A diplomat, a race-car driver, a pilot, a polo champion, an alleged assassin, and a notorious ladies’ man, Porfirio Rubirosa is believed by many to have been Ian Fleming’s inspiration for James Bond. (The Associated Press / 1954 File Photo)
The Life of Porfirio Rubirosa
Porfirio Rubirosa, often referred to simply as "Rubi," was born in 1909 in the Dominican Republic. His life was one of glamour, filled with high-profile marriages, fast cars, and international intrigue. Rubirosa's father was a general and diplomat, which set the stage for Rubi's entrance into the world of diplomacy and elite social circles.
In 1930, Rafael Trujillo became President of the Dominican Republic. A Dictator who stayed in power until his assassination in 1961, Trujillo saw something that caught his attention on young Rubirosa when they met during a Polo match a country club in 1931, and soon asked him to join the Presidential Guard.
Before long, Rubirosa would be married to Trujillo’s eldest daughter, Flor de Oro Trujillo. According to some records, this was something of a forced marriage after a secret romantic encounter. Faced with death at the hands of the dictator’s regime or marriage, Rubirosa chose life. Alas, Rubirosa’s serial adultery led to a divorce in 1937.
Even so, the dictator kept him hired as a diplomat, aiming to leverage his charm, smooth talk, and frankly, ability to lie, to his country’s advantage. “He is good at his job, because women like him and he is a wonderful liar,” quipped Trujillo, knowing full well the damage he’d done to his daughter.
It was during these “diplomatic” years that Rubirosa’s fame, or infamy, really took off. Between serving in Embassies in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Rome, and Havana, “Rubi” came to be known as the womaniser who would be married four more times, to French actresses Danielle Darrieux and Odile Rodin, and American Heiresses Barbara Hutton and Doris Duke, who was that time the richest woman on earth thanks to her father, James Buchanan, owner of American Tobacco and the inventor of the mass-produced cigarette.
Rubirosa was known for his charm, good looks, and adventurous spirit. His relationships with some of the world's wealthiest and most famous women, including actresses Zsa Zsa Gabor and Danielle Darrieux, and heiresses such as Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton, only added to his mystique. He was also an accomplished polo player and race car driver, living a life that seemed straight out of an "old-money elite" script.
