Rudolph Valentino was one of the premier movie stars of the 1920s. His smoldering good looks and exotic screen roles made him irresistible to female audience members, while many male viewers saw him as little more than an unmanly "powder puff." Nonetheless, for women of the Roaring Twenties, Valentino was a true sex symbol, a figure who represented danger, allure, and forbidden passion. His immense popularity spawned a parade of Valentino imitators—handsome young actors whose dark-featured good looks and aggressive sensuality earned them the title "Latin lovers."

Valentino was born Rodolpho Alfonzo Raffaelo Pierre Filibert Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla in Castellaneta, Italy. He came to the United States in 1913, where he struggled to make a living. He eventually was hired as a dancer and worked in vaudeville (see entry under 1900s—Film and Theater in volume 1) until making his acting debut in a...