Wedding of interest
"Latin Lover" and silent actor Rudolph Valentino married Natacha Rambova (Winifred Kimball Shaughnessy) costume and set designer in Mexicali, Mexico.
In 1919 just before the rise of his career Valentino rashly married the actress Jean Acker, who was already involved in a loving affair with actresses Grace Darmond and Alla Nazimova, the three of them were also known by the name the “Sewing circle” in Hollywood's inner circle.
We are talking about the twenties and facade marriages were common among actors. In the contracts concluded by the Hollywood studios were included morals clause, in order to prohibits certain behavior in an actor's private life.
Homosexuality was a taboo and it was hidden by the actors with facade weddings, this was mainly the reason why Acker accepted Valentino marriage proposal, to remove her from the lesbian love triangle, just as quickly she regretted the marriage, and locked Valentino out of their room on their wedding night. The couple separated soon after, and the marriage was never consummated. The couple remained legally married until 1921, when Acker sued Valentino for divorce. The divorce was granted only with Acker receiving alimony.
Valentino first met Winifred Shaughnessy, known by her stage name, Natacha Rambova an American costume and set designer, art director, and protégée of Nazimova on the set of Uncharted Seas in 1921. The two worked together and they started spending much time together, it won’t take long before the two became intimate and moved in together.
Rudolph obtained the divorce decree from Acker on March 4th 1922, according to the Californian law of the period; it required a year to pass before remarriage. Valentino ignoring the law and the advice of his attorney … married Natacha on May 13, 1922, in Mexicali, Mexico, which resulted in Valentino's arrest for bigamy, since he had not been divorced for a full year, as required by California law at the time. He was bailed out by his friends. They remarried on March 14, 1923.
Valentino and Natacha finally happy at home
I hope you enjoied the new column "Married Today" with the first tribute to one of the first Hollywood movie star, Rudolph Valentino.
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Marcella Lavarini