Porfirio Rubirosa

Porfirio Rubirosa Ariza, (born 1909 - died July 5, 1965) was a Dominican diplomat, polo player and race car driver, but was best known as an international playboy for his jet setting socialite lifestyle and legendary prowess with women.

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1909 - July 5 - 1965

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Born to a middle-class family in San Francisco de Macorís in the Cibao region of the Dominican Republic, he was the son of an army general. He grew up in Paris, France after his father was appointed the chargé d'affaires at the Dominican consulate in 1920. He returned to the Dominican Republic at the age of seventeen to study law but did not complete his schooling, instead enlisting in his country's military.

Related Topics:
Dominican Republic - Paris, France

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Rubirosa eventually met and married Flor de Oro Trujillo, a daughter of Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina. Although his marriage did not last, his father-in-law appointed him a diplomat to France where as a pilot, a polo player, and a race car driver, he quickly earned a reputation as an international playboy. His suave manner and rugged good looks came with a male appendage and supposed sexual skills that were the subject of much gossip and speculation. (To this day, large pepper grinders are commonly referred to as "rubirosas")

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Porfirio Rubirosa earned considerable notoriety for a string of wealthy and high profile wives. After divorcing Flor de Oro Trujillo, he married the French actress Danielle Darrieux, followed by two American heiresses, Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton. His marriage to the much troubled Barbara Hutton lasted just 53 days, but in the divorce settlement the Woolworth heiress had to pay him a reported $3.5 million dollars. His last marriage was at age 47 to another French actress, 19-year-old Odile Rodin. But before, during, and after his marriages he kept up a string of relationships with other glamourous high-profile women such as Hungarian-American actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, and American actress Lana Turner.

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Danielle Darrieux - Doris Duke - Barbara Hutton - Woolworth - Hungarian - Zsa Zsa Gabor - Lana Turner

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A Ferrari enthusiast, he competed in a number of major races including the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 hours of Le Mans. From Rome to Rio de Janeiro to Nassau, Bahamas to New York City and Hollywood, Rubirosa enjoyed the good life until the age of around 56 when he was killed after crashing his Ferrari sportscar into a tree in the Parisian suburb of Bois de Boulogne.

Related Topics:
Ferrari - 12 Hours of Sebring - 24 hours of Le Mans - Bois de Boulogne

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