A conversation today sparked the question, “Were there two Rudolph Valentinos?” One person cited the reports that Valentino was “boyish”, “immature” and “irresponsible”. The other presenting the reports by many how Valentino was serious, stern and focused on his work at hand.... and temperamental.
George Ullman wrote (from p. 52 of The Rudolph Valentino Case Files) :
“He seldom laughed, rarely smiled, had a volcanic temper, quick and intense. He was often profane, even foul before men; never with women.”
Adolph Zukor, in his autobiography, The Public is Never Wrong wrote on p. 152:
“Valentino rarely smiled on the screen or off, and I cannot recall every having seen him laugh... he was temperamental.”
Michael Romano writes in his introduction to My Private Diary:
“In discussing his work he was entirely without egotism, and his conversations were remarkably devoid of the personal pronoun "I". He could discuss his portrayals with complete submergence of self- impersonally, detached, and always critically. At times his humor became introspective, and-more rarely-his tone confidential. It was then that he would pour out the aspirations he had for his complete development as a great dramatic artist.”
Although this appears to contradict, and drastically, the reports of his boyishness....I would not say Valentino was two people but one person who knew how to act appropriately. He could be flirtatious and giddy around women and delegated a lot to his wife Natacha and manager George Ullman in order to have plenty of time to do so. But behind his scenes he was more grim I think, more forceful and seriously dedicated to running his empire. And that was what it was by the time he died. His paper trail at the time of his death was staggering in its scope.
He barked orders to Florey, was furious with Andre Daven and wrote Hebertot telling him so. Was Valentino a driven and serious man who just lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree around women? And cameras? I do not think it is necessarily one or the other.
