Harriet (Ackers) Valentino (1893 - 1978)

Born 23 Oct 1893 in Trenton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Valentino — married 6 Nov 1919 (to 1923) in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

Died 16 Aug 1978 at age 84 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Harriet (Ackers) Valentino is Notable.

Jean Acker was an American film actress with a career dating from the silent film era through the 1950s. She was perhaps best known as the estranged wife of silent film star Rudolph Valentino.^[1]

When Jean Acker was born on 23 October 1892, in Trenton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, her father, Joseph Akers, was 21 and her mother, Maggie Spain, was 20.

Jean was married to Valentino 6 November 1919 in Los Angeles, California,^[2] after a two-month courtship; however the marriage did not last long and apparently was never consummated. Jean lock him out of of their hotel on their wedding night.^[3]

Unfortunately, Valentino didn't wait to marry his second wife, Natacha Rambova, long enough (his divorce from Jean wasn't yet finalized), and he was charged with bigamy. The two were reconciled before Valentino's death in 1926 and Jean wrote a song about her ex-husband after his death, "We Will Meet at the End of the Trail," which became a popular tune. ^[4]

Reportedly, Jean was romantically involved with the actress Alla Nazimova., who included Jean in what she called her "Sewing Circles," a group of popular actresses who had to hide their bisexuality. Another of Jean's female lovers was Grace Darmond, with whom she was involved during her relationship with Valentino.^[5]

Jean and her life companion, Chloe Carter, owned a Beverly Hills apartment building where Patricia Neal lived for several years.^[6]

She died on 16 August 1978, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, at the age of 85,^[7] and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles, California, United States. ^[8] Jean and her companion Chloe are now buried side by side in Holy Cross Cemetery, Los Angeles, California.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ Jean Acker Biography on Wikipedia.
2. ↑ Jean's marriage records identifies her parents as Joseph Ackers and Maggie Spain. "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XLHK-5DQ : 18 August 2022), Rodolfo Guglielmi and Harriett H Acker, 1919.
3. ↑ Jean Acker Biography on Wikipedia.
4. ↑ Jean Acker Biography on Wikipedia.
5. ↑ Jean Acker Biography on Wikipedia.
6. ↑ Jean Acker Biography on IMDb.
7. ↑ "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPJX-NQF : 26 November 2014), Jean Acker Valentino, 16 Aug 1978; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4179/jean-acker: accessed 25 April 2023), memorial page for Jean Acker (23 Oct 1892–16 Aug 1978), Find a Grave Memorial ID 4179, citing Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
9. ↑ Jean Acker Biography on IMDb.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Valentino#Personal_life

Leider, Emily W. Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino. New York City, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2003. ISBN 0-374-28239-0. p. 100. "Jean Acker of Metro Weds". Motion Picture News. 1919. p. 3774. Donnelley, Paul (2005). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 935. ISBN 1-84449-430-6. Donnelley, Paul (2005). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 7. ISBN 1-84449-430-6. Madsen, Axel (2002). The Sewing Circle: Sappho's Leading Ladies. Kensington Books. p. 103. ISBN 0-7582-0101-X. Newman, Ben-Allah (2004). Rudolph Valentino His Romantic Life and Death: His Romantic Life and Death. Kessinger Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 1-4179-1464-5. Briggs, Joe Bob (2005). Profoundly Erotic: Sexy Movies that Changed History. Universe. p. 30. ISBN 0-7893-1314-6. Jean Acker at Find a Grave "The Evening News - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2013-12-05. "The Deseret News - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2013-12-05. "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2013-12-05. "Rochester Evening Journal - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2013-12-05. Shearer, Stephen Michael (2006). Patricia Neal: An Unquiet Life. University Press of Kentucky. p. 391. ISBN 0-8131-2391-7. Donnelley, Paul (2005). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 8. ISBN 1-84449-430-6. Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 325). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4179/jean-acker