Hollywood and obtained his first important film role in 1921. In films like 1921’s The Sheik, Valentino mesmerized female fans with his sex appeal and exotic good looks. In New York for the 1926 premiere of Son of the Sheik, the 31-year-old Valentino became ill on August 15 and died of peritonitis on August 23. Valentino’s death caused worldwide hysteria, with several women reportedly committing suicide and riots breaking out in New York as thousands of fans tried to view the body.
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