The Shortest Hollywood Marriage: Locked Out on the Wedding Night
He knocked for 20 minutes. She never opened the door.
Key Facts
What Happened
On November 5, 1919, silent film actor Rudolph Valentino married actress Jean Acker at the home of film producer Maxwell Karger in Hollywood. The couple had met at a party and courted for approximately two months before the wedding. It would become the shortest marriage in Hollywood history, a record officially recognized by Guinness World Records over a century later.
The marriage effectively ended on the wedding night. Acker locked Valentino out of their honeymoon suite, and after approximately 20 minutes of knocking, the dejected groom simply went home. The marriage was never consummated. Acker soon informed Valentino that she intended to seek a divorce through the Reno courts.
The story took a vindictive turn after Valentino became one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Following his breakout roles in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Camille, Acker filed a maintenance suit in January 1921, alleging that Valentino had deserted her after his rise to fame, a remarkable claim given that she was the one who had locked him out. In 1923, she sued for and won the legal right to call herself Mrs. Rudolph Valentino, and was credited under that name in the film The Woman in Chains.
Despite years of bitterness, the pair eventually reconciled before Valentino's sudden death from peritonitis in 1926 at the age of 31. The case, though over a century old, remains relevant to family law as a study in non-consummation as grounds for annulment, the legal right to a spouse's surname, and how fame can transform the dynamics of a failed marriage.
Legal Breakdown: Non-consummation as grounds for annulment and the right to a spouse's name
Non-Consummation as Grounds for Annulment
Non-consummation has historically been one of the strongest grounds for annulment, as it suggests the marriage was never fully formed. Valentino could have sought an annulment rather than a divorce, which would have legally erased the marriage. However, annulment law in 1919 California was less developed than today.
Right to a Spouse's Surname
Acker's successful lawsuit to use the name 'Mrs. Rudolph Valentino' established an early precedent for surname rights after marriage. Today, most jurisdictions allow either spouse to retain the other's surname after divorce, and courts generally cannot compel a name change. The value of a famous name can be significant, as it was for Acker's acting career.
Post-Fame Financial Claims
Acker's maintenance suit after Valentino became famous illustrates a phenomenon still common today: when one spouse's earning potential increases dramatically after separation, the other may file claims based on the marriage period. The legal merit of such claims depends on jurisdiction, timing, and whether the career advancement occurred during or after the marriage.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →Non-consummation remains a valid ground for annulment in most jurisdictions and can simplify the dissolution process
- →The legal right to a former spouse's surname can have significant professional and financial value
- →A spouse's rising fame or fortune after separation can trigger new financial claims from the other party
- →Even the shortest marriages can generate decades of legal consequences if not properly resolved
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
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