LOS ANGELES -\u00a0What do Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, George Clooney and Bradley Cooper all have in common? They owe everything to one man, Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926). Not just a name, but a legend. Born in Puglia to an Italian father and a French mother, Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antoguolla (!) emigrated to the United\u00a0States at the age of 18 after a brief career as a dancer in Paris. On his arrival in New York, he worked a series of odd jobs, as a gardener or carrier, before gaining attention for his rendition of the Argentine tango. He subsequently joined a travelling musical, and made his way to Los Angeles jumping from one tour to another. His feline elegance and his sultry look quickly opened the doors to an expanding universe: Hollywood. Cinema was still in the silent film era in the hair-raising post-war period, but it took just a few supporting roles for Rudolph Valentino - his new stage name - to make a name for himself. With a master stroke on his first attempt: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse<\/em> (1921), directed by Rex Ingram, one of the first blockbusters produced by this fledgling industry. Followed in the same year by The Sheik<\/em> and Camille<\/em>, which catapulted him to the status of star. And sex symbol, the first of his kind. The man who paved the way for generations of Hollywood actors.<\/p>\n\n\t\t