Norma: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino's Beauty Queen

In 1923, Norma Niblock of Toronto, Canada, was chosen from eighty-eight contestants to become Rudolph Valentino's Beauty Queen. For a brief moment, she stepped into the spotlight of one of the greatest celebrity phenomena of the twentieth century. Yet Norma's story did not end with her coronation.

What began as the author's search for the fate of this forgotten figure in Valentino history, became the first authorized telling of Norma's remarkable and often heartbreaking life story.

Through interviews with her children, who granted exclusive access to the family archive, including personal photographs and Norma's own scrapbook, a portrait emerges of a woman whose life was shaped by love, loss, resilience and the lingering echoes of fame.

More than a footnote in the Valentino legend, this biography restores a forgotten voice to the historical record and brings Norma's extraordinary life into view.

Evelyn Zumaya Floris is an author, historian and independent scholar whose work focuses on the cultural legacy of silent film icon Rudolph Valentino. For more than two decades, she has researched Valentino's life, the legal and financial controversies surrounding his estate and the suppressed archival materials which shape his historical narrative. Her previous books include, Affairs Valentino, Affairs Valentino Legacy Edition, The Affairs Valentino Companion Guide, Astral Affairs Rambova and Norma: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino's Beauty Queen. Working alongside her late husband and collaborator Renato Floris, she has built one of the most comprehensive private archives on Valentino and his manager George Ullman. Floris is known for her meticulous documentation, fearless investigative approach and unwavering commitment to historical truth. She publishes widely on the Valentino era through books, blogs and digital archives and her work has sparked international interest for its revelations about narrative control, celebrity culture and the power dynamics within collector communities.